Why Trolls and Flames Happen

AnonymousHack writes "New Scientist examines why people are in general more rude and abusive online. 'Psychologically, we are "distant" from the person we're talking to and less focused on our own identity. As a result we're more prone to aggressive behavior' says one psychologist, who also cites research showing messages received by email are always perceived more negatively than on the phone." Just more proof for the Greater Internet F***wad Theory.

Duh.

[Chysn]

Ooh, more DISTANT. I hadn't thought of THAT before. Jesus Christ. Idiots.

Re:Duh.

[Chysn]

> Duh. (Score:2, Troll)

        Oh, come on! That just isn't fair.

Re:Duh.

[cablepokerface]

Like you know what the FUCK you're talking about!
 
Awesome, a thread where we can be unlimitedly rude and still be on topic.

Re:Duh.

[DrSkwid]

That's cos you're a fucking idiot.

That's BS

[crvtec]

My coworker sits right next to me. He's not distant at all, and still trolls every comment I post.

Let me take a wild guess here....

[zappepcs]

"New Scientist examines why people are in general more rude and abusive online [CC].

This "research team" has never been to a LA rush hour turkey shoot, now have they? And it is quite obvious to even the most calm observer that they have not yet experienced a proper football match in Europe.

WTF? People are rude everywhere. Now don't get me wrong, dear reader. Of course I do not mean you, but the two idiots on either side of your cubicle, yes THEM, those hideous bastards and their soccer practicing spouses.

Clearly, this research team did all their research reading emails inside a nice warm coffee shop in Seattle, AND if you lift the rock off their heads, I'm betting both ears are flattened.

By the way, Flat Ear Syndrome (FES) has been diagnosed as affecting 1 in three research scientists by doctors at UCLA and WSU. Pfizer, working closely with the Bursars office of these highly respected institutes, has develope UnfesION, that relieves the symptoms of FES in 1 out of 16 patients with no dramatic side effects. Note: consult with your physician before taking UnfesION. Side effects may include; sudden outbreaks of common sense, clarity of vision, actual merit based grant funding, possible curricular related job opportunities, and possible respect among the greater community.

Remind me

[Anonymous Coward]

are Trolls fire-resistant or do they take extra damage from flames?

I haven't played AD&D in years.

Re:many people think negative criticism is a troll

[skoaldipper]

+5 coins to you, sir! Well said.

Re:a goal for you guys

[Foofoobar]

Nah you have to say something like 'Steve Ballmer is the second coming of Jesus Christ and the RIAA is protecting me from myself. George Bush only has my best interests at heart and Iraqi want to give us their oil so they can fill their earth with virgins and bombs.'

There... that ought to do it.

the answer is simple

[jollyreaper]

Science has not yet discovered a way to transmit a punch across the Internet. Until such a time, people will continue to be rude because there are few if any consequences for their actions.

Screw this guy

[dave562]

His theory is full of shit! How does this crap get posted on Slashdot? Everyone who responds to this story is a fucktard. I'm going to go play WoW in my Whine window running on a virtualized copy of Ubuntu that I'm running on my bug free OSX Leotard 10.5 uber super shiny silver box. And oh yeah, I'm going to call the author of this story on my iPhone and give him a piece of my mind about why the gPhone blows chunks.

what a load of fucking horseshit

[Odiumjunkie]

>Recently there has been a sharp increase in the amount of abusive language on the New Scientist website.

Oh, how very fucking _interesting_! Sounds just like the kind of impartial, thoughtful introduction that heralds a fucking well-balanced scientific curio doesn't it? It's on an intellectual par with Schrödinger postulating about quantum mechanics because his damned cat wouldn't stop shitting on the carpet. Bra-fucking-vo.

>My pet theory about why people behave so rudely is that online commenting is treated, by most people, like a pub conversation

Oh yeah? Well _my_ pet theory is that you're fucking retarded. What's your local pub? The "make up spurious claims & expect people to be interested in them"?
>After being described a few weeks ago as "a self-lobotomised liberal who can't face the facts", I decided to look into the psychology of online behaviour a bit further.

You don't need a shitting psychology decree to know that's called fucking rampart narcissism, you self-interested jackass.

>Psychologically, we are "distant" from the person we're talking to and less focused on our own identity. As a result we're more prone to aggressive behaviour, he says.

Well that's fucking retarded, all I can think about when reading your mastabatory drivel is how awesome I am in comparison.

>Another factor influencing online communication, according to Epley, is simply the risk of miscommunication involved with text-based messages, which are inherently more ambiguous.

Nothing ambiguous about how much of a shit-eating moron you are, you must be a master of textual precision.

>Another obvious factor is that, if you insult someone online, it's unlikely you'll face any physical retaliation for it.

Look at brave Mr. New-Scientist-Blogger! People won't insult him in _real_ _life_ because if they do, he fucks their shit up for them! If he invents a way to stab people in the face over the internet, I'm in real fucking trouble.

>I'm not sure what we can do to minimise miscommunication and abuse online. But being aware that we're not as good at communication online as we'd like to think seems like a good start. I know I often have to restrain myself from joining in.

Didn't fucking restrain yourself hard enough did you? Didn't fucking restrain yourself hard enough, or I wouldn't be reading this peice of vomit you call an article.

Re:terse does not mean rude

[Peter Trepan]

There will always be a few however, who take exception at everything. there's no helping these individuals.

I'm one of those individuals, you insensitive clod!

Re:Duh.

[eln]

It was quite a long time ago. I don't want to pay 5 bucks to get my subscription back to find it, but I assume it's back there somewhere. Either that or it was a bad acid trip, in which case I'm concerned that my drug-induced hallucinations are so geeky and boring.

No shit, Sherlock

[nagora]

People get grants to come up with this stuff?

TWW

Re:That's BS

[Anonymous Coward]

I do not!

Re:What about Richard Stallman?

[middlemen]

Utopiano is a trademark of Stallman enterprises.

don't you mean GNUtopiano!!

John Gabriel's Internet Fuckwad Theory

[MrNonchalant]

These psychologists should just have read Penny Arcade [penny-arcade.com].

Re:Duh.

[Jarjarthejedi]

Wait...so visions of a giant Linux monster devouring Microsoft while Ballmer tries to fend it off with chairs aren't normal.

Geez...I need my money back...

That chair...

[ackthpt]

Wait...so visions of a giant Linux monster devouring Microsoft while Ballmer tries to fend it off with chairs aren't normal.

There is only one chair and it's a +5 Chair of Throwing

The other chairs are a lie

Re:or paid to be rude.

[Hal_Porter]

Do you have a contact person at MSFT I can send an invoice to if I abuse you on the Internet? How much would I get per insult?

E.g. if I called you a "paranoid basement dwelling wackjob with a chronic drug habbit" how much? I'm not of course, I want someone to show me the money first - why would they buy a cow if they can get the milk for free. What about a more complex, technically researched flame? Do they pay per hour?