Internet Chat- The techno-weenie's answer to boob juice?

[dairy]

First, before I begin, by "internet chat" I mean any text communication sent over the www including forums, chat rooms, messangers, online games etc.

By techno-weenie, I mean anyone that spends time on the internet. Really I just used the word to get your attention.

To paraphrase fable, he closed a thread to, amoung other things, stop any "wise ass comments" that might follow.

I caught myself thinking "Probably a good idea." Then I caught myself thinking (Thinking twice in one day! The concussions are wearing off!) "Hey, there are a lot of wise asses on the internet..." Where else have I seen this number of wise ass comments per capita? The only place that comes to mind is anywhere that people are partaking of...you guessed it...booze.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't start fights and from time to time this means I have walked away from someone. Not to say I've never been lippy, arrogant or offensive, behaviour that comes out more often when inebriated. I think that's pretty much expected to happen every now and then in your youth, but I do notice that everyone I know, myself included, is much more aggressive or confrontational behind the keyboard. The feeling of confidence that comes with that warm glow of a few beer doesn't feel the same as the feeling of annoyimity and its following lack of fear of consequences that comes behind the keyboard.

Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's just me and the people I know, but hiding behind the keyboard adds a little brashness to an attitude.

What'd'ya think?

[dragon wench]

There have been a few threads around this subject in the last number of months actually

Personally, I do think anonymity or hiding behind a keyboard, can have a lot to do with it. The analogy to drinking is an interesting one though... Sometimes when people drink or engage in similar activities they tend to feel a certain invincibility, and the net can be like that too. In a virtual conversation, whether it be a forum, an IM chat, or a room, the sky is the limit in terms of what you can do. All you need is a good imagination, and you are set to take on the world. I don't mean this so much in the context of deception, but rather in the sense of roleplaying.
So maybe such factors contribute to that feeling of being untouchable.

People also sometimes say they feel the individuals whom they are insulting, sharing wisecracks with etc. are not entirely real, and therefore any behaviour exhibited is not real, and hence without consequence. I moderate at another board.. and I have heard this as a justification when I have PMed individuals over inappropriate posts.

[Xandax]

There have been some discussion about this earlier (for instance this thread )

But generally I think there is a shift in many peoples behavior when they are sitting at the safety of their own screen.
And much of it is can actually be compared to people getting drunk (sort of )

People become more "brave" meaning they will try and argue much more, even though they might not have the arguments to back them up. Or they will simply try to hang on to their opinion in the face of overwhelming arguments, because "they are right".

Some people also become a lot more confronting in their style of behavior. Some of the things we see communicated on the Internet - there aren't many (normal) people that would public express such opinions and statements in real life. People will also try to be sarcastic (which can be hard to communicate in writing) or try and belittle others opinions or experiences and explain that "their" way is the best or only way.

However - the Internet communication also have benefits. For instance - it can allow the more timid people to share their opinions and believes in "public". Plus you can discuss with easy people normally far outside your circle of reference because of the Internet. Again - refernce can be drawn to getting drunk, because many people get more "outgoing" when drunk. ("outgoing" in lack of better word just now).

But many people change behavior (I would hope) when they get behind their keyboard and post via the anonymous Internet. And the keyword is anonymous in my opinion. And maybe here the the "drunk" analogy comes into play also, because when drunk one is often a different person - so one is sort of anonymous.
But because people don't have the human interaction (face-to-face, or over the phone) with the recipients at the other end of communication, it can be easy to forget or ignore that it is actually real life people with real life experiences, feelings and problems you are communicating with, and instead it is just some abstract mass. This makes it easier to “insult” someone – intentionally or not – because you aren’t insulting people, but some abstract mass, or even just your screen.

However, this is what I hope many people would learn when they communicate over the Internet. It would not alone make moderating a whole lot easier, because it would eliminate a whole lot of flaming, insulting, ridicule and the general “I am superior to you” feel which fast can creep into a lot of Internet communication. (Luckily – this is not as widespread to GameBanshee, as the rest of the Internet, however we do get our cases of it as well)

edit: bah - DW said a lot of what I said

[dragon wench]

lol! @ Xan
But there is one simple thing neither of us quite mentioned... If you insult somebody over the internet, chances are that you don't have to fear getting literally beat up
Or in the case of some people who shall remain nameless, if a flirt goes wrong they don't have to worry about a slap in the face or a well-placed kick in the nether parts

[dairy]

i would say getting fresh falls under brash behaviour that you find in intoxicated people as well. i can quote several personal experiences where beer allowed me to speak a little too blunty face to face. fortunately im a quick dodger however the same lines over msn scored me a chuckle.

as for fear of getting beat up, some of us are the people your mother warned you about did i mention that i'm 7'8 400 lbs and a champion UFC fighter?

shorry man, you can jusht ignore that, itsh jusht the keyboard talkin

[Lost One]

Yeah, I agree that internet anonymity does give a person more confidence to do whatever they want. This can be annoying at times, like when idiots come to a forum or chat room and start speaking crap. But the good bit is that it allows you to fully develop an argument of your own which in real life, you might not have had the chance.

I mean, in here, we are all reading each other's opinions, and there are few barriers of communication I suppose. What is written, is what is said. In real life, this may not be so simple. Before I could go on to length talking about something, I would probably be cut off by someone else. In here, you can't be cut off. You also don't stutter, you don't have to speak clearly and loudly to be heard, external factors are not much of an issue, & you don't have to concern yourself with body language except for the smilies. Thus, it makes conveying your message a lot simpler, without other factors interrupting.

For me, what is also particularly cool about writing on the internet is that I have time to do it. I consider myself a smart person, but one that takes time to create thoughts. I know IRL many times I just want 15 seconds to prepare an argument in my head, but I can't because people are looking at me and I have to go with the flow of the conversation. This forum allows me to think more, and I enjoy that.

As for the anonymity, I think it works well. Although I think revealing more about yourself and getting to know another member is overall good for the community so it doesn't remain something purely superficial.

[Sojourner]

[QUOTE=dairy]First, before I begin, by "internet chat" I mean any text communication sent over the www including forums, chat rooms, messangers, online games etc.

By techno-weenie, I mean anyone that spends time on the internet. Really I just used the word to get your attention.

To paraphrase fable, he closed a thread to, amoung other things, stop any "wise ass comments" that might follow.

I caught myself thinking "Probably a good idea." Then I caught myself thinking (Thinking twice in one day! The concussions are wearing off!) "Hey, there are a lot of wise asses on the internet..." Where else have I seen this number of wise ass comments per capita? The only place that comes to mind is anywhere that people are partaking of...you guessed it...booze.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't start fights and from time to time this means I have walked away from someone. Not to say I've never been lippy, arrogant or offensive, behaviour that comes out more often when inebriated. I think that's pretty much expected to happen every now and then in your youth, but I do notice that everyone I know, myself included, is much more aggressive or confrontational behind the keyboard. The feeling of confidence that comes with that warm glow of a few beer doesn't feel the same as the feeling of annoyimity and its following lack of fear of consequences that comes behind the keyboard.

Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's just me and the people I know, but hiding behind the keyboard adds a little brashness to an attitude.

What'd'ya think?[/QUOTE]

Hey, that's a pretty good analogy, especially compared to the different types of forums - SYM could be considered the equivalent of having a beer or two, whereas forums like Yahoo's infamous boards could be considered the equivalent of having the whole keg.