Internet Hate Machine

CW: Vulgar language and verbal threats

For all the venues of communication that anonymity affords, there are considerable perils as well. Anyone who has been online long enough knows what I’m talking about. Anonymous hate. It can be fun to leave, but it’s never fun to receive.

The anonymous function at its core separates people from their words, which can be incredibly freeing for most. This fact alone makes many people rally behind the cause of protecting anonymous posting capabilities. They ultimately consider it worth protecting despite all of the consequences that come with it, both the positives and the negatives. And at times, those are almost inseparable. After all, and perhaps most importantly, anon divests the poster from the consequences of their actions. The words appear, but without an apparent author to claim ownership. There’s no easy way to track down the original poster or even identify them. In a large group of anon posts, the confusion easily increases. One person can play the role of multiple anons. They can create a whole thread of different personas having a “conversation” in order to prove a point or purposely create drama.

Of course, sometimes anon hate is isolated and so vague that it’s almost ridiculous. Such messages are easy to dismiss and delete, or even ridicule.

But sometimes anon hate can be unfunny and even destructive. The behavior extends into and escalates in private messages, which often serve as the venue for pointed attacks. Vicious attacks may be mounted against one user through anonymous messaging. Sometimes the attackers really are a number of different users who, for some reason, feel the need to heckle a particular individual. Much more commonly, however, the anon hate all stems from one user sending multiple messages that claim to originate from different people. This tactic purposely ramps up the magnitude of the attack in a way that non-anonymous messaging simply cannot hope to replicate. It breeds paranoia and suspicion and creates a very hostile and unsafe environment for the victim. They have no way of knowing who or how many people are singling them out. And they can’t just block them and move on since it’s all anonymous.

Again, they have no idea who is really attacking them.

It could be anyone. A follower? A fan? A random visitor? A close friend? The last possibility in particular erodes confidence and trust at an individual level, and consequently detracts from community interaction as a whole. Fandom is no exception. Once stung, it is incredibly common and completely understandable that a user would not want to continue participating in that fandom. At worse, the fan might delete their account or leave the community completely.

With sites that enable users to turn anonymous commenting or messages on or off, however, the recipient of anonymous hate frequently just disables those possibilities. It’s a simple enough response, but the restriction leaves some subtle consequences. It closes the user off from more general interaction with fans and shuts down a whole venue of communication. People can no longer, for example, send anonymous confessions or personal messages to that user without outing themselves. As such, they are more likely to just avoid any attempts at communication with that user in general.

Anon can be a great tool. But like any tool, it can be misused. And the consequences can affect everyone.

A syllabus? On fanfiction? It's more likely than you think.

When fandom and academics collide it typically isn’t pretty, as yesterday’s drama clearly shows us.

This year, the University of California Berkley decided to try something different in its curriculum. They went for a bold, new foray into a subculture that has only recently been gaining more visibility in the mainstream. A subculture that has often been framed by the news as an oddity or sideshow. A subculture that changes rapidly thanks to digital media, causing almost any new academic papers on it to seem outdated almost right as they are published. Yes, you guessed it. The university built a course for studying fandom. Specifically fanfiction.

And they're rather proud of it.

Called The Theory of Fanfiction, the class is dedicated to studying the phenomenon and tropes of fandom generated literature. Most of the structure rests on students reading a number of selected fanfictions, or assigned readings if you will. They are then tasked with reviewing said fics and discussing them in the classroom under the direction of a instructor (really a group of student-teachers). The fanfiction selection alone raises some eyebrows. There simply is little precedence for such a small list in academia and such an overwhelming amount of fanfic in general. What exactly determines what fic makes the cut? The popularity or infamy? Cross referencing a number of rec lists? The teacher’s personal favorites? And if that selection process is not bizarre enough, some of the readings are strangely enough paired with more classical readings. The discussion of the infamous badfic My Immortal, for instance, is paired with an excerpt from Dante’s Inferno. I cringe to think of what parallels the class might force. But I digress. The class setup sounds simple and harmless enough. Granted, the academic value of such a class is debatable, but their hearts are in the right place. Right?

