BTL, ATL
BTL: below the line – aggettivo, avverbio
ATL: above the line – aggettivo, avverbio
I enjoy reading fact-based articles and balanced debate BTL.
Some of the commenters BTL were divisive, insulting and just plain nasty.
My BTL comments are invariably filled with people making the same points as me.
The comments below the line were typically withering.
There is a strange disparity between what newspapers are writing above the line and what their readers are writing below the line.
Come tanti altri, anch’io uso internet per tenermi informata e ho imparato a non soffermarmi sui commenti che appaiono in calce agli articoli, o below the line, spesso abbreviato in BTL. Poco importa di quale pubblicazione si tratti, populista o intellettuale, di destra o di sinistra: sembra proprio che la possibilità di esprimere la propria opinione su qualunque argomento, in tempi rapidissimi e pubblicamente, faccia emergere il peggio della natura umana. Preferisco ignorare i commenti e proseguire la lettura.
Certo, anche prima dell’avvento di internet era possibile far pubblicare le proprie opinioni di lettore, ma si trattava di un processo che portava via tempo: bisognava riflettere su quello che si voleva comunicare e cercare di renderlo bene per iscritto; poi si acquistava busta e francobollo e via alla cassetta della posta. Stava poi al giornale decidere se pubblicare o meno la lettera e quelle astiose o cariche di insulti finivano dritte nel cestino.
Origini del termine
I termini below the line e BTL si usano in vari campi, non ultimo quello del marketing; il significato qui preso in esame è riferito ai commenti lasciati sui blog o sugli articoli giornalistici: su molti siti c’è effettivamente una riga sotto la quale compaiono i commenti. Le espressioni above the line e ATL sono usate meno e si riferiscono viceversa agli articoli e ai post.
Traduzione di Loredana Riu
BTL: below the line – adjective, adverb
ATL: above the line – adjective, adverb
I enjoy reading fact-based articles and balanced debate BTL.
Some of the commenters BTL were divisive, insulting and just plain nasty.
My BTL comments are invariably filled with people making the same points as me.
The comments below the line were typically withering.
There is a strange disparity between what newspapers are writing above the line and what their readers are writing below the line.
Like many people I get much of my news online, and I learned early on not to look at the comments that appear below the articles or below the line, often shortened to BTL. No matter what the publication, wherever it sits on the political spectrum, whether it is populist or highbrow or somewhere in between, the ability to comment immediately and publicly on any topic seems to bring out the worst in people. Better to ignore the comments and move on.
It was of course possible for members of the public to have their opinions published in the media before the advent of the internet, but the process was more leisurely, involving writing your thoughts down on paper and posting them. It was then up to the newspaper or magazine to decide whether or not to publish your letter, and abusive or intemperate letters would no doubt end up in the bin.
Origins
The terms below the line and BTL existed before the invention of the world wide web with other meanings, but they started to be used in relation to comments made about blog posts and online journalism; on many sites there is still an actual line below which the comments appear. The expressions above the line and ATL are used less frequently to refer to the articles and posts as opposed to the comments.
