At the end of September, Jukka Relander claimed in his column that the Internet was destroying social debate. As a satisfied, active Internet user, I would like some clarifications; even in an opinion column, you should go easy on the exaggeration. Here are eight quotations from the column and eight questions.
Quote 1: “The Net destroys social debate.”
Question: What exactly does “Net” mean here? The technical platform? Online newspapers? Databases? Search engines? Facebook? Twitter? Wikipedia?
Quote 2: “Social media is a handy tool if you need advice, or things, or want to show off your travel photos.”
Question: Is the term “social media” used here as a synonym for Facebook?
Quote 3: “The EU is maintaining digital boundaries… I received many different tips about bypassing these barriers. Thanks, but I was trying to spark a conversation about something else. “
Question: If your conversational opening flops, is it a failure of your friends or of the channel?
Quote 4: “Last week Riikka Moilanen was destroyed online, because she used the expression human carbage.”
Question: Who “destroyed” her? Everyone on the Internet?
Quote 5: “Netizens ranted for a full day, until Moilanen got fired from her post.”
Question: What does the stodgy term “Netizens” mean? According to Statistics Finland, 88% of the country’s population uses the Internet. Did all those people work on getting Moilanen fired?
Quote 6: “The victory of the True Finn party, or Trump, or Brexit would not happen without the Net.”
Question: Were election results all socially favorable before the Internet? No unpleasant victories?
Quote 7: “Go to get-togethers and talk about politics in bars.”
Question: Is there a specific bar we should use for worthwhile social debate?
Quote 8: “I use the Net a lot.”
Question: Is this column therefore only the prattle of a Netizen?