If the class had continued on in its own little bubble, then sure. Probably. Few would probably have even known about the course’s existence. But more than a few feathers have been ruffled the past couple of days when the students started leaving the mandatory reviews. What really caught one fic author’s attention was the sudden influx of strangely formatted reviews. Instead of the typical more personal and informal reviews (like a standard “Great fic! I can’t wait for the next update! :D”), tumblr user waldorph noticed a bunch of oddly long and stilted reviews full of formal language and attempts at constructive criticism on their ao3 page, even though they did not ask for any.

The author and other non-student reviewers did not take kindly to the intrusion for a number of reasons. First and foremost, none of the fic authors were asked or notified about the course and the use of their works in said course. This was a huge mistake on the side of the professors, especially since 50% of the students grades rely on fandom interaction through reviewing. The authors likely did not want the sudden influx of attention from outsiders. The reviewers themselves were obviously not used to the understood but unstated etiquette of fanfic. Mostly, that the reviews aren’t really reviews in the way that most people tend to think of them. Unless the author specifically states that they want constructive criticism, most of the time people won’t leave any as it would be considered rude. Fanfiction, after all, is not meant to be rigorously scrutinized the way an academic paper might. It’s not made for publishing and should not be treated as such. It’s first and foremost for fun.

One anonymous user sums it up nicely when addressing the student-teacher (who was forced to explain when the comments turned to mudslinging and attacks on BOTH sides):

Full thread here.

Things have cooled down a bit, or as best as it can in a scant 24 hours, but the drama has stirred up a lot of important discussion on the intersection of academia and fandom culture and especially on how the former should respectfully approach the latter. Careful thought should definitely go into exploring these issues to prevent another incident from occurring in the future.

A full write-up of the drama can be found here. And more discussion on the topic can be found here, here, and here. Keep in mind that the fallout is still unfolding, so there may be a future update.

Pseudonym Sunday: Gaining Reputation and BNFs

People like having fans. And fans definitely like having fans.

While that may seem weird and counterintuitive at first, there is a perfectly good explanation. It mostly stems from the fact that many fans become content creators themselves, even if they end up borrowing someone else’s characters, worlds, and/or scenarios to do so. They produce fanworks like fanfiction, fanvids, and fanart without any intention of making a profit. It’s just for fun. And if the work is of a high enough quality and well received, it’s very likely that the person will gain their own following of other fans.

Even though this is a Pseudonym Sunday post, don’t let the category trip you up. Even anonymous users can gain a fan following if there is an easy way to attribute certain works or comments to one individual, anonymous or not. Art styles, for example, may be easy to identify and match up. Or, an anonymous user might claim a number of works as theirs without divulging their name. Pseudonyms just make this process easier and more accurate. After all, they give a distinct name and ownership to the work.

When a fan gets a big enough reputation, people might start considering them as a Big Name Fan, or BNF. This is where the terminology gets a bit tricky. It definition is simple enough. For whatever reason, BNFs are simply well-known fans. Just note that it’s not always the result of pure hard work and talent. There are a lot of other factors that can come into play before someone might be labeled a BNF. But the connotations can range from well to ill received. The positive side of the coin is easy enough to see, so I will be focusing mainly on the negatives.

 BNFs can have A LOT of influence.

To put mildly, BNFs become centers of their fandom and become very influential in their own niche of the subculture. They're trend setters. And as a result, they often gain a sort of cult-like following and may use their popularity immorally. It’s mainly a symptom of attaining fame and being put on the spotlight. For better or worse, people flock and look up to the BNF, even idolize them, and not everyone can handle such power. The position also leaves them open to drama. Generally speaking, the more popular someone is, the more likely people will want to tear that person down by stirring shit up, and fandom spaces are no exception. The fallout of such drama can be legendary.

