Opposition to Internet gossip
By Richard Nieva
A 19-year-old man committed suicide two months ago, overdosing on pills while spectators watched online at a Web site called Justin.tv. Viewers left comments like "LOL," which means laughing out loud.
It was events like this that prompted the Resource Room, a project sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Learning, Office of the Provost and the ethnic studies and women's and gender studies programs, to hold a discussion titled The Internet: A Global Burn Book. The discussion was held in O'Connor Hall on Tuesday night.
The event, which discussed Web sites like JuicyCampus, Facebook and MySpace, admittedly felt more like a conversation between friends than a department-sponsored event.
Still, the four people in attendance inspired discussion among themselves.
"We've been planning this since September," said Resource Room member Sarah Graham, commenting on the low attendance. But she said they were overshadowed by Associates Students' "Be Classy" campaign last quarter, which she believed was ineffective.
Sophomore Ariana Lujan, another Resource Room member, said she felt the problem is still pertinent.
"For the people who are posting, it's never going to blow over," she said. "They're not going to be the ones signing the 'Be Classy' thing."
The members thought this issue posed questions about the implications of online gossip in general.
"It's sad we have to regulate human decency," said Lujan.
The discussion turned to the effects of anonymity on sites like JuicyCampus.
Staff member Krystal Wu spoke of the shield of the Internet that allows people to say what they would never say in person.
"There's something disturbing about that," she said. "There's no accountability."
The Resource Room is a collaborative effort between departments that provides resources for academic research on gender, ethnicity, sexual identity, socioeconomic class and other -isms, Graham said.
The Resource Room hosts an event every month in an effort to spur discussion on a certain issue. Next month's theme will be "Celebrating Every Body."
Contact Richard Nieva at (408) 554-4546 or rnieva@scu.edu