Is the Internet a hive of scum and villainy?

Zombie_Babies said:

There's one HUUUUUUUUGEEEE problem with your li'l theory: There are plenty of folks out there who say nasty things online that can most assuredly effectively defend themselves from attack. You're acting like it's only nerdy losers who can barely stand to carry their own weight who act out online. For your sake I hope you never, ever decide to track a troll down and punch him in the nose. Your theory could put you in the hospital.

Click to expand...

Putting a bit more on this thought:

I've never seen school bullies who were weak.

Sure, bullies are probably suffering from some need or lack of care, but generally, they are stronger than their victims.

I would suspect that online bullies have a higher rate of un-empathy than they have of weakness.

Pretty funny you make the OP's point ZB

athos said:

Pretty funny you make the OP's point ZB

Click to expand...

I find it interesting that you would say that to someone who is simply giving good advice. You seem to be implying that a person who is expressing hope that another person not do something rash and potentially dangerous is either a scum or a villain or both.

That's just plain foolish.

Is it that the person making a nasty comment on the Internet is a jerk, or is it that the commenter doesn't think of the target as a real person (with real feelings, etc.)? That is, does the anonymity make a person a jerk, or does it make everyone else unreal?

Is it that the Internet makes people immune from physical retribution, or that the Internet blinds people to the emotional reaction?

Bullgrit

Bullgrit said:

Is it that the person making a nasty comment on the Internet is a jerk, or is it that the commenter doesn't think of the target as a real person (with real feelings, etc.)? That is, does the anonymity make a person a jerk, or does it make everyone else unreal?

Is it that the Internet makes people immune from physical retribution, or that the Internet blinds people to the emotional reaction?

Click to expand...

You state this as if we must choose. Embrace the power of "and".

Though, honestly, the commenter knows the target is a real person, if they stop to think about it. There's just such a suggestion of distance or separation from the target that the commenter probably doesn't really care.

sabrinathecat said:

The internet is like any other tool: it can be used, and it can be abused. Depends on the person. If as I suspect you've done a good job rearing your children, there's a pretty decent chance that they will be better than the people you are worried about. You can't shelter them forever, but you can give them the tools to discern for themselves what they should and should not do.

Click to expand...

I agree. Inevitable they are going to be exposed to the comments people write. Time for a sit down and chat?

thotd

athos said:

Pretty funny you make the OP's point ZB

Click to expand...

How? You come closer to that than I do - I mean, you're the one making threats, no?

Zombie_Babies said:

How? You come closer to that than I do - I mean, you're the one making threats, no?

Click to expand...

No one made any threats. I pointed out that if you were in a game store and said something very rude, you might get asked to step outside. Without that physical threat, rude little people get to act like scum on the internet without ever getting held accountable.

Don't worry little fellow, no one can hurt you on the internet, keep being obnoxious all you want.

athos said:

Don't worry little fellow, no one can hurt you on the internet, keep being obnoxious all you want.

Click to expand...

/headscratch

I hope you realize that's not exactly true, right? Actions have consequences. How does it go... "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words affect my mind, the one eternal part of my composite being". Further, we have plenty of stories where the things someone did online came back and bit them. Whether it's a Judge's online comments getting tied back to him, online affairs being revealed and leading to heartbreak and divorce, letting enough personal information slip† that someone can steal your identity, and so-on.

People think online they're anonymous (they aren't) and that they're free from consequence (they really aren't) but that doesn't make it true. It's just a fantasy.

Admittedly, the internet is quite excellent for being conducive to entertaining and indulging in fantasies of many stripes, but that doesn't make the fantasy real. Yet, anyway. Gimme a budget and twenty years, and I will make it real.
________
†Doesn't take that much, really. General location can often be narrowed down to a few zip codes, gender is given out pretty freely, and then you just need birthday which is a bit less casually slipped but not all that rare. With those three and access to voter rolls for the zip codes (not that hard to get) you can winnow down to a half dozen or so people. A few social engineering phone calls later and you've found the person. And that's when the real fun begins.

EscherEnigma said:

†Doesn't take that much, really. General location can often be narrowed down to a few zip codes, gender is given out pretty freely, and then you just need birthday which is a bit less casually slipped but not all that rare. With those three and access to voter rolls for the zip codes (not that hard to get) you can winnow down to a half dozen or so people. A few social engineering phone calls later and you've found the person. And that's when the real fun begins.

Click to expand...

It's often even easier than you make it out to be. People leave little crumbs all over the 'net. An hour or two of effort can frequently net you someone's real name, address, phone number, nicknames, parents names/addresses/phone numbers, siblings, children's names, past residences/phone numbers, criminal records, sports played/numbers worn, and friends/classmates names.

Anonymity on the internet is a fiction.