Your Online Comment is Feedback.
Is it Constructive or Destructive?
The power to voice our opinions has reached unprecedented heights in the internet era. Platforms and outlets abound, providing channels to post and share our thoughts and comments with the world in real-time. Everyone has a voice today — a remarkable development, or is it?
While online commentary has many benefits, the freedom a user enjoys online comes with a dark side, too. The following lines explore the advantages and disadvantages of this new communication method.
Online commentary, a hallmark of the Internet age, allows users to express opinions through various means, from star ratings to detailed reviews. However, our passion for commenting wasn’t born online. It has precedent in history.
Consider the Michelin guide, a pioneer in the early twentieth century, providing highway navigation assistance and introducing a star-based rating system for hotels, gas stations, and other services along the way.
Similarly, printed book reviews emerged to guide readers through the overwhelming array of books published after the Enlightenment period.
While expert-penned guides and reviews have historical precedence, democratised platforms like Yelp have allowed anyone to share their thoughts on various services for decades.
Feedback is a form of commentary marked by the intention to help. Feedback can be challenging to deliver, as different audiences require different approaches. But once you’ve found the right balance in your feedback, you’ll have found a beneficial way of offering commentary.
Constructive feedback, a familiar concept, is a powerful tool. It motivates individuals to pursue goals, enhances self-esteem, and provides actionable recommendations for improvement. This contrasts with negative feedback criticizing, condemning, or complaining.
The sandwich technique is a simple yet effective method to ensure feedback remains constructive. Start by praising the work, then share your critique, and conclude with another round of praise.
However, not everyone seeks praise. Novices may benefit from positive feedback to stay committed to their goals, while experts often welcome negative feedback through pure critique and focus on improvement.
Online communities reflect this dichotomy. Like fan fiction groups, communities of amateurs often offer friendly and positive feedback, while expert communities, such as Linux developers, prioritize concrete, often hostile, feedback.
Regardless of your stance, there are universal rules for providing effective feedback. Educational psychologist Valerie Shute’s research emphasises that feedback should focus on the task, not the learner's personality. Furthermore, specific, clear feedback is best communicated in writing rather than via conversation.
Strive to strike a balance in your feedback. Recognise its power to motivate, inspire, and foster growth…as well as its destructive abilities.
