A mailing list I'm on encouraged all its readers to go to a web site and sign an internet petition supporting some legislation we care about. I mentioned that to a friend of mine, and his opinion was that I'd been duped, and that it was a scam. Is he right? Are internet petitions a scam?
Some are. Some aren't. But they do, in my opinion, share a common characteristic:
Most are ineffectual.
And that can actually cause more harm that good.
Let me explain why that is...
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There are several reasons you need to be extra careful, and fully aware, before you choose to use an internet petition to make your opinion heard. These are just a few.
- Spam - Many internet petition sites will ask for your email address. It can be a reasonable security measure to ensure that you are a real person, and to avoid "stuffing" the petition with multiple fraudulent "signatures". Unfortunately it can also be an easy way for a nefarious spammer to collect your email address, and begin sending you lots of spam. Think about it - not only do they know your email address, but they also now know at least one issue you feel strongly about.
- Trickery - Along the same lines as spam, I've seen several ads, polls and petitions that, once you've signed or voted, are nothing more than a way to take you to some kind of sales pitch that may, or may not, be related to the issue at hand.
- Ineffectiveness (#1) - When you sign an internet petition, you're relying on the provider of that petition to actually do something with the results. They may. Or they may not. In my opinion, if the petition site is plastered with ads, then I'd start getting suspicious that they were more interested in you perhaps clicking on an ad, than actually doing anything with the petition information.
- Ineffectiveness (#2) - Any legitimate organization that receives the result of an internet petition will, in all likelihood, ignore it. As they should. It's much too easy to fabricate, miscollect or misrepresent data collected this way. Even for legitimate internet petitions, "voter fraud" is both rampant, and difficult to control. Any recipient of an internet petitions that "gets" this will, most likely, thank the providers of the information, and then throw the results away.
- Misguidance - Internet petitions make you feel good. It feels like you've done something. But, as the previous points all lead up to, you've likely not accomplished anything at all. But, feeling like you have, you may elect not to do something else - like write a real letter, or make a phone call, or make a donation. The fact that the internet petition might distract you from doing something that actually could be effective is, in my opinion, it's real danger.
So what should you do? If you feel strongly enough about an issue, use more traditional means - write a letter, a real one on paper, and mail it - make a phone call - make a donation, if that's your desire. The fact that each one of these isn't as easy as an internet petition is exactly why they're more effective. If you actually take the time to do these things, it's clearly an important issue to you, and you're more likely to be heard.
Heck - anyone can click on a link.
Related:
Article C2430 - October 7, 2005
THANK YOU LEO!!!!
Thank you for posting this. I try and try to explain to people why these petitions are stupid (especially the e-mail ones that say "add your name and forward this"). Now I'll just send them this link.
You are truly a wonderful person and a savior to all mankind.
Posted by: Greg Bulmash at October 7, 2005 11:58 PMIn all the writeups on internet petitions, no one mentions what I call the "geometric duplication of signatures". If Joe Smith starts a petition and sends it out to 100 people, his name will appear on all 100 petitions. If those 100 people send the petition out to 100 people each, Joe Smith's name will appear on 10,000 petitions and so on. And, a similar multiplier effect will occur for everyone who signs, albeit to lesser degrees depending on where their names appear in the list.
To me, this is the biggest reason for NOT participating in internet petitions.
Comments?
Posted by: John Fischer at January 30, 2006 12:48 PMThere is another factor in signing internet petitions if you are from outside the US. If you sign an internet or email petition that makes a criticism of the US in any way, it can come up if you have to apply for a working visa. This actually happened a friend of mine.
Posted by: Cathal at October 7, 2008 8:18 AMLeo, I always reply to my Dying with Dignity petitions & was really amused when they told us how to do multiple entries to a news paper petition ! [there is life in us old dogs yet ]
Posted by: Lilian at October 7, 2008 5:59 PMDon't YOU dare retire, or we will have to follow you to US, & I havn't won the lottery yet.
Lilian. O
Leo,
Do you think Facebook petitions and Care2 petitions are any better? I would be interested in your comments on how they solve or do not solve the problems you mentioned.
Thank,
ND
08-Feb-2009
If mine is the first name on the list, on how many lists will my name have appeared if they all get 100 entries? Some mathematical genius might care to work it out. But I can only legitimately sign a petition once, so the lists are invalid anyway.
Posted by: Mike Mackintosh at February 9, 2009 7:26 AMMy wife is a British citizen and she was asked to sign a perition. You were sent a specific form on which to record your vote and given the e-mail address of the government department that was being petitioned. That makes sense.