Because of the reputation of the title, few like to use it, especially when referring to themselves. Nobody Ever Admits They’re a BNF:

Nobody ever admits they're a Big Name Fan. It's part incredulity, part modesty, and part self-preservation, usually in that order. The first time you hear somebody call you a BNF, it's ridiculous. I mean, come on- you're just some random schlub who writes stories/makes art/makes vids/talks about the show, BNF? Please! It's funny, too, because then you can have polls in your journal and ask for minions, because the notion of you being a BNF is so ridiculous it's mockable. Mockity, mock, mock!

Then, it's modesty. Because you're not stupid- you can look at your friends list and realize that 400 people is more than 50 people, and therefore, more people are reading what you say. (At least, in theory.) Still, 400 people reading what you say- that's hardly anything to get uppity about. Other people have bigger friends lists. Other people write more popular stories. You're still some random schlub writing stories, making art, making vids, talking about the show, you're just a random schlub that has more than your best friend listening.

Then, it's self-preservation, because there comes a point when denying your BNFness is, to choose the favoritest words of all fandom words used to describe a liar, disingenuous. Now, you're still a random schlub, because you always were a random schlub. But by this point, you are a random schlub whose name gets used as an example for various compare, contrast exercises and your behavior is part of the Neilsen Data for your particular fandom, along with the other BNFs'. Never mind that the statistical margin of error is like 90 percent, the rep of the fandom, that's on you. You know you're a BNF, but you know better than to admit it.

There are a lot more nuances and controversies about the term that I've glossed over for the sake of time and coherence. BNF, for example, is becoming more a slippery term and possibly outdated, even if the concept still stands. The shift of fandom culture from sites like livejournal and fanfiction.net to tumblr and AO3 have certainly complicated it. More information and opinions can be found here and here.

Before concluding this entry, I should really emphasize that the popularity of one fan does not necessarily guarantee quality. There are a ton of underappreciated or lesser known fans churning out wonderful works. They might just not have that star quality, whether it’s self-marketing or charisma or something else, that vaults certain individuals into BNFdom. And that’s ok. Sometimes the merit of a work just speaks for itself.

On Fandom Confessions and Blogs

Everyone has secrets that they wish they could tell to someone confidentially. But often there's no one to tell safely. Sometimes friends and family are just too close or it would be too embarrassing to tell someone you interact with regularly. That's why people go to therapists or contact anonymous hotlines. It's liberating to simply get it off your chest without any fear of judgment.

If you've been following this blog at all, it should be unsurprising to learn that such behavior persists in a fandom environment. Fans frequently want to reveal their desires, opinions, and experiences. These confessions just deal with fandom related content and tend to collect on blogs specifically created for them.

People use such spaces to anonymously confess for any number of reasons and the responses vary greatly. To use a Dragon Age blog as an example,

Some deal with the mundane:

 Give an unpopular opinion that the user might fear being harassed over:

Explain an embarrassing mistake or misunderstanding:

Relate the original media to their daily life:

Reveal a very personal part of themselves:

Or virtually any other reason. There's no reason to worry. They're all anonymous!

If you follow any of the links, one of the first things you'll notice about the blog is the set of loose rules in the about box on the side. These guidelines are further explained in a separate page. Despite its anonymously submitted content, there is some methodology that keeps the tumblr from running completely into anarchy. It's a relaxed sort of moderation, almost anything goes, but it keeps drama, hostility, and abuses to a minimum. It keeps a level of civility.

For example, one rule states that:

Under no circumstance will confessions relating to hate speech about a particular out of game (or some in game) race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or any other be published.  They will be deleted from our inbox without comment.

Such guidelines keep the blog as a safe space. Potential submitters will not be run off because of racist, misogynistic, anti-semitic, or any other sort of hate speech derived content. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate, regardless of their identity or background. It keeps users from pointedly targeting other users or groups. The rules simply help to enforce this healthy environment. While they're not universally applied to every confession blog, similar guidelines are found on almost every popular one.

If there's a confession to be had, there's a method available. For almost everyone. Including fans.

Pseudonym Sunday: Why Pseudonyms?

Two days ago, I explored why fans might choose to go anonymous in their interactions with fandom at large – mainly for the sake of privacy and all the freedoms that it entails.

