Can we talk about the comment sections on local news Facebook posts versus a big meme page?

I compared the wild arguments under a post about a new traffic circle in my town to the jokes on a viral cat video, and the local news section was way more unhinged, with one guy writing a 400 word essay about 'roundabout tyranny'.

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_campbell15d ago

It's because people feel like they have a real stake in the local stuff. That traffic circle is going right by their house, so they get mad and type a novel. On a meme page, it's just for fun and everyone's in on the joke. The local news page turns into a town hall meeting where everyone's angry and nobody is listening.

diana2015d ago

Remember when the town argued over that new park bench for weeks.

perry.evan15d ago

Yeah but that "real stake" thing is the whole point. People typing novels about a traffic circle is because they actually have to live with it. It's messy but it means they care. The meme page stuff is just noise, it doesn't change anything. At least on the local page, for all the yelling, it's about something real.