The Internet is in flames
In the infamous words of Mel Brooks, "C'mon, you do it, you know you do it and you're going to do it again." But why? Does it accomplish anything? Do you feel any better? Does anybody ever change their minds? The answers are simple: No, no, and no.
Live Science wrote, "online comments 'are extraordinarily aggressive without resolving anything.' this is according to Art Markman, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. 'At the end of it you can't possibly feel like anybody heard you. Having a strong emotional experience that doesn't resolve itself in any healthy way can't be a good thing.'"I mean that seems common sense, right? But we still do it anyway. One thing I've noticed on social media sites and the comments following any article (where they allow comments) is the proliferation of the "Anonymous" aggressor. One thing I won't do is post anonymously. If I have something to say and I can't say it to someone's face (or in this case on a social media site) that's just cowardly. Maybe it's the distance or the fact that we don't know who so many of these commentors/posters are. Writing as yourself teaches you to be polite. Like my mother always said, "You can tell your teacher (boss, professor, store clerk) whatever you want as long as you do so politely and respectfully."
When was the last time you flamed someone? Did you do so anonymously? Did it make you feel better? Did the receiver of said flame change their mind?Professor Markman believes "A perfect storm of factors come together to engender the rudeness and aggression seen in the comments' sections of Web pages. First, commenters are often virtually anonymous, and thus, unaccountable for their rudeness. Second, they are at a distance from the target of their anger — be it the article they're commenting on or another comment on that article — and people tend to antagonize distant abstractions more easily than living, breathing interlocutors. Third, it's easier to be nasty in writing than in speech, hence the now somewhat outmoded practice of leaving angry notes (back when people used paper)."
This article has made me realize that people do let go of every feeling on social media; especially the feeling of anger. I have only done that once in my life and it did not make me feel good at all. My lashing out on social media just made the problem seem bigger than it really was. I do not find a good reason to justify what I did. Now I do not like to let go of my anger on social media, nor do I pay attention to others problems.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I flamed someone was actually yesterday in an online game called League of Legends. For some context, League of Legends (or LoL for short) is a multiplayer game in which two teams of five fight it out in a virtual arena. Since it's a team game, it is obvious that cooperation and teamwork is important. Yesterday I had a game where one of my teammates was playing poorly, and I proceeded to harass them for it and just said some very mean things. It was anonymous because I was playing under my screen name, and at the time it made me feel better, but now I just feel bad. The person I flamed didn't play any better after I flamed them, so it was basically pointless. Instead of flaming them, I probably should have gave them helpful advice instead.
ReplyDeleteI only have two platforms of social media. Twitter, which I strictly use for sports news, and Instagram, which I use to also follow athletes and a few friends. I've never been a fan of people feeling powerful behind an anonymous picture and name so I rarely ever do it. I only do it to people that deserve it like trolls and haters. Most of the time flaming doesn't change someone's mind. It just usually entertains the people watching while causing unnecessary drama. Like one time I flamed a girl that said something really racist on Twitter. All we got were other people commenting with laughing emojis.
ReplyDeleteI have never flamed anyone on social media. I use it as a positive outlet to communicate with friends and family. Social media has become a platform for people to say how they feel without a filter. While social media can be fun and entertaining it has become very dark. It has become the mask that bullies hide behind to put others down while not revealing who they actually are. It's easy for people to taunt others behind a computer screen.The mistreatment of others on social media has become entertainment.People pull out popcorn and kick their feet up at the site of a video that shows a girl getting jumped.Social media has become a place of violence and anger when it should be a safe place with positive energy.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do agree that people on the internet do have the tendency to be much more expressive and critical than in real-life, I do not think that should be viewed of something necessarily bad. People on social media are more direct and aggressive because it is tempting to agree or disagree with someone you do not know and share why you think you are right (just as I am doing right now). Although manners and politeness are important traits to have, they aren't really necessary when talking to someone online. People should not care or be "butthurt" about what people say on the internet. The last time I "flamed" someone was for fun. I said "boy, that hairline is so far back imma need an airplane to get there." Did I do it anonymously? No. The point I want to make is that the internet should not be taken this seriously.
