Looking back to when I first discovered the Internet, all that I can really remember are the chat rooms. What sticks out in my memory most about them is how friends and I would use them to harass people. There were no real names involved and certainly no faces. The anonymity of the situation absolved you from punishment and the physical distanced harbored you from any real retaliation. The fact that our victims were just as nameless and faraway from us as we were from them made our antagonistic behavior that much easier to reconcile.
In Bordia’s synthesis of face-to-face versus computer-mediated communication one of his propositions is that “CMC induces a state of deindividuation, which in turn leads to uninhibited behavior” (p. 108). Deindiviuation is when one is no longer viewed as an individual and it is thought that anonymity plays a major role in its development. Although not all of the studies that Bordia takes into account support this proposition, my personal experience does.
Another instance where I have experienced this effect, and where deindividuation is likely the cause, is in the comments section of certain news websites. This section is meant for readers so that they may post their opinions of the news content they read. What I found, is that the users of these utilities have no inhibitions when it comes to posting what Bordia refers to as “flaming” language (p. 107). Although politics can be extremely personal and inflammatory, the extent of the anger displayed and the unbridled negativity is unnerving.
CMC or not, it is troubling that individuals find it necessary to hurt each other in order to make themselves feel strong. The sheer amount of anger evident in these sections is a worry as well. Perhaps our communication in general is lacking something if so many people turn to anonymous rage in order to voice their opinions.
Bordia, P. (1997).
Face-to-face versus computer-mediated communication: A synthesis of the
experimental literature. Journal of Business Communication, 34(1), 99-120.
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Sten,
ReplyDeleteA thoughtful post, nice work. The comments sections on news sites are a rich source for CMC behavior, especially if you are looking people using anonymity to be cruel. It can be frustrating and disheartening to read how people abuse this feature and one another.
Jacob