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Are we, as a wider community, nasty?
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<blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 6250847" data-attributes="member: 3400"><p>Hey, at least we're not supposed to talk politics around here. You want to see nasty? Check out political articles or articles about crime and punishment in your average newspaper with a website that allows online comments. They make edition wars look absolutely tame by comparison. There's a reason that a lot fewer newspapers allow reader talkback than initially did so and it's because people turn into jerks when given a cheap opportunity. </p><p></p><p>A friend of mine, while working on some form of masters degree in the local journalism department, did a study of reader letters compared to talkback features - then compiled mostly via the phone - and found that the cheaper the opportunity (and not just in monetary terms but also effort), the nastier people tended to get. If they sat down to write a letter to the editor, they tended to write in a more polite manner than if they were able to just call in a comment. I suspect there are multiple mechanisms going on here such as 1) putting thoughts to paper is a generally more thoughtful process, 2) they were investing time and a small amount of money (a stamp) and wanted more to show for it, 3) they knew they had to catch an editor's attention for inclusion and wanted to make a better impression. Contrast that with today's internet-based talkback sections or messageboards. The cost per post is low in both money and effort, the gatekeeping/moderation is generally low so the presence of my comment is not based on making a good impression on anybody. We're freed to wallow in our own crapulence.</p><p></p><p>So part of the issue is the community, but another part is the medium that makes it so much easier for our jerk impulses to win over better and more thoughtful behavior.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="billd91, post: 6250847, member: 3400"] Hey, at least we're not supposed to talk politics around here. You want to see nasty? Check out political articles or articles about crime and punishment in your average newspaper with a website that allows online comments. They make edition wars look absolutely tame by comparison. There's a reason that a lot fewer newspapers allow reader talkback than initially did so and it's because people turn into jerks when given a cheap opportunity. A friend of mine, while working on some form of masters degree in the local journalism department, did a study of reader letters compared to talkback features - then compiled mostly via the phone - and found that the cheaper the opportunity (and not just in monetary terms but also effort), the nastier people tended to get. If they sat down to write a letter to the editor, they tended to write in a more polite manner than if they were able to just call in a comment. I suspect there are multiple mechanisms going on here such as 1) putting thoughts to paper is a generally more thoughtful process, 2) they were investing time and a small amount of money (a stamp) and wanted more to show for it, 3) they knew they had to catch an editor's attention for inclusion and wanted to make a better impression. Contrast that with today's internet-based talkback sections or messageboards. The cost per post is low in both money and effort, the gatekeeping/moderation is generally low so the presence of my comment is not based on making a good impression on anybody. We're freed to wallow in our own crapulence. So part of the issue is the community, but another part is the medium that makes it so much easier for our jerk impulses to win over better and more thoughtful behavior. [/QUOTE]
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Are we, as a wider community, nasty?
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