I guess it's something that has existed before the internet, but the internet makes it easy to notice and comment on. I'm referring to the small worlds we all find ourselves belonging to, little communities, where we're not sure how big they are, but they feel important.
It may be hard to describe, and harder to understand, unless you've been through it. But I always find it interesting when a small group has kind of become myopic and reciprocal, and everybody loves everything, and it's all a gravy train... and BAM someone or some idea comes in and shakes it all up. Then everyone in the group remembers that it is a tiny group, it's influence isn't so vast, and there are other perspectives out there.
On a larger scale (zing), I would point us towards snakes on a plane, where the buzz felt huge and cool.... if you were someone who's online constantly and visited certain circles. It peaked into mainstream with some coverage, but in the end, the movie didn't do that well (maybe dvd, who knows) and we can see how our world isn't so big.
On the internet, it could be a blog that you really enjoy reading, and you subconsciously start to remove your critical faculty of it, because you love it so much. Then someone comes in and makes some points and you go... hey... they're right or at least somewhat so. I think even the most skeptical are victim to this, and that might even be the wrong word. I shy away from poo pooing a group of people enjoying their thoughts and discussions as much as I shy away from fanboyism.
So in the end, if you're confident enough in you're thinking, it won't be a bad thing, the shakeup will just add to your experiences for the next time.
Image taken from flickr, copyright respective owner
