This post and the comments that follow are exhibit one in a start at considering/analyzing the possibilities and hazards of backchannel usage during presentations.  I was scrolling down through the comments and after reading them for half an hour,  I saw that the scroll bar had scarcely moved.  I hope Dana feels the support.  I have had her studies and papers on my radar for quite some time.

I am looking for where one might find the content of what was in that backchannel.  I know it will be a disgusting display,  but I have one strong hunch about Web 2.0’s audience,  just based on my experience in working in Web “shops”:  While there are certainly many, many exceptions,  the sad things is is that there are lots of immature,  and sociologically (and academically) challenged people (I suppose this is true across the board,  but it may also be expected that computer science folks are less interested or fluent in the social sciences.  Danah is a top flight sociologist of Social Media and Web culture.  She’s in my “socialmedia-ologists” twitter list,  and has been in my blogroll on numerous blogs that I have kept. 

Her response is mature and indicates tome that she will end up being better for it. Way to go , Danah.  Amazing post,  and amazing outpouring of support from the community (except for a very few very unhelpful and otherwise arrogant and/or ignorant ones……they’re out there,  as we all well know) .  And for the “mob”,  shame on all of you.

apophenia: spectacle at Web2.0 Expo… from my perspective