re: a bad term indeed

• Hi there lurkers! by John Suler, 7/26/97
  • Lurking - what a horrible term. by jas cooper, 3/2/98
    
    

I agree, Jas, it is a bad term in that it does imply that lurkers have some unfriendly intention. They may be a bit "antisocial" by not participating, but rarely are they malicious. I wonder where the term originated (probably in Usenet Newsgroups), and what it reflects about net culture. Perhaps because the internet offers the opportunity to INTERACT (and not just observe, as in TV and radio) that when someone chooses NOT to interact, their asocial tendency is perceived as unfriendly. "Lurker" certainly has a paranoid connotation, and that may say something about internet psychology.

• re: a bad term indeed--maybe not by Wanda Hill, 3/19/98
  • re: maybe not by John Suler, 3/19/98