A Listless World

I woke up one morning after four hours of sleep to find 44 new e-mail messages in my inbox. Forty-two had been sent over the “Pf-Open” list, and the remaining two were the only ones relevant to my interests. It was disheartening to have to mark all the Pf-Open messages “opened,” promising myself that I’d read them when I got the time. I might as well have relegated them all to the spam folder.

Those who treat the majority of open-list messages as spam should be allowed to opt out of receiving them while retaining what they view as the benefits of being on the list.  These benefits include notifications about upcoming on-campus opportunities, speakers, and performances that many individuals would care to know about—few would want to miss out on Bill Gates at Sanders, Kid Cudi at Yardfest, or even the free CamelBak water bottles at the Malkin Athletic Center. Additionally, queries from underclassmen or from various list members asking for assistance provide chances for other members to serve as guides and mentors. They also provide answers to questions that others may have as well. Who knew, for example, that Harvard students could use the parking lot at the elementary school behind Comstock Hall?

But the subsequent message threads that branch from such useful pieces of information fill up our inboxes and drive us to exasperation, leaving the useful bits few and far between. List members are left to glean the most valuable pieces from a sea of nonsense. We should not have to wade through eight different phrasings of the same question to finally find out what to do with the census form. It’s as though we are stuck in a new era of gold mining, filtering out the majority of what we see just to gratify ourselves with a pertinent prospect here and there. The lists often seem to be abused for casual conversation, and this abuse is something that many list members could do without. Personal views on a game of Assassins versus a game of Humans vs. Zombies, however strong, do not need to be broadcasted to the masses.

The use of open lists for casual conversation crosses the fine line between utility and spam. Open e-mail lists should ultimately serve as forums for constructive discussion and only occasional entertainment. Not everyone on a list needs to be privy to the banter between a few members. Instead, the best way to allow community spirit to flourish online non-invasively would be to create an online forum where members can post topics rather than send them to an entire list; those who are interested can reply while those who are not interested do not remain subjected to the random thoughts of others. It creates a win-win situation for all without clogging any inboxes, and it continues to build a sense of community by providing an opportunity for members to voice their opinions.

Ultimately, the question of whether open-list messages serve a purpose seems to be a matter of personal preference. For some, the epitome of captivating open-list discussion is Pf-Open’s “First Ever Pfopen Novelty Account Flame War Thread,” a 76-and-counting-message thread begun over spring break in which members posted under the pseudonyms of Sigmund Freud, Mary Tudor, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Master Yoda, among others. Though the ensuing conversation was initially bewildering and utterly bizarre, it eventually made for a highly entertaining read despite its seemingly random postings. “Digressed, this thread has,” Yoda astutely proclaimed at one point.

But a little listlessness is sometimes a good thing—perhaps Yoda in his wisdom could have gone on to say, “Unnecessary, this thread is.”

Vidya Rajan ’13, a Crimson editorial comper, lives in Weld Hall.