Confessions From The Comments Section: The Secret Lives of Internet Commenters and Other Pop Culture Zombies

by Jonathan Kieran

Internet comments sections are the Roman coliseums of the Information Age, filled with noisy spectators desperate to be heard and slobbering to be satisfied.They may try to blend-in with the crowd by employing fake usernames, but we all know what kind of people they REALLY are, once they start to trumpet their relentless opinions!

Without regard for others, folks like the All-Caps Idiocy Maximizer, The Yelp Whelp, The Drunken Ranter, and The Puppy Suckler feed like a ravenous zombie-horde upon the putrefying scraps of our bloated pop culture. Clamoring for attention, characters like Rhonda the Reasonable, The Garden-Variety Idiot, The Big Word Hurler, and The Special Snowflake fuel the great, ongoing war between The Smarts and The Stupids. True identities may remain hidden, but in the jungle of internet comments sections, people reveal far more than they think about their secret lives ... and why civilization is heading for a spectacular crack-up.

In 'Confessions from the Comments Section: The Secret Lives of Internet Commenters and Other Pop Culture Zombies,' humorist Jonathan Kieran shines an uproarious and irreverent light upon 33 different "types" of internet commenter, exploring issues like religious hypocrisy, narcissism, and celebrity obsession while probing the hilarious depths to which human behavior will plunge when people think they are anonymous online. Read it and laugh or read it and weep ... especially if you happen to recognize yourself.

194 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2015

About the author

Jonathan Kieran is an author and graphic illustrator with a passion for world mythological systems and ancient history. Living near beautiful Big Sur, CA, his other interests include metaphysics, international travel, distance-running, classical music, Orthodox chant, gastronomy, oceanography, cryptozoology, and mountain hiking.

His newest novel, WISTWOOD, is a terrifying supernatural/metaphysical “cosmic thriller” released April 21, 2020 by Brightbourne Books and Media.

The 'Rowan Blaize' books represent the first offerings in Jonathan's Enchanted Heritage Chronicles series, published in mid-January 2013. He has since published the pop-culture bestseller 'Confessions from the Comments Section’ and is also the creator of the comic strip Zanzibar Circus, which debuted in 2016 and can be viewed on his official website at www.jonathankieran.com.

For more information about Jonathan’s epic cosmic horror novel WISTWOOD (April 21, 2020) stay tuned to Goodreads in the coming weeks.

Reviews

[Anduine · Rating 5 out of 5]

You better pack a lot of humour in your luggage before you board THIS train, taking you through the wonderous and often times comical world of the Internet Comments Section. It is a rabbit hole one could easily get lost in, but Kieran is a seasoned traveler who will navigate his train (and its passengers) safely on this journey, by steering them through short chapters, featuring just about any type of comment section there is, along with all their multi-characteristic inhabitants. Comic strips, drawn by the author himself, serve as little fuel stations.
The book is witty, snappy, naughty, sarcastic, sharp - in one word : brilliant!
You will laugh throughout the book, but there are also passages that will make you stop in your track and ponder. And be forewarned that almost certainly you will recognize yourself, at least partially, on one or two occasions.
But if you have not lost the ability to laugh about your own shortcomings and slight defects you will enjoy and love the book as much as I did.
So willkommen, bienvenue, welcome aboard on a fabulous ride through the comments section.

[Betty Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh, or at least smile, through the whole book! I started the book by looking up GIF. I knew what it was, but there are things you just have to clarify before you go any further. This author takes some of these wonderful internet terms and thoughts to a level we all know about, but would have never thought to write about in a book. It takes a lot of silly, wacky people to write what they think to internet comments, but reading those confessions can be more fun than the article itself. Reading comments to news stories can be so entertaining. I loved the note that the caps-lock is like yelling and maximizing your own idiocy. And Jonathan Kieran, the author, is right in thinking the Dugger parents must have said, "Remember, children, there's always a demon in demonstration." The wit and humor kept me reading page after page! I was not happy with the "Amazing Adventures of God" in the cartooning in the book, but loved the actual writing of this author. Good for teens and up, the book would be a great gift.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Carleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book. I must say that I did laugh a lot and smile a good portion of the book. The author pokes fun of the various types of commentators that you may encounter on the internet. This book definitely touches upon a lot of what people are secretly thinking as they are reading comments. If you like to troll the internet and read the comments section, this book just may be for you. It is a light read that I found enjoyable on a rainy day. There are many people who comment about religion on internet sites, but the fact that the author created cartoons and gave his personal opinions regarding the subject seemed to be in poor taste. This is my main reason that I gave the book 3/5 stars instead of 4/5. I feel that the author veered too far from the actual topic and it became less of an enjoyable read in these moments. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confessions from the Comments Section is a funny and biting look at the personalities that make up the crazy culture of online commentators. Kiernan breaks down the types of typical online behavior you might come across, digging into the overly PC crusaders, the self conscious trolls, the downside of teaching everyone they are smart/incapable of being wrong, etc etc. Most of the takedowns are quite funny, and the comics interspersed throughout provide even more humor and silliness.

What I think I liked most, though, is that many of the views have a great deal of insight and tie back to modern culture as a whole, not just to what we see on the internet. Also, as someone who tends to read comments on my favorite sites but never comments, having some perspective on some of the crazier things I read is useful as Kiernan shows how to treat such things as the absurdities that they are.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading "Confessions from the comments section. Jonathan Kieran has an excellent writing style, which keeps you engaged throughout the book. People today take their aggression out on other people online, because they are hiding behind a computer screen. Kieran actually calls people out on this, using them as examples for his sometimes hilarious chapters. I really enjoyed that comic strips were placed throughout the book, I thought it gave the book a little extra something. I think any adult would enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Russell Howen · Rating 1 out of 5]

full of sarcasm, satire, snide remarks, and pot shots at the internet bloggers and commenters.