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Beware the Pissed Off Sock Puppet

Lee Siegel really wants to let you know why he does not such as the internet. But wait, you might protest, all of this new-media talk is tiresome. Well, shut up: Lee Siegel just isn’t enthusiastic about your opinion. This is not some blog that is dirty where in actuality the writer’s prose mingles with commenters’ “thuggish anonymity,” but serious work by a social critic lamenting their state of on the web Discourse. But nevertheless, you might wonder, Lee Siegel? The journalist who had been suspended because of the New Republic for running a blog under an alias to praise his or her own weblog posts—now he’s a professional on exactly what’s incorrect aided by the internet? Yes, but there is a bright part. Also you don’t have to shoot the messenger; he’s already bleeding all over the keyboard if you detest this elitist attack on participatory culture.

Bloggers thrashed Siegel in 2006 for producing a fake internet persona to praise himself, a superfan who had written that Siegel had been their “hero,” a “brave, brilliant, and witt[y]” author, utilizing the “fire and guts of a new guy.” a audience outed Siegel, the newest Republic placed him on probation, and Siegel marched into that unique spotlight the news reserves for general general public sinners, nabbing PR and a guide deal. (more…)