₦airaland Forum

Anonymity opens up split personality zone
Faceless communication online or over phone often turns nice people nasty

One minute, they’re nice, normal people. The next, they’re frothing at the mouse.

“It’s mind-boggling the things people will say and even the things I will say,” says Catherine McIntyre, a 38-year-old medical billing specialist from Houston. “People who’d never say something horrible in real life will do it again and again and again online. It’s like the behavior of crowds, or those mass beatings where no one gets blamed because everyone’s at fault.”

Sheri Pineda, a 59-year-old customer service representative at the Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif., encounters the same bad behavior in the after-hours messages left by her newspaper’s subscribers.

[i][/i]“It’s appalling the way people talk,” Pineda says. “They’ll rant and rave and cuss at us with extremely foul language. And I think a lot them specifically wait until we close the phones. They’re looking to let it all out and then get on with their day. And then they’re surprised when I get back to them. They’re like, ‘You actually heard that?’ and will be embarrassed.”

Hello. You have reached the split personality zone. Press 1 to melt down. Press 2 to hang up and act like a normal person again.

I, anonymous
Between out-of-control customers, vituperative online posters and road-raging drivers, it’s hard to find an individual who hasn’t succumbed to the siren song of faceless, consequence-free communication. Online boards are clogged with insults hurled by readers hiding behind deceptively mild screen names — (“I hope you rot in hell!” signed Kittyface) — and customer service reps endure blistering tirades from disembodied voices week in and week out.

These days there are a dozen ways to communicate without actually having to look somebody in the eye. As a result, not only have we developed an abrupt, abbreviated way to chat (IMHO), but our technological advances have spawned new psychological terms such as “online disinhibition effect” to explain our tendency to open up — in both good ways and bad — when we’re sitting in front of a screen.

But our split personalities aren’t limited to the Web. They tend to show up whenever no one’s looking.

In a February 2008 study published in the journal Psychological Reports, researchers found that out of four groups of participants, only those in the anonymous group took part in antisocial behavior — in this case defined as violating rules to obtain a reward.

“I definitely believe that anonymity affects the frequency of antisocial behavior among individuals to some extent, even when these individuals have a reasonable sense of morality — so-called ‘ordinary people,’” says study author Tatsuya Nogami of Nagoya University in Japan.

“In my personal opinion, people generally try to comply with social norms in everyday life, even when such compliance with norms and rules conflicts with their personal self-interests. However, if you can get what you want without receiving any punishment or negative evaluations from others, are you still 100 percent sure that you’ll always refrain from engaging in that kind of undesirable behavior?”


Share your stories
Readers share their monstrous anonymous behavior


Rage against the machine
Cindy Helgason, a 48-year-old soap maker from Des Moines, Iowa, says she can’t stick a sock in her anonymous persona no matter how hard she tries.

“Normally I’m a goody-two-shoes,” says Helgason. “But whenever I get in the car, I yell and cuss a blue streak. Everybody who drives slower than me is an idiot and everybody who drives faster is a maniac. The worst part is this isn’t a very big place. My kids will say, ‘Gosh mom, that’s Mrs. So-and-So,’ and I’m like, ‘Oops!’ That’s one of the reasons I took the sign for my soap-making business off the back of my car. I don’t want to be associated with the person I am behind the wheel.”

According to psychologist Patricia Wallace, senior director of information technology at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, a car can offer us the same kind of psychological distance — and/or personality-cloaking capacity — as a computer.

“When your windows are rolled up, you feel relatively anonymous,” says Wallace, author of the book “The Psychology of the Internet.” “Not long ago I saw someone I knew going down the street furiously honking at the car in front of them. I turned the corner and waved and suddenly they weren’t anonymous anymore. You could see the incredible shame come over them because they’d demonstrated this behavior that from their perspective was out of character. Anonymity can draw out some very troubling behavior.”

McIntyre, the billing specialist from Houston, says the online news forums she’s participated in over the years have led her down many a dark and dysfunctional corridor.


See link for more : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26837911/

dgb4:
whats this??
why not teach us here,

Bringing trash back.
rekindling garbage.
It went unreplied for almost 2 years. Figured you just had to bring it back.

tRoOE:
Like about Naija cops what a question
Naija cops are very corrupt and they got no shame
all they are good 4 is bribery
Have got no respect for them
They are also chicken, what can of cop run away from robberies

What about many of them that have died in the line of action?
have you ever witnessed any situation where they ran away from a robbery scene?

John Legend - If you're out there,

Your trial shall become tribulation
And your worries shall become promotions
The Lord that provided for Daniel in the Lions den shall provide for you.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth her from them all
The lord will not only deliver you, He shall set you above your enemies and even your peers.
You shall be a standard for good things, among your peers you shall come first.
And when all shall see you, they shall testify that the Lord is good.

I can't fit laugh finish. The defense was confused. See what Brown did to veterans. Brady or no Brady, Dolpin would have won.

@ Onyinye
I just hope the Texans win a game this season.

A-40
fly on, don't get too high. You know how Romo is in the playoffs.

Gamine:
Aww!