ReplyDeleteSome people may act based on impulse. We know that everyone has something that triggers an individual from behaving in an aggressive demeanor. Whether if someone comments on a political background, offends one’s family members, or insults one’s opinions, it may trigger a response. The response that is triggered is caused by impulses, which is why some people – or most – act on impulse. When it comes to articles open to the public, we constantly see debates between users. These debates occur from disagreement and stubbornness, which is also where people flame one another. Sometimes we flame someone without the intention of hurting the other individual. But when it comes to strong opinions, it is difficult not to say something that hurts others. Yes I have flamed someone, but not anonymously. The debate escalated that we both were being stubborn and not respecting each others opinions.
ReplyDeleteThe last time that I flamed someone was on Sunday when one of my new hired coworkers tried to tell me what to do, was super rude about it and was super demanding. It got me mad because of the way she said it so I told her that she was going to help out the customer and said things that put her in her place. It made me feel better because I confronted her about it in person and showed her how angry I was. My coworker did change their mind because after I said that she went to help the customer rather than ask another coworker because she knew that I wasn't going to help her.
ReplyDeleteI have never flamed anyone on social media, I am entirely against the whole arguments online. I feel as if there is no point, arguing online is not even solid... it is a cowards' way to flame someone. What good is it to flame someone when you cannot even say it to their face? Regardless of this fact, I would feel no remorse for flaming anyone, if it is my opinion I will go on and say it. I am entitled to my own opinion, and if I want it to be heard then so be it. Today's' flames on the internet are so vicious and in a way childish ...the sender hides behind a screen LITERALLY. Why state an opinion as anonymous? If you have something to say , say it to the persons' face.
ReplyDeleteWell all know that flaming on the internet versus real life is never the same. Some one can be so fired up with someone on twitter but then when you encounter in person the flame surprisingly is gone. The whole concept of arguing via online is so childish very un-mature because one it shows that you don't stand up for yourself and if its anonymous than literally you shouldn't even be talking in the first place. I don't flame people online nor in person if I do I am straight forward with it and never to the point where fighting is needed just talk and be mature about it. One big tip I can say about flaming online is that the victim shouldn't get "booty ticked" to whatever is being said online because its a screen and words not someone else in your face saying the things. So all you need is to block and delete and continue with your day/life.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I flamed someone was probably back in high school 2 years ago, while I did it anonymously. At the moment it did make me feel better, because people agreed with my statement. It was about something small so there was no big controversy around it as a whole. The receiver didn't really change their mind because when I posted it they had no idea it was about them. If this said person had known I feel like they wouldn't have anyways, because they have a very stubborn personality.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit, I have a slight love-hate relationship with the internet and its social media outlets. Its a great distraction (good and bad) but its the one place that you will see the polar extremes of comments.
ReplyDeleteI have never 'flamed' anyone online, I believe in the saying 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all', and that being said, even if I strongly felt that someones opinion was wrong, I wouldn't take time out of my day to be disrespectful about it, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including those I disagree with.
In a hypothetical situation, if I did 'flame' someone, I may feel satisfied about letting out my anger in the moment, but like everything else, moments pass, and I'm left with my comment or my rant among a sea of others that are barely ever heard, so what exactly is the point of it all? In addition to this, if you disagree with someone, that clearly means that they have the opposite opinion as you, and if you wont change your mind, how would they?
