Forum Mentality: Popularity Reinvented For All Ages
Posted on December 31st, 2007 in Online Experience | 10 Comments »
It’s funny. As we grow older, one would have thought we left the popularity contest of “jocks” and “cheerleaders” way behind in some preppy high school. Fitting in? That was a thing of the past. Squeezing into cliques? That’s so 1999! Drama? Pfft, we have lives now. However, the arrival of forums/boards/bbs meant the conglomeration of a wide range of new personalities into a restricted space. And what happens when you place a group of 13 to 30 year-olds, opinionated, hormone-charged, attitude-filled, fast typers onto a website? You get a brand new social experiment*.
* Despite how brilliant (thank you! thank you!) I sound, I do not claim authority on this topic. Far from it. Just like the Internet Epidemics, I’m merely sharing my take on this social phenomenon.
Definitions. When I mention forums, I’m talking about sites like Vindicated MB, Disaster MB, IB Survival Forum, Snark Forum etc.
First impressions. The moment you register your presence on the holy playground of a forum and make a “Newbie” post, YOU ARE JUDGED. Sometimes there will be instant scrutiny (outrageous signature? immature username? that b**** from that loser site here to cause more drama?) and other times, no one really notices/cares. Perhaps for this reason alone, I always lurk around a bit, observe the atmosphere, and check out the posters’ websites first before making a grand (or not) entrance.
Climbing the Post Ladder. Higher numbers always mean SOMETHING in our world. At this point you probably still feel like the “new kid”, simply familiarizing yourself with the lay of the land (wow, what a stupid name for so-and-so board). What originally attracted you to this particular skinning of XMB? Perhaps it is where all the cool people hang out. Perhaps there’s an artsy side that really appealed to you. Show off your talent, individuality, and post, post post.
Avoiding Targets on your Back. On the IB Survival Forum the other day, some idiot started giving me advice on why procrastination is bad and how I can “totally avoid it like the plague!” As a seasoned Year II IBer who has survived most of the storms this idiotic program blows at us, obviously I took this advice sourly. Upon further investigation, I discovered that this poster just entered Year I. What does he know about procrastination, honestly! Now everything post draws a scornful glare on my part. The point is, you want to make an impression for yourself, show that you care, but not care too much that you’re intruding on someone else’s values. Then again, there are some who doesn’t give a damn and just want to share their precious opinions with the world. Go right ahead mes amis.
Fitting in. The concept of fitting in virtually is an odd one. I always felt a connection is established when another poster makes references to YOU specifically, not your post. Sooner or later, inside jokes will run wild and you’ll have a blast picking on some unfortunate newbie with your new “friend”. Of course, ongoing activity must be present to prevent getting dropped from the in-crowd. It sure is a precarious balance.
That’s my two cents on the forum mentality.
Popularity: 13%
I'm Crystal, a Canadian who thinks she can take on the world simply by getting up each morning. They call me the caffeinated IBer wandering on the Internet. 
