Why are people so mean to each other online? - BBC News
Why are people so mean to each other online?
They way we communicate online jumped back into the headlines last week when Monica Lewinsky, famous for her love affair with President Clinton, spoke at the Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference in Vancouver.
Describing herself as one of the first victims of cyber-gossip, she said that it had taken her over a decade to get over it. Now back in the public eye, she called for a more compassionate internet.
Community spirit?
We have all seen nasty comments online - whether they be a row on Twitter or a catty response on Facebook.
The internet acts like a kind of digital-fuelled alcohol, freeing us to say things to strangers that we would never dare to say if we met them.
Dave Harte, a lecturer in media communication at Birmingham City University, believes that social media gives us a connection with each other that we are all craving.
"We have a vague sense of having lost something - the idea of chatting to a neighbour or meeting at the village post office. In many ways it is a media-created perception. Maybe we have all watched too many episodes of 'Call the Midwife'," he said.
"But we are always trying to retrieve it and having a digital presence can often seem like a trouble-free replacement for meeting each other."
Even back in the early days of the internet, online chat could very easily turn sour.
"Discussions in these groups would have followed a similar pattern. People with shared interests come together but often they would disintegrate because the internet gives people the opportunity to say things that you wouldn't say face to face," said Mr Harte.
Heartbreaking comments
Trolling has become an established term for people who sow discord on the internet by starting arguments - and there are a lot of them around.
Women seem to be particularly prone - a survey conducted by cosmetics firm Dove and Twitter found that in 2014 over five million negative tweets were posted about beauty and body image - and four out of five of them appeared to come from women.
Danah Boyd, principal researcher at Microsoft Research and a recognised expert on how we use social media, commented in a recent blog: "Over the last few years, as the internet went from being a geeky subculture to something that is truly mainstream, I started watching as young women used technology to demean themselves and each other. It has broken my heart over and over again."
"It's high time that we all stop and reflect on what we're saying and posting when we use our fingers to talk in public," she concluded.
Why are people so mean to each other online?
They way we communicate online jumped back into the headlines last week when Monica Lewinsky, famous for her love affair with President Clinton, spoke at the Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference in Vancouver.
Describing herself as one of the first victims of cyber-gossip, she said that it had taken her over a decade to get over it. Now back in the public eye, she called for a more compassionate internet.
Community spirit?
We have all seen nasty comments online - whether they be a row on Twitter or a catty response on Facebook.
The internet acts like a kind of digital-fuelled alcohol, freeing us to say things to strangers that we would never dare to say if we met them.
Dave Harte, a lecturer in media communication at Birmingham City University, believes that social media gives us a connection with each other that we are all craving.
"We have a vague sense of having lost something - the idea of chatting to a neighbour or meeting at the village post office. In many ways it is a media-created perception. Maybe we have all watched too many episodes of 'Call the Midwife'," he said.
"But we are always trying to retrieve it and having a digital presence can often seem like a trouble-free replacement for meeting each other."
Even back in the early days of the internet, online chat could very easily turn sour.
"Discussions in these groups would have followed a similar pattern. People with shared interests come together but often they would disintegrate because the internet gives people the opportunity to say things that you wouldn't say face to face," said Mr Harte.
Heartbreaking comments
Trolling has become an established term for people who sow discord on the internet by starting arguments - and there are a lot of them around.
Women seem to be particularly prone - a survey conducted by cosmetics firm Dove and Twitter found that in 2014 over five million negative tweets were posted about beauty and body image - and four out of five of them appeared to come from women.
Danah Boyd, principal researcher at Microsoft Research and a recognised expert on how we use social media, commented in a recent blog: "Over the last few years, as the internet went from being a geeky subculture to something that is truly mainstream, I started watching as young women used technology to demean themselves and each other. It has broken my heart over and over again."
"It's high time that we all stop and reflect on what we're saying and posting when we use our fingers to talk in public," she concluded.
