Transcript The Dark Side of CMC

The Dark Side of
CMC
Antisocial Communication on Electronic Mail and the
Internet by Karen M. Douglas
Idea
• Emails and the internet have both positive and negative
aspects
• Douglas described this idea to her social psychology and
communication class
• “Emails and the internet makes life much easier”
• Students on the Internet recalled being ignored, abused, financial
details stolen, etc.
• Antisocial communication occurs in a variety of negative
ways differing from active forms of aggression to passive
forms
‘Flaming’
• Most common study of antisocial behavior.
• It’s expressing oneself more strongly than in online
communication settings, such as swearing, insulting others
and calling them names.
• Happens when CMC is anonymous, if users are under a time
limit of communication and are forced to communicate
ineffectively or if there are groups/individuals with other
similar thoughts.
• Flaming can be considered positive if there are people trying
to protect others or trying to uphold the rules of a group when
somebody tries violate rules.
• Flaming is more negative than positive.
‘Cyberostracism’
• Occurs online when somebody is being ignored or ostracized.
• This is linked to depressed mood, anxiety, loneliness,
helplessness, invisibility and frustration
• This threatens the human needs for belonging, self-esteem,
control, etc.
• Happens a lot through unanswered e-mails or being ignored in
chat rooms.
Online Harassment
• It’s the most popular form via email used by the forwarding
feature
• Chain letters
• Sexual request
• Pornography
• Sending viruses, using their email addresses & IM for youths
• Causes the recipient stress and hostile environments created
without the intention of the sender. Reaches the receiver
instantaneously.
‘Cyberhate’
• Happens when a lot when specific groups hate other specific
groups usually from racial or ethnic circumstances.
• It’s intentional effort to have a wide spread impact for these
groups
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They usually sell merchandise
Present persuasive mission statements
Organizes protests
Rallies
Maintaining positive image of the group
Results
Why antisocial behavior happens
• Internet is the ideal medium for people to express the darker
sides of themselves, insult, harass and abuse others, to be
ignorant and to express hateful views
• Done more so without accountability and anonymously
• CMC reflects reality but more exaggerated
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rhFcABWFcM
Questions
• Douglas says, ostracism online could be worse than face-toface because people may take it more personal online, do you
guys think this is true?
• Do you think anti social behavior occurs on other media sites
more than through email with our generation?