When we do an initial analysis of the commenters, as the people who respond on the platform are called, we do indeed see a lot of anger. 'Everything used to be better' is something we often encounter. Could that be because of the many people who have said goodbye to GeenStijl? Rutger Castricum, now a valued programme maker who has come to his senses, is mentioned a number of times in our research. Joost Eerdmans and Annabel Nanninga, former FVD and now JA21 politicians, were also part of GeenStijl at first but have also left the sinking ship.
The old GeenStijl was highly appreciated, even uk phone number by left-wingers. But of everything that still had a bit of class at GeenStijl, the fresh look and entertaining content, little is left, in the eyes of the Dutch public.
Back to the commenters, because they are quite special. Their comments make the platform even more provocative, extreme and hurtful. With heroic names like AirborneDivision, Rest in Privacy and John McClane they pretend to be the protectors of freedom of speech. But because of the anonymity a lot is exaggerated and made up and the journalistic aspect disappears. On the other hand you can wonder if there is any good argumentation to be found on the platform, because some names (Psycho Daddy, klamme.vla and ikpislauwbier) make it seem as if we have ended up in the talent show of an asylum. You don't win any battles with this.
In the research we see that the current users of GeenStijl are mostly highly educated and have a high income. Perhaps for the same reason that highly educated people like to watch reality TV, for amazement or pure entertainment.
Men are also generally more positive about GeenStijl than women. The 35-54 age group knows GeenStijl best, but is also the most negative. They have an opinion about it.
This group also finds GeenStijl considerably more provocative compared to the other groups. The youngest group, 18 to 34, is somewhat less familiar with the brand, but is more positive. They characterize the platform and the content that GeenStijl creates more often as funny. You can't accuse today's youth of having any moral compass either.