The Psychology of Online Comments

mariaalice

Is on line comment that is anonymous not good humans in genera?

While you do get really interesting discourses on line, if it is not monitored it allways descends to mockery or become nasty or nutty.

Also what is going one with people who seem to mediate their mental health issues through anonymous posting on the like of boards, are people with issue more attracted to on line comment.

I found this from an article in The New Yorker which I though was good.

Alfred Bandura found that, as personal responsibility becomes more diffused in a group, people tend to dehumanize others and become more aggressive toward them. At the same time, people become more likely to justify their actions in self-absolving ways. Multiple studies have also illustrated that when people don’t think they are going to be held immediately accountable for their words they are more likely to fall back on mental shortcuts in their thinking and writing, processing information less thoroughly. They become, as a result, more likely to resort to simplistic evaluations of complicated issues, as the psychologist Philip Tetlock has repeatedly found over several decades of research on accountability.

Source

El_Duderino 09

If you read some of the comments on threads about crime and punishment, you would disparity for humanity. But the internet is the appropriate forum for those type of discussions. Purely hypothetical morality and divorced from reality. Most people wouldn't dream of acting on the inhumane things they say on the internet.

So, yes you're right but i wouldn't worry too much about it.

smash

People are getting dumber, less social and less accountable for their own actions at an alarming rate because of on-line activities.

mariaalice

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

If you read some of the comments on threads about crime and punishment, you would disparity for humanity. But the internet is the appropriate forum for those type of discussions. Purely hypothetical morality and divorced from reality. Most people wouldn't dream of acting on the inhumane things they say on the internet.

So, yes you're right but i wouldn't worry too much about it.

This is the thing that intrigues me, they must be thinking it if they are posting it, therefore a not insignificant amount of people must have an inner life that they are masking in there every day interaction with other, but feel free to indulge the inner stuff on line. As humans haven't changed all the much in the past 20 or so years how did they manage before on line posting.

Whispered

mariaalice wrote: »

This is the thing that intrigues me, they must be thinking it if they are posting it, therefore a not insignificant amount of people must have an inner life that they are masking in there every day interaction with other, but feel free to indulge the inner stuff on line. As humans haven't changed all the much in the past 20 or so years how did they manage before on line posting.

Maybe it wasn't as common to think that way. The Internet can maybe make more extreme viewpoints seem normal. One or two other people agreeing and you feel your viewpoint is acceptable even if it wouldn't usually be.

On the subject of people working through issues online, I think that the anonymity helps them feel comfortable to express things they might not normally. I'm unsure if it's a good thing or not because I guess it could leave a person pretty vulnerable. Wasn't there a few cases where someone in an anon chat room encouraged someone to self harm and commit suicide.

Day Lewin

A certain road to rage: Never read the comments!!

Most especially, never go near the comments on YouTube.
They are not written by human beings at all, but by a race of troglodytes who squat in mud tunnels during daylight, sniffing and licking their own ar3eholes. They only emerge after dark to scrape holes in the internet and sh1t all over their keyboards.
The turds are slimy and smell like YouTube comments.

Do not do this. I did warn you!

valoren

Pre-internet life was pretty insular for most of us. We had fairly sheltered lives.
Your range of experiences was limited to physical interactions (Visiting places, going to meetings, socialising, reading newspapers, watching tv etc)

With access to the internet at the touch of a button, this sheltered life is no more.
We are now exposed to a wider spectrum of people's opinions, experiences and interactions.

Stupid, disturbed, crazy people have always existed.
It took the internet to expose them. The internet has no barriers to entry.
The internet can be a soapbox for such people.
You only have to read You Tube comments to get an insight to that.

darkpagandeath

Wow, You mean people did not have opinions before anonymous internet ???

Internet Ham

katemarch wrote: »

A certain road to rage: Never read the comments!!

Most especially, never go near the comments on YouTube.
They are not written by human beings at all, but by a race of troglodytes who squat in mud tunnels during daylight, sniffing and licking their own ar3eholes. They only emerge after dark to scrape holes in the internet and sh1t all over their keyboards.
The turds are slimy and smell like YouTube comments.

Do not do this. I did warn you!

Don't read Sky News comments then. It makes the average Youtube commenter look like Hawking.

The flying mouse

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Wow, You mean people did not have opinions before anonymous internet ???

I think what the poster means is that most of us were not open to hearing such a wide scale of different and sometimes disturbing opinions, mostly people chat and hang out with people of there own viewpoints and behaviours, The internet has changed all that.

darkpagandeath

The flying mouse wrote: »

I think what the poster means is that most of us were not open to hearing such a wide scale of different and sometimes disturbing opinions, mostly people chat and hang out with people of there own viewpoints and behaviours, The internet has changed all that.

