Finding a real world representation on message boards...

[Stiletto]

(...or "What about the opinions of people who don't post?")


Do you guys believe that the opinions shared by those of an entire group of people on a given message board reflect the outside, non-Internet world accurately? Being on a message board, it feels a little bit awkward asking this question here, but I'll give it a shot...

For some people, it's not difficult to feel that when one reads in forum opinions on certain topics, both trivial or serious, that it gives the impression that these postings somehow reflect the thoughts of people in the real world. But when it comes to the reality of things, message boards are only reserved for people who fall under two categories:

a.) Have an Internet connection.
b.) Have the time and the energy to use message boards for discussion.

Thus, the spectrum of different opinions expressed on message boards are based upon people who fall in those categories, while at the same time, we miss an ample amount of people who aren't able to input their own thoughts on the net; either because they simply do not have access or (most likely) they do not have the motivation to join or to post on any board for discussion.

Your thoughts on this?

[Eaglestrike]

People are generally a lot more honest on message boards.

[Mithrandir]

To address the "access" point:

A recent set of statistics (from what I believe was a reliable source) indicated that over 80% of the US has internet access to some extent. Of the remaining 20, it was mostly split between two groups:
1. People with no access to a library.
2. Elderly people who don't care about the internet.

I have a grandma who forwards me every "funny" and "nearly off-color" joke she gets. (I'm not sure why, honestly). On the other hand, the Wolf's grandmother has no internet at all, and doesn't ever want it.

By the way, 20% equals one-out-of-five people. Count your four closest friends. If they have 'net access, you must only THINK you do.



To address EagleStrike's point:

People tend to take one of two extremes on boards. They either lie about everything (double-life kinda thing), or they are very open and honest (less fear of "actual" rejection).

I guess you could say the pseudo-anonymity of the web warps the bell curve defining the reservedness of people.

[Eaglestrike]

Well, by honest I meant their opinions, even if they completely lie about age/gender/location/etc. they could express their honest views. Though I do agree there are people who just lie and make the stuff up.

It's not even a fear of "rejection" just a fear of someones reaction. A lot of people will not say certain things they think because of how the other person will react, I think that happens less on the internet, though it still happens. I try to remain honest everywhere but last party I went to I was holding my tongue a few times to not make certain comments to people because I knew they'd take it the wrong way. I'm also known as the "king of tact" among close friends because I'm always so blunt and honest to people, lol. Even still I know I hold back from saying everything that enters my mind, on most forums I visit that isn't always the case.

[carneman]

im gonna side with eaglestrike, i can post my honest opinion online without fear of retribution from anybody. well, anybody that can directly affect my life. thats why when i have a question about life, i can go to a reputable site like CAA to get the honest opinion from a group of good, christian people.

[Ashley]

I've been doing a lot of research about psychology and the internet and stuff lately because I'm trying to lay the groundwork for a novel I'm writing, so this actually touches on quite a bit of what I've been thinking about lately.

I would say the Internet has greatly changed our sense of community from the purely geographical to the ideological; basically, people are getting together more for common interest or values rather than location. This idea of focusing on ideas, plus as Mith said the anonymity of the Internet, can make people post things they would never admit in real life because unlike the "real world" the worst that can happen to you for holding an "unorthodox" opinion is being virtually exiled. Thus, what you have is the varied shades of opinion on nearly any issues. This might mean that people in the "real world" would look a discussion and think it was much more of a struggle, complicated issue than maybe it really was.

So I would say it's a mixed bag.

[Stiletto]

Thus, what you have is the varied shades of opinion on nearly any issues. This might mean that people in the "real world" would look a discussion and think it was much more of a struggle, complicated issue than maybe it really was.

Very true. And the fact that the "geography" of certain boards might influence who can join and the opinions posted is enough to skew a person's perception of the topic at hand. From what I've observed, there have been a number of instances where the opinions posted in one place will greatly differ from another group. One website/board may attract a group of people who are very dedicated to the topic at hand and those people might be far more vocal or active in discussing their opinions. Whereas, another board may attract members who have a more moderate view of a topic, and more than likely will probably refrain any sort of heated discussion from its members or present a more balanced spectrum of opinions.

I guess it would definitely help the reader of the "real world" to know the kind of geography of the site they're browsing, since most discussions tend to reflect the nature of the board. Too often we quickly perceive the opinions on a single board as a consensus of the real world, without looking into other boards or websites (I hope this is a valid point).

[CreatureArt]

I guess it would definitely help the reader of the "real world" to know the kind of geography of the site they're browsing, since most discussions tend to reflect the nature of the board. Too often we quickly perceive the opinions on a single board as a consensus of the real world, without looking into other boards or websites (I hope this is a valid point).

True. I agree with that.

However my two cents worth is that discussion and opinions are always going to be skewed, because we're human. Even a discussion with your friends will be influenced by the type of people you all are and the backgrounds you come from. (Which may be very similar). While there is the anonymity of the internet to be considered, from my observations people are already more comfortable talking to and hanging out with people who hold the same ideals and values. Don't know if this adds much to the discussion - but I'm just saying that in my opinion the majority of online interaction isn't as different from what goes on in real life as may be thought.

Though there are various things to consider in terms of validity of opinions on the internet, its possible for a person to be exposed to views that are not held by the people they mix with in real life. I count that as a good thing.

[Cap'n Nick]

I would even go so far as to say that some people use message boards to shelter themselves from opposing viewpoints. This isn't always bad - for example, CAA's limited tolerance for dissenting opinions on Christianity and anime bashing are what make it such a nice place for Christian anime fans to converse. But, it factors heavily into what is expressed in any given place and can give one a skewed perception of reality if only one community's opinion is considered.

[mitsuki lover]

I would have to say my opinions only reflect my own views on things and not any larger community.

[Saint Kevin]

Of course it isn't going to represent the opinions of everybody. It is not a representative sample, it is a self-selective sample. Not only that, but it is skewed toward the tendencies of a particular forum.

In this case, many of the members tend to be Christians, younger (14-24 age group probably makes up 90% or more of the members).

Even though our 5, 548 members are a large group (population), they are not going to represent everyone. Interestingly though, search utilities are being developed to try to sift through every blog on the internet to find out what a very narrow subgroup of people (Say, 40-50 year olds that like Nascar and make more than 50,000 a year) are blogging about.

They are doing this in an effort to evolve better consumer products and meet their needs, even given the self-selective sample that all bloggers and forum-users are. This technology could also be used for intelligence purposes, and could perhaps one day stray into Big Brother type extremes in some places in the near future (i.e. China, etc.).

[mitsuki lover]

I'm outside of the norm then as I belong to the 30 and over age bracket.

[EireWolf]

I never claimed to be normal.

Do you guys believe that the opinions shared by those of an entire group of people on a given message board reflect the outside, non-Internet world accurately?

Even in real life (off the internet), people tend to express their opinions if they feel strongly about something. If they don't care, they don't bother to respond. So any given cross-section of expressed opinions is not likely to represent the population because of the possibility of a silent majority.