Have a party! Dance in the streets! The wicked witch of the cyber world is dead!
I read a well-written editorial in a recent Ozarks publication that applauded the fact that the stupid website “Topix” had shut down its “local news and forums” pages. I took a few glances online and found out it’s true – the witch died on Dec. 18, 2018.
One word: Yay!
But forum shmorum. Topix was never anything more than a place where people could post anything they wanted under the ridiculous cloak of anonymity. And of course, that’s exactly what a lot of misguided individuals did – took advantage of the veil of secrecy to post any and all manner of unverifiable, outlandish and very often mean-spirited nonsense directed toward whoever they desired.
And again, they were able to “share” anything they wished – no matter how preposterous or untrue – without their name being attached. Sadly, many people find satisfaction in making a neighbor’s life harder than it already is, and there’s no denying that they can become pretty bold and confident when they’re name isn’t involved. That’s the mentality Topix nurtured: It’s OK to tarnish someone’s name or reputation, because there’s no repercussion.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly a fan of free speech – just not anonymous free speech. As a friend of mine has said, “people should be free to be wrong or stupid.”
But at the same time, people can’t be allowed to use speech to try to – or successfully – cause hardship for another person, unless they are held accountable for their words.
For the record, the Houston Herald won’t run a “letter to the editor” without also including the name and hometown of the author. That’s as is should be; imagine how quickly such letters would turn to cow dung (the kind that begins with a “b”) if people didn’t have to be “outed” along with their opinions.
Sure, the concept seems so innocent on the surface. How lovely; a website where people can share their favorite baked chicken recipes, let everyone know how great a given clothing brand is or discuss the proposed addition of a second drinking fountain at the city park.
But you think people are going to stop there when they can post stuff without anyone knowing who did the posting? Of course not.
Not surprisingly, Topix was over the years the focus of multiple court proceedings launched by people or organizations with regard to slanderous gibberish and falsehoods posted about them. One of the many disputes caused by the site took place in Mountain Grove in 2011, and actually gained national attention and became the focus of a segment on NBC’s “The Today Show.”
That’s when I unfortunately first became aware of the existence of Topix, and I was quickly appalled and subsequently wrote a column about how dumb the whole thing was.
Not long after the piece was posted online, I received a nasty email from Topix co-founder and CEO Chris Tolles that raked me over the coals for being such a narrow-minded nincompoop. He went on and on about his skewed viewpoint of freedom and “rights,” and even pulled the “you people” card when elaborating on his opinion of how wrong I was.
But for just a moment, I invite you to think about how hypocritical that is. Tolles – the purveyor of selfish, misplaced anonymity – angrily addressed me personally and lashed back at my “incorrect” opinion because – wait for it – he knew who I was!
I could be the one going on and on right now, but I’ve said all the subject is worth.
Anyway, I have no idea why Tolles and Co. pulled the plug on the Topix “forums” life support machine, because despite searching diligently, I wasn’t able to find that information. But I’m gonna speculate it wasn’t because he finally “saw the light.”
Whatever the case, I’m just glad the witch is dead.
By the way, please take note of the photo and name at the top of this column. And allow me to apologize for even mentioning Topix. I promise I never will again.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald.
Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