Must move in difference circles so, Have mates with wildly differing views.

mariaalice

Or what about something you occasionally get on boards : someone posting something about themselves, they know this will attract negative comment about themselves, asking anonymous people to metaphorically beat them up.

andekwarhola

One thing that people tend to forget is that unlike real life, the power of online unpleasantness is only proportional to how much you choose to engage with it or validate it.

biko

Hell is other posters

Day Lewin

andekwarhola wrote: »

One thing that people tend to forget is that unlike real life, the power of online unpleasantness is only proportional to how much you choose to engage with it or validate it.

As a matter of fact, this IS true in real life as well.
Outside of actual physical violence, words and opinions are only a blast of warm air and electrical energy.
You don't have to care. Repeat ten times, morning and evening.

ThinkProgress

mariaalice wrote: »

This is the thing that intrigues me, they must be thinking it if they are posting it, therefore a not insignificant amount of people must have an inner life that they are masking in there every day interaction with other, but feel free to indulge the inner stuff on line. As humans haven't changed all the much in the past 20 or so years how did they manage before on line posting.

Is it really surprising that many people have inner thoughts that they don't always air in public discourse? (I'd be more surprised if they didn't really)

Some people are shy. Others are very cautious etc. The internet can be useful for those individuals.

I can only really speak for myself, but I am quite eccentric and opinionated whether on the internet or if you meet me in person. I'm sure I do probably change a bit within an online setting... but not enough for it to be hugely noticeable... I don't think so anyway.

But real world conversations are different. Visual cues are important, among other things... and we don't have that online. So naturally it will take on a slightly different dynamic.

mariaalice

katemarch wrote: »

As a matter of fact, this IS true in real life as well.
Outside of actual physical violence, words and opinions are only a blast of warm air and electrical energy.
You don't have to care. Repeat ten times, morning and evening.

That is a good point, however what are the on line commenter's getting out of it themselves. I am more interested in why the commenter projects their inner rage or nuttness (for what of a better words) on to the internet.

Dial Hard

mariaalice wrote: »

That is a good point, however what are the on line commenter's getting out of it themselves. I am more interested in why the commenter projects their inner rage or nuttness (for what of a better words) on to the internet.

Because it's instant and anonymous and they don't have to be answerable for their odiousness.

That's pretty much it. I think you're reading far too much into their motivations, tbh.

mariaalice

ThinkProgress wrote: »

Is it really surprising that many people have inner thoughts that they don't always air in public discourse? (I'd be more surprised if they didn't really)

Some people are shy. Others are very cautious etc. The internet can be useful for those individuals.

I can only really speak for myself, but I am quite eccentric and opinionated whether on the internet or if you meet me in person. I'm sure I do probably change a bit within an online setting... but not enough for it to be hugely noticeable... I don't think so anyway.

But real world conversations are different. Visual cues are important, among other things... and we don't have that online. So naturally it will take on a slightly different dynamic.

Inner excentricity is different that inner hate.

Whispered

mariaalice wrote: »

I am more interested in why the commenter projects their inner rage or nuttness (for what of a better words) on to the internet.

Maybe they have nowhere else to express their inner rage or frustrations. I think some people enjoy being angry. Adrenaline rush out of ranting? It can ruin your life to live that way I think, causing the person a lot of unhappiness until it becomes a vicious circle. Although I know people who behave like that offline too. Getting angry over everything. Not easy people to be around.

mariaalice

Whispered wrote: »

Maybe they have nowhere else to express their inner rage or frustrations. I think some people enjoy being angry. Adrenaline rush out of ranting? It can ruin your life to live that way I think, causing the person a lot of unhappiness until it becomes a vicious circle. Although I know people who behave like that offline too. Getting angry over everything. Not easy people to be around.

That is a good point, people who feel powerless or frustrated real or imagined use on line comment as way of balancing, its one reason why politicians are a target.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

It's a lot easier to say something the people might find offensive online rather than in person. Simple. You don't have to see or worry about the reaction and you can literally walk away and deal with it later.

It's also a lot easier to troll and people are just that ittle bit more psychopathic these days.

mariaalice

mariaalice wrote: »

Is on line comment that is anonymous not good humans in genera?

Anonymity has a lot to do with it I guess. And the internet is not the only example of it. Peoples aggressive behaviour towards each other in cars for example. The more removed from another human being as a person you become - the more likely you are to feel justified in treating them badly.

I remember the old Dave Allen sketch which caricatured this fact. Where this guy helps a little old lady across the road and they have lovely conversation - the guys gets into his car and drives around the block and is then held up by the same old lady crossing back over the road. At which point he starts hammering the car horn and screaming "get off the road you old bi...."

But online you are also thrown into a medium - especially on a debate forum - where you instantly thrown into an intellectual playing field. That alone creates a different dynamic for interaction with others than you would have in - say - a pub meeting new people. So this has much to answer for. I myself engage with people in a more robust manner than I do in the real world - solely because I see that as being what this forum is _for_.

The Dunning–Kruger effect does not help at all either on on line forums.

The Derren Brown quiz show was fun to watch. The setup was that a live audience in a studio was asked to vote on what things - good or bad - would happen to an unsuspecting member of the public who was under constant hidden camera surveillance.

