Operation Chokehold–Or, Following Your Worst Instincts

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We’ll know tomorrow whether Operation Chokehold–the online mob movement that’s rallying to take down the AT&T wireless network–makes good on its threat. As of today, all we can say for sure is that social media’s potential for fostering dialogue is vast; and so is its capacity for stifling it. And in any case, it’s hard to converse when your fingers are around each others’ vocal chords.

This all started with Dan Lyons writing a satirical post on his “The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs” blog. Like all great inciters, the “fake Steve” fanned the flames of his devoted followers frustrations and proposed the modern-day, virtual version of everyone taking to the streets, torches in hand, to kill the evil network ogre.

Now, though, it seems the real Dan Lyons is inceasingly anxious about the monster he’s created.  “I’m not sure we can stop this thing,” he now writes.

Thing is, mobs have always had a tendency to take on a life of their own (Hmm, what’s the expression…mob mentality…that’s it!). They also tend to burn innocent people at the stake (and without declaring AT&T innocent, this article in the Sunday New York Times is worth a read), and take out a lot of bystanders (in this case, all the people who would really prefer the AT&T network keep working, thankyou-very-much.)

So maybe it’s a good time to re-fresh ourselves on a few fundamentals of communication (not to mention civility). Things like, know your audience.  Make a reasoned argument. Refrain from ad hominem attacks.  Listen. And here’s a zinger: think before you speak (or write, blog, or tweet.)

It makes you reconsider that little, seemingly innocuous word on everyone’s Twitter page: follow.  I have news for you, chokeholders: it wasn’t meant to be taken so literally.  This world is full of people who are a little too willing to follow silly ideas without thinking.  Don’t be one of them.

Maybe Twitter should change that button to “talk to me,” and then we can all try to get back to the fundamental aspiration: constructive dialogue.