  

Today, however, I will be looking at the close cousin to anonymity - the pseudonym - which I will be returning to weekly. I find the two forms of online personas to be pretty similar in that they both relinquish and distance themselves from a person’s true identity. Anonymity is just taken to one extreme of that spectrum. Pseudonyms are a bit more moderate by giving a definitive username. True, a pseudonym somewhat constrains the freedom afforded to a user by giving them a traceable identity. But, they are also given a completely blank slate, a new beginning. The user can start from scratch and mold their identity in any way they see fit. Gender, race, age, job, nationality – they all become insignificant. The user can literally be anyone.

Full post here.

Like anonymity, pseudonyms can be very liberating. This sort of control over identity can open up a fan to a variety of paths and behaviors. A pseudonym, for example, creates enough separation between fan activity and real life while still allowing the fan to claim certain works or comments as their own. They are identifiable only by an assumed persona. And the best part is that you can shuck off that facade at any time for any reason. For some people, this freedom alone is sufficient for their needs. It gives them a decisive divide between fannish and real life activities, or even separation between different fandoms.

Others like to play around with their options a bit more. It’s not uncommon for people to make roleplaying accounts. In such cases the username and profile are all modeled after a character from some media and the account’s behavior tends to follow that role. It’s a bit of harmless fun for the most part. A few users, however, choose to exploit pseudonyms. When drama gets stirred up in a fandom, some fans create new, separate accounts to to use as tools for deception. This is done in order to make it appear as if other users are rallying for or against the original, even though all of the users are really one person. This sort of behavior is known by many as sockpuppeting and is generally frowned upon. There are some very infamous tales of online sockpuppets, but that will be another story for another week.

Why Anonymous?

Some people really struggle with the idea of anonymity. Especially in fandom, where so much of its activity is content driven. If someone spent hours working on a fic or art to contribute, why wouldn’t they want to claim it as their own? Why would they just happily sign the work off as “anonymous”? And what about anonymous commenters? If all they are leaving is a small insight or quick review, why hide under a shroud of anonymity?

Unsurprisingly, there’s no easy answer and the reasons vary from individual to individual. A few common threads, however, can be found. The most common, and perhaps most obvious, explanation is simply privacy. Privacy issues are not solely confined to fandom spaces. Anyone who has used the internet for even the briefest of moments can understand these concerns. Generally speaking, you should expect anything you put up online to be searchable and permanent. (Yes, you can delete the original content, but anyone who knows how to use a keyboard can screenshot, download, or save the information. Not to mention, some websites, such as the WayBack Machine, work specifically to archive webpages so that a version of them might still be accessible long after the original was deleted.) That means that, for better or worse, an embarrassing picture, a racist tweet, an inappropriate comment, or private story can be traced back to you by a friend or co-worker. Even if the material was originally posted years ago and you’ve changed since then, the internet can keep it up as a record as who you once were or did. And it can have very real consequences for people offline.
Full post here.   It bears repeating that fandom involvement is a very private thing for many people. A user might simply not want certain people in their social circles to find out about what they do in their spare time. People often comfortably divulge a part of themselves and their activities to their friends that they would never mention to family or peers. Such reasoning becomes most apparent when considering what fannish spaces frequently discuss. The content of a blog or post itself, more simply put, may deal with issues that people generally are very uncomfortable talking about in public, such as sex, slash, or kinks. Anonymity allows for a degree of separation for a user from the subject matter. They can take risks and divulge very personal information about themselves without the danger of identification. It’s a way to interact with others and share work without stress. There’s no reason to worry about judgment because in the end, the content will not be traced back to you. At its most positive, anonymity is very self-indulgent and freeing. I end with a quote from an anonymous author after being asked why they refused to de-anon:

I prefer being no one. Better for my ego, better for my happiness. And I'm sorry if this seems horribly foolish and contrived - but, well. I'd rather be able to stay in fandom for years feeling comfortable than getting this moment of yay, it was me and then feeling awkward about everything.