Well done, Interweb.

We both read and spoke quite a bit this quarter about forming bonds and relationships with people online. These bonds were often formed between people who had some form of a common interest, which lead them to a central community about that interest online. I found a case recently that took place on an entirely different kind of web blog. Metafilter.com is a blog that anyone can contribute to; it is not bound by a specific topic or community. There are subsections of the site, such as music.metafilter.com, where people can share music, and ask.metafilter.com, where people can seek information or advice.
I came across a posting on the Ask section that was particularly interesting: A US citizen (Fake) had a friend from Russian (K) come to the US on a travel exchange program, which included a work requirement. The circumstances of the K’s visit quickly came into question as the work program she was supposed to take part in sounded so unprofessional it could be described as downright sketchy. The person originally posted with the intention of seeking some advice about K’s situation. As more information came out there was an increased concern that the “work program” was really a human trafficking or sex trade scam.
Fake, who posted the initial question was flooded with responses from complete strangers who were willing to offer both advice, aid, and some just wishing the situation turn out ok for K. Throughout the night Fake posted more information as he gathered it, and the situation became increasingly more concerning. After what appeared to be a very close call of K getting herself into what could have been a both dangerous and detrimental situation, a resolution was finally found when a do-gooder and member of the blog went and picked the girl up from her meeting point. The do-gooder made sure she was safe and did not disappear into the mysterious and sketchy nature of the work program.
Now I am quite aware that trying to paraphrase this entire thread does not translate all that well, so I would encourage you to read it for yourself.
http://ask.metafilter.com/154334/Help-me-help-my-friend-in-DC
The people involved in this thread were experiencing true emotional responses to what was going on. I came across this thread on twitter where the man who posted it stated, “If you're not weeping at the end, you're a replicant. (happy ending).” People who were not even involved in the actual events that took place on the blog were having strong emotional attachments and reactions the situation.
This was a case where random strangers, with no common interest or connection except for being members of a massive blog (in 2008 they had 38,700 active users, most members are not familiar with one another) banded together quickly forming emotional bonds with one another throughout the progression of this specific post. It is an incredible view of what can happen when people come together to share empathy and caring. A lot of what we are exposed to on the internet can be humorous or entertaining, thought provoking or informative, or even just arousing and seductive depending on ones intentions and habits. This particular use was just a beautiful example of the human experience -- people bonding together to try and do something good for a complete stranger. I will admit, it was a nice change to the everyday news, flashing neon ads, copious amounts of pornography, and even youtube videos of adorable kitten that we are often exposed to whether we invite it or not!
(Posted by Allison Weiner #94726591)