The Boards Are Closing

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I don't blame Facebook for this; I blame this on the desire Hollywood elitists have to censor people who are fed up with them and their output.

I can tell this based on the type of posts I, personally, have had deleted.

This is about control.





Room for one more, honey.

You have a point - if enough people bad-mouth a certain product, it means dollars.

But this is truly awful nonetheless.

Silencing people is awful, indeed -- not to mention a form of bullying.

But what's happening on a lot of these boards is not fitting the narrative that the entertainment industry is spending untold millions -- if not billions -- annually to create... so it's time to silence it.

Take Lady Gaga, for example, who's performing at halftime this Sunday: We're relentlessly exposed to the media's incessant hyping of her and her alleged influence and impact on our culture... but when you visit her IMDb board -- you know, the place real people go to exchange ideas -- you see what a joke she is largely perceived as.

Sure, people will say, "Of course, 'trolls' and 'haters' are going to come out of the woodwork and say bad things about her there!" Fine. There may be an element of truth to that. But if she's such a beloved "mega-star", shouldn't there be at least 100 praising fan posts for every 1 "troll" post?

But there's not.

... there's not even any discernible activity on her board.

... and this is the "voice of a generation" who'd landed the coveted halftime performance at the Super Bowl?

The bottom line: People are getting more savvy -- and this is a danger if you're in the business to remove the dollars from their pockets and put them into yours.

So, what do you do?

Silence them.

(Countdown until this post is removed...)





Room for one more, honey.

You have a point, although I don't think Gaga is a joke. I think she's quite
gifted, although I'm not a fan in the least...just an observer.

In partial contrast to your post, I think Janet Jackson is pretty much a
no-talent. She can't sing much; she can't act; and her dancing has
absolutely no "signature" whatsoever - just another pop tart, hopping up and
down/marching with headphones. I remain baffled that she has endured and
is considered a "music icon."

Mind boggling.

But if you go to her board, it is nothing but worshipers. So here, imdb, as
a board, is serving its "product."

I'm also wondering about the backlash. With 250 million people following,
you'd think there'd be a huge protest to this.

gbennett, and everyone else - please join me here: http://thebarbrastreisandforum89123.yuku.com/

It's one of the better forums, and full of information. I've been a member there for over ten years.

Also, there are plenty of interesting people there to 'squabble with' from time to time.

They are always taking newbies, so please join in and introduce yourself and speak freely about anything Streisand and anything non-Streisand (the 'Coffee Room' forum).

"What matters is the size of your heart and your character" - Herman Munster

You have a point, although I don't think Gaga is a joke. I think she's quite gifted, although I'm not a fan in the least...just an observer.

I just used her as an example of how the marketing of a person a.k.a. "the product" is not matching the public's sentiment about said product. This product's newer songs are not being played on the radio; every album this product puts out does worse than the last; the presidential candidate this product stumped for lost; this product's IMDb board is virtually dead -- and what little is being said about this product is largely negative. In other words, the public is making it quite clear about how little it cares about this particular product, but the marketing behind it keeps trying to create a narrative that is 180 degrees opposite of reality.

In partial contrast to your post, I think Janet Jackson is pretty much a
no-talent. She can't sing much; she can't act; and her dancing has
absolutely no "signature" whatsoever - just another pop tart, hopping up and
down/marching with headphones. I remain baffled that she has endured and
is considered a "music icon."

It's funny you bring up Janet Jackson (I know she's a particular thorn in your side), but to me, she's about as close to a textbook example of "has-been" that you can find in 2017. This woman never even crosses my mind anymore -- and I prefer the way she's gone off relatively quietly in embracing her non-relevance, rather than Madonna's clawing after relevance like a cat that's been placed in a burlap sack and dropped into a river.

I think the public is far more savvy -- and jaded -- about the "cult of celebrity" (I believe 20 years of the Internet is largely responsible for this, with its blaring, "Selena Gomez is Dating Bella Hadid's Ex!" headlines -- where virtually every human on Earth reacts the same way: "Who ARE these people, and who the eff cares what they're doing?!"), and this is a good thing. It's just not good for celebrities and the entertainment industry.

Now, read that first line again of IMDb's statement that they're shutting down their message boards...

I'm also wondering about the backlash. With 250 million people following, you'd think there'd be a huge protest to this.

I think you're right -- and there's an online petition floating around right now that people can sign to display their feelings about IMDb's decision.




Room for one more, honey.

They did not owe you a free message board in the first pace.
_______________________
Exactly IY, and it has been nice to have it around for as long as it has lasted. There are other chat forums that have popped up and will be utilized. As if they are going to stop people from expressing their opinions on Hollywood elitists, just because the message boards are closing down on IMDB. 😄

Don't eat the whole ones!...Those are for the guests. 🍪