The audience in question not only consistently voted "bad" - but did not balk much at all despite the horrors being visited upon the unsuspecting victim becoming steadily more horrific as time went on. They even votes to have one of the shows producers go to the guys flat and smash up possessions with a baseball bat.

All in all - despite moments of pure beauty and nobility which make it all worth while - it pays to remember than in general humans are just crap

El_Duderino 09

mariaalice wrote:

This is the thing that intrigues me, they must be thinking it if they are posting it, therefore a not insignificant amount of people must have an inner life that they are masking in there every day interaction with other, but feel free to indulge the inner stuff on line. As humans haven't changed all the much in the past 20 or so years how did they manage before on line posting.

People have always had those kind of thoughts. In done ways people were more repressed and less encouraged to express those kind of thoughts. In other ways, people are expressing a barbaric wish for the way things were actually done in the past.

Tome people wish for rape and murder as punishment for crimes. Ironically, using rape and murder to deter crime. Crazy thoughts people have and now they can share them with everybody as opposed to limiting it to just the people they physically talk to every day.

Like a said, the in net is the appropriate forum for crazy ideas as well as great ideas. Even barbarians have a right to express their ideas so the internet is the ideal place for them.

mariaalice

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

It's a lot easier to say something the people might find offensive online rather than in person. Simple. You don't have to see or worry about the reaction and you can literally walk away and deal with it later.

It's also a lot easier to troll and people are just that ittle bit more psychopathic these days.

Do you not think appeaser to be is how it should be phrased as the human race can not have become more psychopathic in 20 years or so?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

mariaalice wrote: »

Do you not think appeaser to be is how it should be phrased as the human race can not have become more psychopathic in 20 years or so?

Why not? We certainly don't interact as socially as we used to.

ThinkProgress

Deleted User wrote: »

All in all - despite moments of pure beauty and nobility which make it all worth while - it pays to remember than in general humans just create crap

There, fixed it for you! :pac:

thattequilagirl

It's also a pride thing.

I'll use myself as an example, but I think this applies to a lot of people. Recently, there was a thread about kids being noisy in restaurants. It's not an experience I've actually had recently, but I expressed an opinion on the scenario given, even though it's not something I feel all that strongly about.

Someone replied with a quite personal comment about me and what kind of person I must be to hold that opinion. Oh, now I've been insulted I'm suddenly passionate about this topic and I'm going to defend my view to the last, even though I didn't really care ten minutes ago.

Obviously, what I should actually have done is let it the fck go and move on with my day.

Life lesson learned.

Except I will likely fall into the same trap again next week.

This is why I'm not on Facebook anymore.

StewartGriffin

mariaalice wrote: »

Do you not think appeaser to be is how it should be phrased as the human race can not have become more psychopathic in 20 years or so?

"Psycopathic" is an interesting term to use in this context, perhaps the wrong one. I think what we are seeing is a lack of compassion or lack of empathy.

This is probably natural because the online person is not strictly speaking interacting with another human being. No body cues, eye contact, smiles, intonation, scents, physicality.

When I'm replying to you here now I am looking at my screen, I can't see you, I can only imagine what you are like.
You seem to be female and that triggers a certain pattern of behavior in my response. Your name is pretty and quite conservative so that triggers another pattern of behavior. Therefore I respond to you in a certain way. The content of what you write is important but responses will be shaded by impressions of who you are.

I suspect if Boards.ie introduced a rule that everyone has to have a live webcam on them while they post, the dynamic would change dramatically around here.
For example if you could see the internet Troll who was attacking you I suspect you would be more likely to pity them than hate them.

StewartGriffin

StewartGriffin wrote: »

I think what we are seeing is a lack of compassion or lack of empathy.

Indeed. We do not so much "lack" it - as the majority of it's evolution is such that things like "empathy" kick in in contexts that current society and ways of life have distanced us from.

Such as the visual and interpersonal queues you listed which are simply absent in an online forum. Or when driving a car.

A huge amount of empathy - and the things that kick it off at the level of the brain such as mirror neurons and the like - require a certain level of human interaction. And more and more society is changing to remove us from many of those queues.

The phrase I hear most is that online forums allow us to "dehumanise" the other people. Perhaps more correct is that online forums have removed our ability to "humanise" them in the first place.

StewartGriffin wrote: »

I suspect if Boards.ie introduced a rule that everyone has to have a live webcam on them while they post, the dynamic would change dramatically around here.

Yea. You would have a _lot_ more people saying things like "Take your top off"

StewartGriffin wrote: »

For example if you could see the internet Troll who was attacking you I suspect you would be more likely to pity them than hate them.

I already do pity them since someone on here - can not remember who - linked me to an article about online trolls suggesting that a primary motivation for online trolling is self hatred.

They hate themselves. And their online behaviour is designed to get others to hate them - to validate the self hatred. A case of "See my self hatred is justified - they all hate me too!!!".

To be _that_ miserable and to hate oneself _that_ much - they very much have my sympathy and pity.

When is national "hug a troll" day?

Permabear

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