It seems like people feel like everyone is out to get them when they are talking in chat rooms or on message boards. Why are people so hostile towards others on the internet?
2007-09-14 11:12:24 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Psychology
The forerunner to Anger is a mental factor called inappropriate attention - that exaggerates the negative qualties of a person, object, situation, or idea and projects onto it negative qualties that are not really there, thus creating an incorrect
story about it. -{taken from the Book - "Working With Anger" - by: Thubten Chodron).
*Thubten Chodron has this excellent book out called "Working With Anger" - teaching effective techniques on How to Cultivate Patience-which is the alternative to anger; teaches what to do when our buttons are pushed; how to effectively cope with negative criticism; letting go of grudges and resentments for healing; teaches how to cultivate love, kindness and compassion; and the wisdom that cools the flames and much more. She goes around the Country giving talks on How to Cultivate/Develop Patience in our lives. *Thubten Chodron defines Patience as the ability to remain internally and externally calm and undisturbed in the face of harm and difficulties in life. She's a terrific author and you'd probably really enjoy reading her book- as I have. *Her book has come in handy for helping many people, including myself during periods of immense stress in life.
2007-09-17 06:20:01 · answer #1 · answered by McLeod 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Firstly, you're in the wrong community! Your experiences of hostility are the norn (sadly) in 'free-for-all' communities - I've experienced these myself - but then I joined a Christian community (a site I had to pay to join) and in *it* there is no such hostility - not a single word. I found it a wonderful breath of fresh air and a timely boost to my faith in humanity.
As others have said already, there are many reasons why people might be angry but they miss the point of your question - *when talking on the internet*. The reason behind the hostility *on the internet* is that it's SAFE, and ANONYMOUS. Anyone can shoot off their mouth, act like a big shot, pretend to be anyone, even a member of the opposite gender. Thus, given the stress of the rat race of modern life and all the pent up aggression that one isn't supposed to vent in public, it's small wonder that so many people blow up online.
So it isn't just a person's low self-esteem, for example. A guy can have low self-esteem and yet not say 'boo!' to a goose in the flesh; but online, he can be Clint F-ing Eastward, can't he?
2007-09-14 11:36:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
They act that way because they cannot in real life. They have the internet to hide behind and protect their identity. If you were to act hostile in real life, it would probably result in a fight or some kind of consequence. On the internet, however, people do not have to fear the consequences when insulting another person because they often don't even know each other.
2007-09-14 11:28:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Think about it u know that you can say whatever to whoever with no consequences. The person is not going to jump from the computer screen and beat you b/c you called them a ***** so you are free to do what you want. I always thought it funny when someone who lives in Califonia or something threaten someone who lives in Georgia lol
2007-09-14 11:38:47 · answer #4 · answered by courtney72689 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Possibly poor management of emotions, emotional lability, no fear of reprisal (physical anyway), anonymity, poor thought process, poor social skills, no knowledge of a subject (just emotion). Basically the same reason people are so quickly angered off the internet, but less fear of physical reprisal. If they use another form of reprisal, you can always change your screen name and try again. Some people are just angry people and they don't know what to do with their anger.
2007-09-14 11:28:15 · answer #5 · answered by cavassi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well, you might say something that's not offensive where you live but somewhere else you've never been may find it offensive. or people just like to make things interesting by picking fights with no consequences. that's why i thought that ending scene in jay and silent bob strike back was so funny. the little retards that talk sh!t got what was coming to them. haha.
2007-09-14 11:21:26 · answer #6 · answered by Decoy 2.0 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
being on th net gives popel that kick of being in control and the fear of any thing backfiring is less and so they act like a wimp on most occasions
2007-09-14 11:31:36 · answer #7 · answered by niss 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they have a lot of pent-up frustration and anger in their daily lives, but they can't take it out on the real objects (boss, family, co-workers, store clerks, etc).
2007-09-14 11:19:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
low selfesteem ...antisocial problems or lonliness . i have yet to meet anyone in chat that was playing with a full deck including myself!
2007-09-14 11:19:58 · answer #9 · answered by badboy11904 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
thats why i dont spend much time on it,
2007-09-14 11:50:09 · answer #10 · answered by wildfire 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