People are ruder?

Discussion in 'Debate Corner' started by Sara, May 11, 2013.

  1. Sara Tea Drinker

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    I read a few weeks ago an editorial about how technology is making people ruder. That not being able to see the person makes people more prone to speak their minds and be rude.

    What do you think?

    I honestly think sometimes yeah, people are more rude on the Internet. There's more people who are trolling on the Internet than irl, I told my mom once that anything you want to think up will be on the Internet. It's the same for people, they can say whatever they want without most consequence unless they go to a forum like this one. (No complaints from here, after Gaia, this is a God send.) But seriously, there's a lot more loose tongues on the Internet and rude remarks than there is irl now. It's part of the gift and curse of the Internet.
     
  2. ShibuyaGato Transformation

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    While I may agree that people are a bit more open online than irl, a specific portion of this irks me.


    So speaking your mind automatically makes you rude? It's one thing to be forward, but another entirely to be rude. Sure you have trolls and spammers who decide to act like rude SOBs, but part of this may be attributed to the text portion of speaking online. While you can clearly tell if someone is being sarcastic or sincere when they speak directly to you, some of that may or may not be lost online (depending on the context, of course; there are times where this is blatantly obvious).

    This, however, is not an excuse for everyone to act like a jerk. There is a line -- albeit a sometimes fine line -- between being sarcastic and being rude. The internet can give a sense of indifference, and I think this issue may just be attributed to that anonymity.
    /rant
     
  3. 61 No. B

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    Is it so bad that people are speaking their mind? Personally, the internet gives me an outlet to express my thoughts in ways that I wouldn't, or couldn't, irl.
    People who are rude are not necessarily rude because they are speaking their mind, but they're rude because that's the kind of person they are.

    People are more rude, or perhaps crass is a more appropriate word, on the internet because there are no immediate consequences. Whether this is good or not is a topic that goes far beyond what I care to type, but I can say that I think the internet's effect on the social aspect of life is limited, and that something like this is do to many factors.

    I hesitate to take any side on this.
     
  4. Shift Chaser

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    What you said is the negative side about the anonimosity, that since there's no real-world social consequences, people can be jerks all they want, but there's also a positive side.
    Some people are more willing to open up about their feelings and problems online, and get advice they normally wouldn't ask in person to anyone, allowing them to grow as a person and possibly changing their lives, and I'm really thankful for that myself.
     
  5. Sara Tea Drinker

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    I meant to say that speaking what you feel is fine, but some of the times it looks like trolling. But honestly, when I speak up, I usually get jumped on by other people. It seems the more you try to be polite and speak up, the more people jump on you for doing so.

    For instance, in a recent video, I commented about Nintendo losing money. It was from 2009, note. I noted that I didn't like certain games in the Zelda franchise for certain reasons. I won't go into it, but the remarks I got back were completely rude and out of line. Hell, I know one guy I follow who has a whole forum sending him wishes he gets in a car accident or killed by his horses because they don't like his methods which I should note now: Are not cruel with horses, but he speaks his mind.

    I do agree it's a fine line and hard to walk.
     
  6. Mixt The dude that does the thing

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    I think it is dying down now these days but I do agree that some people on line like to hide behind anonymity and say things that I hope they wouldn't say in real life.


    My personal theory is that for a while the social side of the internet was dominated by teens and younger adults (still is, but to a lesser extent). So when you enter your rebellious stages the internet was a great way to kinda get your feet wet. You just show up somewhere, make a new username, and troll. Then you aren't risking relationships you have (friends, parents, etc.) but they don't even have to know about it. But now that the internet is expanding and the early adopters are growing up the general rudeness does seem to be decreasing some.

    And the other half of it is among the people that are just jerks online or not, there is some removal of boundaries. In real life there is only so far you can go before most people will punch you in the face, retaliation online requires a lot more tact (as if you troll them back directly they get to be amused that they are pissing you off) or skill in hacking. And then when you get into hacker trolls that gets a lot more complicated.
     
  7. Lucideffective Merlin's Housekeeper

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    The internet is changing though with the rise of social media, since people are using real names on Facebook/Twitter/Google+, rather than handles or usernames as we do here. So there is a higher risk of facing consequences, given how easy it is to get someones DOX. So I actually think people who are being rude on the net are one of two things: Morons who have no idea that they are very easily tracked, or genuine trolls.
     
  8. Misty gimme kiss

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    It's a lot easier to be an asshole when you can't see the person you're terrorizing and can't really be traced to the actions (which, of course, is a myth, but the average internet user cannot track you down). I think that's a really big part of it. When all you see is maybe an icon and a username, it's easy to forget that there's an actual person on the other side of that screen. Likewise, there's less of a consequence when doing so.

    I think it's also taught that this is part of internet "culture," to troll or antagonize other users (particularly younger ones)... which is, frankly, ridiculous.