As an active Internet and social media user, I can agree that there is a lot of hostility among other users. I think as time progresses, the Internet and social media just keep becoming more and more popular and appeal to more age groups. There are many possible reasons for people to argue with each other over the Internet, such as politics and morals. Issues can be even more superficial, such as gossip or rumors. I find it funny that people always have so much to say when they are able to hide behind a screen. It's never really the same when you talk to people over the Internet compared to when you speak to them face-to-face in person. The last time I flamed someone on the Internet was a couple months ago on Twitter. Although I don't have a Twitter account anymore, this boy who I graduated with commented on my sister's senior picture that she tweeted. In her photo, she made her hair very ugly and smiled really big; she wanted to have a funny picture on her student identification because it wasn't going to be in the yearbook. The boy I graduated with basically called it stupid. Without being anonymous, I told him that he doesn't have have be worrying about what people in high school are doing since he graduated, and that he should keep his opinions to himself. I am never argumentative over the Internet, but since it had to do with my sister, I felt the need to say something. Flaming on him did make me feel better because a lot of people saw it and "liked" it, so they probably agreed with me. He didn't respond to my comment, probably because he knew that I was right. I'm not sure if he changed his mind, but I could care less. The issue that we talked about wasn't that deep and I could easily put it in the past.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a generation that loves to flame and bash others while hiding behind a screen, especially when the flaming can be done anonymously and virtually. The last time that I can recall flaming someone online was back in the good ol' days when kids ruled Facebook and sometimes liked to post about stupid things that no one else cared about. I, unfortunately, was one of those ramblers who liked to complain about my daily problems while still keeping my posts anonymous enough to where only a few of my close friends might understand. For example, my middle school crush was being mean to me so I rushed to my computer after school and posted something like, "boys r soo dumb >:( !!!!" I probably didn't feel better after posting that status and definitely just did it for attention or the hopes of him seeing it and maybe being nice to me after. I doubt he felt anything when he read it (if he even did see it...) and I was probably worried about other drama the following day. The point of this pathetic childhood recollection is that posting about your problems does not fix them. You might get a rush after posting or some sort of weird sensation, but you could be exerting that wasted energy into something that is actually productive. Don't be lazy, do something crazy!!!
ReplyDeleteReading this got me thinking about all of the tweets I see everyday. It is true that nearly everyone who posts on social media are often angry people. I also agree with the fact that if i actually had something to say I'd rather just say it to their face. The last time I flamed at someone was when i was a little. I was still a child and up to today I still regret doing that. It didn't solve anything. It only made the problem bigger at school and involved more people than it should have. It definitely didn't make me feel better.
ReplyDeleteOf course, people feel freer to flame through the Internet for the same reason drivers on the road may show disrespect to others in ways they wouldn't imagine doing face-to-face with a stranger: the mask of depersonalization reduces the feeling of empathy. That is, "flaming" someone to their face is more difficult because the expressions of anger, fear, sadness, etc., as well as their immediate reply is enough to dissuade (except for sociopaths).
ReplyDeleteThe obscurity (using an online handle or some persistent online persona) versus anonymity aspect is interesting. Those with online accounts, where posts are all associated with each other, may engage in arguments or debates to build up some kind of ego (in the sense of the unique "I"); think people who want to impress, vent to, or attack their friends and acquaintances or fellow forum users. But the more anonymous the user is (without persistent posts, for example), the more "volatile" their posts are, since it cannot build up any kind of reputation, and they cannot prove anything about themselves (no ethos is involved here). The positive is that each post is judged by its own merit. Of course, the negative is that "flaming" is pure aggression without regards to social consequences or rewards, and no feelings of empathy need get in the way.
In my opinion, I feel like those people who flame and saying terrible things to other people are so empty inside, and lack of confidence. They don't have the guts to talk those kind of things in front of real people, so instead of that they just look at the screens and type to fulfill their "self-esteem". And flaming someone on the internet isn't just a impolite thing to do, but it could also be an illegal thing if people are insulted. In my country Taiwan, some people are sued by others because they insulted them on the internet. So people must watch out what they say on the internet all the time.
