Online Aggression

[atoff]

So, I've spent a significant part of my life online. I've basically always had a computer or laptop by my side for the past, hm, 15-16 years (damn, seems like yesterday I bought my first PC for $200 from a friend who couldn't be bothered to learn to use it). Anyway, I've actually had a pretty active social life most of my life, but lost my health about 4 1/2 - 5 years ago, and I'm basically a shut in now, so spend most of the day online, and a couple of hours of that time gaming. What's been bothering me is that whatever forum I'm in, whatever game I'm playing, wherever I'm chatting, people seem so aggressive. Trolling, bad mouthing, arguing for no reason but to argue. We all know it's the anonymity that's helped people act like assholes to each other online, but it's more than that. I'm a huge fan of just having a relaxing gaming session, or reading topics and having conversations which aren't just a huge pissing match. Maybe it's some kind of subconscious pent up frustration caused by staring at a screen, when we can't express feelings and thoughts clearly enough from a lack of physical expression, like flailing hands and frowns. <-- I think that's why we have smileys though.

What do you guys think? Will we always be so angry online?

[Enderman]

Must be the lack of sunlight here indoors...

[MrYuriy]

YES B**CH, WE WILL ALWAYS BE THIS ANGRY.

 

Your life makes me cringe!

F&*#K YOU!

[Sauron]

Frankly I don't get those people. When I play a game online I never feel the need to insult anyone (but then again I'm primarily a 1v1 player, I don't play team games often) and even if I get insulted first I usually manage to keep my cool. And on the forum I try never to be rude first, although I feel compelled to respond in kind if provoked. One should ask him/herself how he/she would feel if his/her own words were directed at them.

[KRImSIN]

YES B**CH, WE WILL ALWAYS BE THIS ANGRY.

 

Your life makes me cringe!

F&*#K YOU!

I guess it's your time of month...

[MrYuriy]

I guess it's your time of month...

 

Just being facetious! Don't tase me bro~

[Totallycasual]

I think people that behave poorly like that in online gaming are just weak people who ordinarily wouldn't have the balls to speak like that to another human being in real life, they use the anonymity/safety to lash out and don't have to be scared about someone punching them in the face.

[MrYuriy]

Although, I must admit....

 

I love me some troll-watching sometimes.. Some hilarious ass people online, dudes!

 

Never was fond of "trolling" myself.. But, could this be a form of aggression anyways...? Hmm.

[Lewellyn]

[brokencross]

W-wat? Someone was disrespectful towards you in the internet? Call the cyber-police.

[techswede]

I guess its mostly that they know that they can get a rise out of people from the anonymous safety of their computers.

Just pushing and pushing to see how far they can go. Possibly also being unable to understand that there is a person on the other end.

 

Thankfully we now have this guy in sweden

He's got a show called Trolljägarna "The troll hunters". A concept i'd like to see pop up in other countries too.

Watching lonely trolls freak out when this guy shows up is hillarious.

(He and a team find the troll and confronts it.) 

[atoff]

Frankly I don't get those people. When I play a game online I never feel the need to insult anyone (but then again I'm primarily a 1v1 player, I don't play team games often) and even if I get insulted first I usually manage to keep my cool. And on the forum I try never to be rude first, although I feel compelled to respond in kind if provoked. One should ask him/herself how he/she would feel if his/her own words were directed at them.

 

I like the mute button when it's there, but it's hard finding a game to play that isn't full of angry little kids.  I get angry, don't get me wrong, but it's all for the right reasons.  I'm not going to reply to someone's opinion about a graphic card, for example, with "your a fng idiot!! Such and such is so much better than this and that," which is pretty common.

Games, I just want to unwind and have a chill time. 

 

W-wat? Someone was disrespectful towards you in the internet? Call the cyber-police.

 

More like nearly everyone is disrespectful to nearly everyone, all of the time, everywhere.  ...and the cyber-police are in on it.

 

I guess its mostly that they know that they can get a rise out of people from the anonymous safety of their computers.

Just pushing and pushing to see how far they can go. Possibly also being unable to understand that there is a person on the other end.

