It is often taken as a given that the anonymity of the internet causes what often seems like the constant escalation of even the most innocent thread into some type of pissing match. I have been thinking, while reading numerous board game websites, computer game websites, and other non-“geek” type of websites, such as automobile sites. I realized that many non-“geek” sites do not seem to have nearly the problem with e-chest thumping, condescension, and hostility as the computer game sites do (as an example).
I am now connecting this with my own anecdotal experiences with geek friends, who seem to like to argue (often stubbornly past the point of no return, while throwing out insults that would get a punch in the head in other places) over the most trivial of things, as well as assert their intellectual prowess whenever possible.
This has led me to question the idea that it is somehow the “internet” that causes or allows such hostility and interaction, and whether instead it is just the particular body of people using it (geeks in general are still the heaviest users of the internet, I’d bet). Even more specifically, with respect to certain topics of bulletin boards, etc.
The interesting part (for me) is actually expressed by Lum’s post. It suggests that somehow it is the internet and anonymity that brings it out. In reality, I suspect that has much less to do with it than the Unreal Tournament playing group that is playing/posting.
I guess in the end this is unlikely to be a groundbreaking sociological thesis. Geeks are anti-social - breaking news!
It’s internet bravado, for sure. Most ‘tough guys’ on the internet wouldn’t be able to make eye contact in real life. It sucks but that’s what anonymity brings.
I’ve seen that in action. People who talk smack about how they want to get in the face of the people running their MMO, when actually meeting us, are downright civil. The only exception was one guy who was really drunk.
I am pretty much like this at home too. I am like this when I am drunk and when I am sober. I am just like this. Because I am like this, I have something resembling a spider sense for when I am about to get punched in the face.
So feel safe in the fact that, wherever I am, I am running my goddamn mouth.
The messageboard phenomnen also had a added benefit of people getting a chance to think about their responses and craft something as insulting as possible.
In frat house populated by typical frat boys, you tend to see hierarchy established quickly through physical or social means. Since nerds will shy away from that, and their social skills are by definition lacking, hierarchy never gets established and it’s one, big, long catfight. As for the internet, online social skill is yet to be mastered indeed if it can be at all, while anonymity provides security and the impossibility of forcing a physical solution.
In all probability, when in an argument even with someone generally peaceful, you are less likely to swear at them in person than you would be at a known aggressive person online. Unless you are a bully in the real world. In which case the nerds may seek to emulate online the behavior that works so well in intimidating them in person.
Nah, I don’t buy it. I did live in a frat house full of nerds, and it wasn’t anything like a big long catfight. We got along just fine. Looking back and after talking with the members of other fraternities among my friends, I think my experience (at least as far as how we acted towards each other) was pretty typical of any fraternity.
I really think it’s the anonymity that’s the catalyst.
My experience was seen only through friends, but things were either all cool or hostile for days on end. If there was a conflict, it had to die out on its own, it hardly ever got resolved. Things were good as long as everyone was playing Quake or StarCraft or Unreal Tournament, but arguments about food, girls, and hogging bandwidth never got anywhere.
I don’t think it’s anonymity as much as the lack of another person’s physical presence (especially his/her eyes). Even people who use their real name and/or IDs are different. So it’s not just the fact that no one can track you down…because usually they can.
In fact, I’m working on an academic paper about this very subject right now and starting to gather research. I may even interview a few of you, if no one minds.
I used to be a big old flamer, particularly on Usenet back in the day. Horrifyingly enough there are like 35,000 Google hits on my real name. Any of the last 10,000 or so carry all too much evidence of my former ways, before I got smart and went pseudonymous for my shitcockeriffic flameage.
Especially amusing is how many of them are from an alt.sex newsgroup. Someday my kids are going to get an object lesson in not using your real name for anything you don’t want the world to see (our family name is pretty darn unique).
But after a while I just got over it. Now I don’t even bother with long-running arguments, I walk away, life’s too short. There’s a certain lack of proportion that you have to have to put that much emotional time and energy into repeatedly arguing about complete bullshit. I wound up doing some FAQs that let me say my piece once and for all, and then I was able to ignore the many idiots who didn’t agree with me :-D
The closest I recently came to that kind of old-school circle-jerk flamewar was right here in the “ocean anoxia” thread. But that was nothing compared to some of the months-long clusterfucks from the early nineties. Never again.
