Digital Smarts - Ignoring the Comments

People often warn one another not to read the comments on controversial blog posts or YouTube videos, but Mark O’Connell argues in a recent article in the New Yorker magazine that such commentary is the stuff of which the Web is made. Even when the poster specifically warns others not to read the comments, most readers will find themselves clicking the link to find out why, usually finding a long list of ill-willed provocations and inanities. O’Connell argues that reading the comments should be done in the academic sense - reading for analysis and contextualization. Perhaps this can be another skill added to the list of what young digital citizens should be exposed to at school? It certainly is another ‘take’ on how to handle the hateful writing of trolls online.