so when the result came and I had 18% against what he did but 82% saying they agreed it was [happily] shocking because not one post had been made in favour of it and *lots* against it. This showed me that there is a silent majority on that comm who actually love the show but mostly do not speak up cos of the old Who fans.
That actually doesn't surprise me in the least. With the safety of anonymity, the internet is an ideal breeding ground for folks with an axe to grind or VERY STRONG FEELINGS to come together. They can rant and rave as loudly as they'd like, thinking they won't hurt anyone and no one knows who they are anyway. (I realize there are exceptions to that, but it's easy to spout off while typing on a keyboard than when looking someone in the eye.)
But long before the internet, manufacturers' and PR people used to have a rule that every letter they received from a customer (whether angry or satisfied) represented X number of customers who didn't bother to express their feelings.
Of course with the internet, expressing an unpopular opinion carries the risk of being "shouted down" and attacked, unfortunately.
I'm often amused however by how one person's statements are considered "inflammatory" and someone else's are just fine when it comes to internet forums - but for the most part I stay well and truly clear of fan forums at the moment.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 08:18 pm (UTC)That actually doesn't surprise me in the least. With the safety of anonymity, the internet is an ideal breeding ground for folks with an axe to grind or VERY STRONG FEELINGS to come together. They can rant and rave as loudly as they'd like, thinking they won't hurt anyone and no one knows who they are anyway. (I realize there are exceptions to that, but it's easy to spout off while typing on a keyboard than when looking someone in the eye.)
But long before the internet, manufacturers' and PR people used to have a rule that every letter they received from a customer (whether angry or satisfied) represented X number of customers who didn't bother to express their feelings.
Of course with the internet, expressing an unpopular opinion carries the risk of being "shouted down" and attacked, unfortunately.
I'm often amused however by how one person's statements are considered "inflammatory" and someone else's are just fine when it comes to internet forums - but for the most part I stay well and truly clear of fan forums at the moment.