Topix for discussion

I tried Topix.net for news feeds, and found that the emphasis is on comments rather than the original sources themselves. When I clicked on the link to the article, or what I thought would be the article, I instead found the long list of comments on the article. I had to look for another link buried in a list of links off to the side to try to bring up the article again. In several cases, when I clicked on the link to the article, I was greeted by a message from the publication's web site saying that the article was not found, although in one case I was able to find the article by searching for it on the publication's web site.

I also noticed that most of the items featured on Topix.net were "popular" items--entertainment and gossip-oriented items. Many of the "articles" were actually blog entries rather than published articles. One blog entry was a simple paragraph in which the author wondered if a popular rumor were true. The blog entry had thousands of comments in response.

I have mixed feelings about all this. I come from the old school where people did research before formulating opinions and writing on them. We learned the basic essay format in school with an intro paragraph, 3 or more supporting body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. All points that were made were backed up by citing sources.

Today, uninformed opinion rules. I see blogs and even "articles" online claiming all sorts of "truths" with no sources given and no apparent research done, much less any effort into thinking having been made beyond reactionary sensationalism. Poor sentence structure and spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors abound. Comments in response are reactionary and unintelligible. I recently learned that even in classes taught at OSU, the essay with its basic format and supported points has been replaced by the structureless, fact-less "opinion" paper. I am truly frightened by what is evidently a severe dumbing down of our society.

On the flip side, I'm grateful for a people's forum on the internet. One can find a myriad of painstakingly researched articles on an infinite variety of topics, many of which are purposely ignored by the corporate-owned mainstream media. News publications from around the world are immediately accessible. Grassroots organizations have a free, open network with which to communicate with like-minded persons and to spread their message to others who might not otherwise come across such information. Individuals can write freely and "publish" their writings on the net without having to go through a publisher. Aside from the threats of corporate restriction of internet access and governmental spying in the name of national security, the internet provides perhaps one of the more remarkable frontiers of free speech.

Despite the wealth of information and opportunity of expression available on the internet, the masses seem to be more interested in feeding their addiction to celebrity gossip and sensationalism. Self-education and independent thinking appear to be lost causes. I can only hope that some of these folks will accidentally stumble upon something meaningful in their web surfing and wake up.