ReplyDeleteA fast-paced rise of the internet and its younger brother social-media has become a growing place for millions of users to show their online presence. This online presence may at times be fruitful, leading to open discussions and critical thinking; on the other hand it can also become an outlet of anger and outburst of biased opinions. Generally, internet users can be quite ill mannered and vulgar in their responses to articles, sometimes in the form of opinions, on the internet. Moreover, as internet and social media users can have multiple accounts or have the privilege to be anonymous users, they may not feel the need to filter what they say. Consequently this leads to insults and rambles that go all over the internet, and due to the passionate rage usually involved, resumes with no beneficial discussion. Due to the manner in which most opinions are presented, internet users who read the anonymously posted opinions, do not get persuaded to change their mind; instead, they are immediately opposed and have a stronger stance in their own opinion. Where it might be deemed rather strange, a person's true personality is shown when there is a mask; something that can be true when they post replies and comments online. Of course, as an internet user myself, it is our responsibility not to feel evoked by the sometimes vulgar and barbaric attitude of some online users; instead, it might be better to ignore those opinions that differ from our own.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the article it made me realize that I have seen many people who unleash all their anger and frustration through social media accounts. I seen it first hand them being mad or going through some trouble times but eventually end up just ripping someones head off with their words. I personally never have done this as my parents have taught me that whatever I post on the internet will forever stay their. That future employers will see what you have posted and judge you based on it. Its not a healthy way to let out your anger or frustrations. It is not a good way to confront someone based on the post and do it anonymously.If somethings not done it will just keep on happening. Maybe parents should monitor what their kids do and post. I know it helped me maybe it will help others.
ReplyDeleteThe social media today is a fun place but at the same time toxic. My time on social media has shown me its a nasty place to be at mainly because you could be attacked for any reason.people could curse at your make fun of you, twitter has been the stage of many fights and flames for family and friends. Luckily I have never been attacked nor have I attacked anyone.
ReplyDeleteIts just sad to see peopel insulting others over the web instead of face to face. its even worse if they use an anonymous face to hide behind. It been like this a lot recently where people would put others down for being different but when being asked to step forward they freeze up and act as if it never happens. its people like this who are horrible.
I have never flamed anyone on social media, I try to avoid situations that would lead to it, I know going online to interact and argue on a topic can sometimes be fun, but if I know the type of person I am arguing with and I know when to walk away. Being an IT student, I am always going to use the internet to try out different social media platform. I have always been careful with my tweets or comments, because I know anything you post on the internet has the potential to dog you forever.
ReplyDeleteSocial media can be brutal. It is what brings drama into our lives and it still happening. Actually it is increasing. When you flame someone on social media, you involve others to join your own fight and it escalates from there. I will have to admit that I would indirect some people something especially when I was younger because I did not know any better. But now, I try to stay away from people whom I know won't bring good to me. I have learned to stay away from people who could do harm to me mentally and physically. I will have to say that I have mature over the years and I am proud of myself for that. I now surround myself with friends whom I know will have a good influence and push me to do bigger things and things I am not able to do by helping me out. I also avoid having too many social medias and exposure to avoid starting something. For instance, I don't have Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and other things expect for Facebook and Snapchat. Thankfully for Snapchat, I am able to pick my friends and whom I'd want to share my daily life with. It is also better because you are able to customized who can view your daily posts. For Facebook however, I have thousands of friends even if I don't know them but I have deleted people I don't know. I think flaming someone is very petty and people should learn to grow up. It is sad because I've seen older people than me who still does it.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that people can post anonymously already should give a red flag, because they know they wont show their true self and have the freedom to write whatever they want with no consequences. when adding people on social media, I think it's very important to see who you're adding, and see if the profile looks sketchy because now it could be someone else impersonating a person. People can tell you or do things to you without caring of the consequences because they know it inst their profile. I've personally been victimized with online profiles that showed aggression and bullying, especially in middle school when they are old enough to know what they're knowing and understand that there inst going to be really bad consequences because its anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI've been flamed online for every reason imaginable. Whenever you post on a blog or forum that has a large group of people with differing viewpoints, your going to get flamed no matter what you say with little or no supporting comments. It's the same reason of why you see more bad yelp reviews than good for most places. When your not a professional reviewer and just post a review because you want to, its most likely only because you were aggravated by something and want to complain. If you are pleased with the service, you for some reason don’t feel the need to post a review. The same applies to comments on the internet where there are probably a lot of people that agree with your post but do not leave any suporting comments. Those same people that agree with you probably posted a lot of nasty comments on a post that doesn't agree with you but won't post one that agrees. I guess something about us humans makes us want to argue with people more than agree when you are distant and anonymous.
ReplyDelete