Social Discourse On The Internet

dognduckhorn

dognduckhorn

500+ Posts
I spend a lot of time on the West Mall board, and the discussion over there about Buck Burnette leads me over here to start this thread. Putting aside the politics, two issues intrigue me about internet posting which I think probably need to be discussed here.

First, is there a generational gap between younger posters and older posters about what is appropriate to post out there for the entire world to view? I am particularly curious as to attitudes about the social networking sites? Is there no version of Emily Post manners or tips that apply?

To kind of orient the discussion, I don't think it is any secret that potential employers, significant others, parents, and law enforcement are beginning to explore these sites for insights about the people who use them.

Second, what is it about internet posting that leads some to believe that all the rules are gone, and that there are no boundaries to what people can say about others? I have seen articles that talk about the phenomenon that people are much ruder and angrier on the internet than they would be if they were confronting other people face to face. Why is that?

I apologize if this is a repeat of earlier discussions, but the Buck Burnette incident has renewed my curiosity about this.

Discuss
 
say rude things to somebody's face, there is a chance you get your *** kicked.

not so much in the comfort of your own home.
 
I also find this subject interesting. As to your main question, the belief that you are anonymous on the Internet seems to lead people to post all kinds of things that they normally would not say. Also, not knowing the person on the other end and the lack of seeing facial expressions and tone of voice leads to misunderstanding.

This doesn't account for the situation that you originally mentioned with the football player because the comments were posted on a page that had the player's name. Why do so many people have blogs/MySpace/Facebook? Why not just send email or call/text each other.

I'll guess that people will say for networking, but there certainly appears to be a lot more on some of these pages that will lead to unintended consequences.
 
I think younger people put too much of themselves out there. 30 or 40 years from now, we will be looking at facebook and myspace entries from when Presidential candidates were in high school. Youthful indiscretion will be recorded forever.
 
Postmodern life in the West is about self-expression. Rudeness on the internet is merely one such mode of that self-expression.

We no longer believe in discussion or examination; we believe in expression instead. The more unique and memorable the expression, the more successful it is deemed. I've had numerous, intelligent posters on this board inform me that there is no such thing as Truth -- that all knowledge and all values are merely social constructs. If that is true, then don't the rude people on the internet have it exactly right? Isn't communication, in that case, properly understood as a means of expression, rather than of education?
 
Mirror neurons in the brain have us emotionally react and empathize with the visual image of the person we are looking at. As others have pointed out, the internet usually does not include visual images of the person you are interacting with, and the level of empathy decreases. Perhaps, with pictures included, ideally real time video, empathy would increase along with a more cautious or courteous communication style. Pictures of a drugged up or drunk politician might be much more damaging than the verbal report of the same incident since people would have more of a visceral reaction to the person rather than a cerebral reaction.
 
Anonymity to a large degree lets people be "more assertive" on the Internet and you are typing something then hoping to get a response. This makes people say things more harshly and this harshness provokes a response.

I think that technology is not very good for today's teens. They can use the texting/ the internet as a weapon or have it used against them. I think the use of mediums like the internet/texting or a BBS allows for considerably less civility. You say something to somebody and you can tell you hurt their feelings as human beings we would often modify our words. Behind a computer screen that's not an issue....

Plus to be honest in my opinion a fair amount of geeks and goobers who get some sort of feeling of "strength" for lack of a better word from posting assertive or rud things they woudl never say face to face. That certainly is the "get your *** kicked" limiter not kicking in on the internet, as in the real world.
 
You wouldn't believe some of the nasty arguments I've gotten into on a couple of Vegas boards. Lots of name-calling & personal flaming.
Then when meeting with those same guys in Vegas, we're all nicey-nicey. Weird.
 
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