 

Thankfully we now have this guy in sweden

He's got a show called Trolljägarna "The troll hunters". A concept i'd like to see pop up in other countries too.

Watching lonely trolls freak out when this guy shows up is hillarious.

(He and a team find the troll and confronts it.) 

 

Why doesn't this exist in the U.S.?   I think I'd watch that show!

[MrYuriy]

 

This just totally ended the thread.  #LifeExplained

[nekomata]

The reason why I never read youtube comments. I feel like losing a brain cell each time I scroll down . There's always someone saying that PC>Console or Console> PC, or hating on other people's choices, or being a total scrotum about irrelevant topic

[Misanthrope]

I guess its mostly that they know that they can get a rise out of people from the anonymous safety of their computers.

Just pushing and pushing to see how far they can go. Possibly also being unable to understand that there is a person on the other end.

 

Thankfully we now have this guy in sweden

He's got a show called Trolljägarna "The troll hunters". A concept i'd like to see pop up in other countries too.

Watching lonely trolls freak out when this guy shows up is hillarious.

(He and a team find the troll and confronts it.) 

 

Yeah a bald guy with a bat might show up at my door, that's supposed to scare me? I'll just fucking stab him if he tries to get inside my property.

 

Seriously most people think people are violent and aggressive on the internet out of some sort of complex of being weak and such but there are other reasons that might cause this, like being a genuinely frustrated person in life for other reasons that have nothing to do with the ability to defend one self or harm others.

[atoff]

Yeah a bald guy with a bat might show up at my door, that's supposed to scare me? I'll just fucking stab him if he tries to get inside my property.

 

Seriously most people think people are violent and aggressive on the internet out of some sort of complex of being weak and such but there are other reasons that might cause this, like being a genuinely frustrated person in life for other reasons that have nothing to do with the ability to defend one self or harm others.

 

I don't think that, but I do think people tend to get lost in their own little world, and don't really think about what they're saying, who they're saying it to.  But yeah, I think people are just frustrated in general.  You're going to see most of it from kids / teens, as they've got the most angst, anxiety.  And let's face it, you're going to see a lot more kids / teens on tech / gaming forums.    

[Trik'Stari]

Yeah a bald guy with a bat might show up at my door, that's supposed to scare me? I'll just fucking stab him if he tries to get inside my property.

 

Seriously most people think people are violent and aggressive on the internet out of some sort of complex of being weak and such but there are other reasons that might cause this, like being a genuinely frustrated person in life for other reasons that have nothing to do with the ability to defend one self or harm others.

People are generally violent and aggressive by nature.

 

It's a latent effect from having evolved in a system based upon violence and aggression.

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Human beings crave for power, dominance and stuff.

The world of the internet is different from the world of reality. The internet has no laws, the internet has no identity.

Until the internet starts affecting reality, people will always be the dicks they wish to be in real life. 

[QueenDemetria]

Must be the lack of sunlight here indoors...

*turns up monitor brightness*

[techswede]

Yeah a bald guy with a bat might show up at my door, that's supposed to scare me? I'll just fucking stab him if he tries to get inside my property.

 

Seriously most people think people are violent and aggressive on the internet out of some sort of complex of being weak and such but there are other reasons that might cause this, like being a genuinely frustrated person in life for other reasons that have nothing to do with the ability to defend one self or harm others.

Just to clarify. He doesn't actually have a baseball bat. Just picked that picture because he looks so incredibly smug. (100% concentrated smugness)

The point of his show is just to confront the really bad trolls. The people that are constantly trying to attack someone online and stuff like that.

To show them that they might just have to stand for what they've been saying online. And make them realize that they aren't as anonymous as they thought.

Which generally does the trick for most of them. As for the stabbing. He confronts you in public space where he is allowed to film.

Stabbing him in front of a camera crew would lead to worse things than a few questions though.

[not a pervert]

*turns up monitor brightness*

lel 

 

imo evolution lost track somewhere humanity is such a rare thing these days, be kind be humane

[GoldSrc]

Meh, insults on the Interwebs have no effect on me anymore.

But yes, as long as there are humans, some of them will be angry online.