Internet polls increasingly often trumped by Geenstijl

The popular website Geenstijl.nl increasingly often makes polls on the Internet a farce. This week, the website’s influence embarrassed newspaper Trouw twice.

Trouw presented 10 symbols typical of the Netherlands on its website. Initially the option ‘just behave ordinarily, then you’re already crazy enough’ was placed top in the election. “But now that GeenStijl has got involved, ‘gezelligheid’ has won,” the newspaper acknowledged with sorrow. ‘Gezelligheid’ may be translated as ‘cosiness’ but refers to all kinds of social activities that are small-scale and informal.

In apparent naivity, Trouw then presented a new statement: ‘Are you a fan of Geenstijl?’ Soon the yes votes were in the majority with 62 percent relative to the non-fans (21 percent). Seventeen percent clicked on the option ‘Geenstijl, what is that?’

The influence of Geenstijl starts when the site gives what is calls a ‘binding voting recommendation’. Its numerous visitors were also referred this week to the Advertising Association’s (GVR). GVR organised an election on its website of the best commercial slogan of all time. GeenStijl made sure that the winner - with 46 percent of the 12,500 votes - was ‘We from WC-Eend recommend WC-Eend,’ a slogan for a toilet cleaner.

Earlier, Geenstijl ensured that ’sausage slices with a face on them’ was chosen as the problem that most disturbed the Dutch. In this election, organised by the Foundation for Ideological Advertising (SIRE), the sausage ‘proved’ more annoying to the population than crime, violence against gays or discrimination of immigrants.

Geenstijl is a news site that has often been criticised in recent months for its raw tone. Gerrit Komrij, the Netherlands’ best-known poet, however praised the site for its irony-laden and original texts.

Source: NIS News, 12 October 2007