Humour is spice, and often an exceptionally effective mode of criticism.
Reddit subs lack a consistent moderation quality, though the ones who moderate well, and I'll give AskScience and AskHistorians as stellar examples, maintain exceptionally high-quality discussions. They are also not entirely humourless (AH's FAQ addresses this and points to some examples), but there's a difference between being overrun by cheap jokes, and using dark humour to point out an obviously unclothed emperor.
I've used Google+ since public beta, was tremendously enthusiastic for it, and have been washed through disillusionment after disillusionment in the process. The extent to which it's exposed what I'm finding to be the true Google -- a largely evil advertising empire with a vestigal, and yes, sometimes principled technology arm attached -- has been both profound and ironic (I doubt this was the original intent).
It's not that Google are alone in being an evil tech company, the most evil, or even above average. But something huge rotted in that beast and is consuming it from the inside out.
Reddit subs lack a consistent moderation quality, though the ones who moderate well, and I'll give AskScience and AskHistorians as stellar examples, maintain exceptionally high-quality discussions. They are also not entirely humourless (AH's FAQ addresses this and points to some examples), but there's a difference between being overrun by cheap jokes, and using dark humour to point out an obviously unclothed emperor.
I've used Google+ since public beta, was tremendously enthusiastic for it, and have been washed through disillusionment after disillusionment in the process. The extent to which it's exposed what I'm finding to be the true Google -- a largely evil advertising empire with a vestigal, and yes, sometimes principled technology arm attached -- has been both profound and ironic (I doubt this was the original intent).
It's not that Google are alone in being an evil tech company, the most evil, or even above average. But something huge rotted in that beast and is consuming it from the inside out.