through europe - addiction

Rome Total Kierkegaard

Federico Campagna — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:47:30 +0000

Fleeing

As my troops push their assault forward, the phalanx of the Seleucids opens its ranks. It is a matter of seconds. My camera angle is low, close to the back of my soldiers, and when the elephants charge I am as taken aback as my men. It’s pure chaos. I pull back my camera angle towards the sky, where us Gods belong. I order the shaken Triarii cohort to fall on the right side of the elephants and to attack them from the flanks. A red square framing a white flag starts flashing next to their insignia. In vain, I order them again to flank the elephants. It’s too late. They have lost their cold Roman composure. They are fleeing, oblivious to the world and to the orders of their God.

I watch them running through the pixelated foliage of a nearby forest. I am no longer able to click on them to select the survivors. I forget the rest of the battle, still raging on the dry planes of inner Anatolia, and I lower my camera angle to follow the flight of my men.

They failed me, when all they were for was to obey me. What are they feeling right now?

Looking at their square calves propelling their run towards the end of the screen, I realize the truth.

They fear and tremble, but they have never been more true to me than now.

Confessions of a Troll - master-slave dialectic in the times of Facebook

Paolo Mossetti — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:22:21 +0000

1. Self-profiling.

A few days ago a friend of mine wrote to me: "I heard that you had a Facebook fight with ****, a rising star of Italian journalism. Be careful, it might be dangerous for your career."

My friend was right. I don’t know how many times I told myself: be more cautious, post a comment only when necessary. Click "like" only when it's not compromising. Avoid acid and polemical language.

It never worked. Most often, compulsion prevailed.

My only cold comfort is to know that I am not the only one afflicted by this weak spot. Another friend of mine once confessed: "When I read most online newspapers I get a surge of anger... Sometimes I can't help to speak out my mind, to do sharing, sometimes to insult. But for my job it's embarrassing. Sometimes I create fake profiles. Or I keep myself anonymous."

Il Fenomeno Trolling: autocoscienza e dialettica servo-padrone ai tempi di Facebook

Paolo Mossetti — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:36:26 +0000

Tempo fa un amico mi scriveva: “Ho saputo che da qualche settimana stai litigando su Facebook con ****, che nel mondo del giornalismo italiano e’ un astro nascente. Stai attento, che per il mestiere che fai e’ pericoloso.” Non era la prima volta che ricevo consigli del genere, e non era la prima volta che ne conoscevo le ragioni. Quante volte mi sono detto: sii piu’ cauto, commenta solo quanto necessario; clicca “mi piace” quando non e’ compromettente; evita un linguaggio acido e polemico. Magra e’ la consolazione di non essere solo in questa debolezza. Un altro amico mi confessava: ”Quando leggo la maggior parte dei giornali online mi faccio prendere da un moto di rabbia… A volte non riesco a fare a meno di intervenire, condividere, dire la mia. Ma per il mio lavoro e’ imbarazzante. A volte creo profili fittizi. O resto anonimo.”

Non e’ una sorpresa che la struttura dei social media e di Internet 2.0 in generale si basi sulla tendenza umana a condividere sensazioni e informazioni. Sulla nostra nostra incapacita’ di autocontrollo, sulla nostra mancanza di disciplina interiore. Il problema e’ che i social media rendono sempre piu’ trasparenti le nostre vite in una cultura che fa dipendere il nostro sviluppo sociale da una miriade di segni, di dettagli, di esami da superare. Rendendoci cosi’ vittime della nostra stessa addiction.