    I do think it's changing & improving, though. As Lucideffective brings up, a lot more sites are integrating Facebook or Google+ for their comment sections, or at least connecting accounts to either site, so there's less of that barrier. It's a lot harder to hide behind a username (unless you use a fake Facebook account, of course). It's also more easily traced to you--suddenly that one comment you made on a message board can be connected to your Facebook account and all the world knows about how you've been conducting yourself.

    Furthermore, as the internet becomes more and more central to our culture, I think people are learning the importance of "netiquette." It's becoming a lot more commonplace, from my view of things, to see people typing properly, for example. I also think people are beginning to see the internet as a great tool to connect people, and want to use it as such, rather than slagging others down.

    There's always going to be the people who think it's hilarious and good fun to treat other people like **** on the internet, but as the separation between "internet me" and "real life me" weakens, it will improve.
     
  9. Laurence_Fox Chaser

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    I recently commented on a video for 'gallon smashing'. [Which is the one of the worst pranks ever. Where you smash two gallons of milk/juice/whatever on the floor and act like you're hurt.] I essentially told them off and how now it's a criminal offense. I got responses that told me that I should go play in traffic, that I was a ***, that I was a loser for working in a grocery store, that I didn't have a sense of humor, that I was jealous because the 'pranksters' had more guts than I do. They completely ignored the part where I pointed out that they can face jail time/community service/fines if they're caught doing it. They just focused on attacking me.

    All of this with just one comment on a youtube video. But then again, the youtube comments are one of the worst places I've seen for discussions. I don't usually engage but I felt compelled.

    Honestly, I find such things to be useless. I was bullied off line up until I punched a guy in the face because I was pushed that far. I was a sophomore in high school. To this day I find cyber-bullying and physical bullying sickening. I have zero tolerance for it because words hurt just as much as a fist. And words stick with you longer.

    And we've seen all too often just how far the victims of bullying, no matter the form, are willing to go to remove the anguish. Kids as young as 8 years old killing themselves because they believe that it's all they can do. They've been made to believe that by their bullies.

    Eight years old.

    And I have my own history of self-harm. Physical pain in addition to the mental suffering. I thought myself worthless. That I was nothing.

    That's kind of why I've mellowed out a bit when it comes to my remarks on this website and others. I'm not afraid to speak my mind of course...but I make sure to think of the potential ramifications of my actions. I don't want to inflict suffering on others because I've endured so much suffering being on the other side of the equation.

    Online you don't get the non-verbal communication aspect. Body language, eye contact. All you get is text. You don't actually see the person behind the screen. Thus, it is all too easy to forget that there is a person there. A person with feelings. All it would take is a brief amount of time to ask yourself how my words would affect this person.

    Sure they may have said something you know to be obvious. But there is a way to point out the obvious without being a jerk about it.
     
  10. Te Deum Hollow Bastion Committee

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    This.


    I also believe that there is not/has not been a sudden outbreak of rudeness due to technology, if you want to stick to the "rudeness" label. I just think that since technology is giving us the ability to put our opinions and voice out into the open without much consequence, people are doing exactly that.

    I'm starting to see a similarity between this and the misconception of sexual preference. Many people think that the majority of individuals are "coming out of the closet" or coming out to be bisexual, homosexual, or pansexual is a new fad, and everyone is doing it to be hip or cool. It's not that there are more people who are this way, it's that in earlier times, it was not safe to have any of the aforementioned sexual preferences.

    My point is that there are not more rude people these days; there is just a medium through which a vast amount of people are expressing their views.
     
  11. Fellangel Bichael May

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    I wouldn't say people are ruder, but it's that people cannot help but express themselves in a way many see "rude." Technology may play a role in this act since it prevents us from having real person-to-person conversation or better social skills that could lead to us not being able to act correctly when in front of people.

    That being said, many of the dumb actions done today are acted by stupid people. People who HAVE to do stupid acts to get their actions said out there. I think they're just doing this just to get attention. Many people who act like this call it "trolling," but I just think they use that word just as an excuse to offend someone. It's not just our generation. I think every generation is just as rude as another. It's just the older generation had a better sense of when was a good time to speak out like that and when it is not.
     
  12. Technic☆Kitty Hmm

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    I openly speak my mind be it online or off. I don't mind letting someone know exactly what I think. If that, by chance, were to happen to be rude then so be it. I feel that if you're always holding your tongue, sooner or later you'll bite it too.

    I'm not sure if I'd agree that people are more rude online, they just feel they have the freedom to due so. For instance, some people like to be more aggressive and rude online because they're afraid to do so in reality. I'll compare it to roleplaying, people like the chance to be someone they're not. If you're always really nice offline then some might like to be more aggressive and mean online. Not all, as there are some who are both aggressive and mean online and offline. Just like there are those who are nice and kind both online and offline.

    So do I think it makes people more rude? No, secretly, on the inside, those people were rude to begin with. They were just too scared to be that person offline.

    Given the chance, if I could be Superman I would. Well, minus the spandex.