I remember the days of Spaghetti Bolognaise and 1 Litre coke

on the plane

such sweet memowies

on top how much,
say nah you get plane.

are you sure it was Nigerian Airways/

Joseph6:
@ poster
girl get this into your thick skull. nl has no feelings and feel free 2 be a bitch

funny

ibkaye:
Noo, I still dey virgin, if Mary can do it, why not me?

Blasphemy gba

chamotex:
And I'm the father abi? Nonsense!!!

The children are adopted, you might be the biological fan, but emi ni baba won

JeSoul:
Sports motto is to "win at all costs"! hehe so in 10yrs no one will be singing your-sad-love-song they'll just talking about how many championships the city of Boston raked in this decade let me count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 . . . . should I continue?

Typical boston fan always cocky like Brady.
But its good enjoy while you can. It might just take you another 50 years to win the NBA championship

hehe what will the haters say now about the RedSox last 2 trophys? it was Manny's dreds that jazzed the other teams?

Not only manny dreads, Youkilis, big papi, Manny and 50% of the team used steriods stronger than those of the other teams. Thats what I heard oh.

ahah what did Brady do to you? Abeg leave my second husband alone jare

He is cocky and overated
no sense of humor
good camera-man (I heard he taped some of the games)
brady and Belichick are dictators. I refuse to have a fascist regime in NFL.

:d

JeSoul:
*singing again: haters they gon hate, players they go play*
Infact ya'll should take pointers and slide the refs a $20 every now n then, I hear the refs don't make a boatload of dough . . . it can work wonders for your season who knows you might be holding the trophy next yr . . . or NOT!

Me am *singing : celtics gone bribe, patriots gone tape*
LoL. Maybe Redsox can actual win the world series the Legit way. Not.


Blame Brady for my attitude towards Boston teams.

@ Jesoul
How do you feel about your team?
Do you think luck and the NBA refs will be their sides this season like last season.

Hannibal:
Old age is catching up!!!
I cannot believe the 2 gaffers can sit that close to each other.
4 years ago. . . . . .Ferguson wanted to shoot Wenger!!!
Funny how things change.

Am a Gunner so make una no eat me.
what changed?
this only shows that Arsenal's status is diminishing.
Chelsea done take over.
Wenger needs to get is head out of is ass.
He needs win the league this season.

Hate to admit, but yeah thats true. Wizards played without Arenas.
I put the heat ahead of wizards because:
1. Wade is back ( I think he is more important to his team than Arenas is)
2. The Matrix will be better incorporated into their game plan.
3. Micheal Beasley.   that boy will drop points. E no go easy
4. I like the heats (this reason alone is good enough )

onyinye2:
Who gives a flippin care if Wade just came from the Olympics. So did Carmelo Anthony, and we know good and well the Nuggets aint going no where near the Playoffs this year.

Dwight Howard just came from the Olympics. But don't mean that his Orlando team will even consider the fact of even getting ranked in their division, not to mention the Playoffs.

Melo down,  relax.

I didnt just give you D.wade I listed other players (new and improved)
I don't see the hawks making the playoffs this year.
With Arena's knee problem ( even without) the Heat are better than them.
The heats are better than Sixers too ( I say that with a little bit of skepticism)

Orlando getting ranked. What are you talking about? College basketball.
Orlando had the  3rd best record in the eastern division last year. Dwight Howard is the most dominant center coupled with Turkoglu, Rashard lewis, they will definitely make the playoff.

Note: Playoff = all post season games. I'm not talking about the Eastern or Western playoff final, or Nba championship final

Miami Heats will make the playoff

D-wade is back - watch the olympics again if you need proof. ( his trey improved too)
they have Shaun Marion (Matrix) the most underated NBA player. Not only can he defend and play all positions. And he guarantees you Almost 16 ppg, 10rpg, 1.5 get out here pg
Micheal beasley.(ko soro, he will shine)
Chris quinn (who showed he can play last season)
Haslem (Hustler)

making a mountain out of an inexistent mole hill.

slimghost:
Talib, Common, Mos def? Whats the criteria please.

The story they tell with their lines.
Their passion for reality and not the facade of gangsterism and wealth that many rappers potray.
They don't have to be yours, opinions differ. But for me, Talib, Common and Mos def will forever be gods when compared to the likes of T.I, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy.

Best Rappers Alive

Common
Talib Kweli
Mos Def
Nas
KRS ONE

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=170354.msg2812646#msg2812646 date=1221615013]Those silly moves will kick him out of NFL teams faster than he can say Ocho Cinco[/quote]Leave the boy alone. He's only doing what he learnt from T.O and Ocho Cinco.
I won't deny, I enjoyed the boy's celebrations. You should see the celebration he did in  Army allstar game (recruit).  It was an awesome dive to get a touch down, only that he didnt enter the end zone. Well with what I hear, he is a good player. Like the saying goes,"If you can walk you S**t, you can talk your S**T." As long as he delivers, he can go on showboating. The  eagles need a new T.O anyways, maybe this time he can take them to the SB and and win it.

And Randy Moss is one of the best receiver of all time.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=170354.msg2811613#msg2811613 date=1221596225]@Jesoul
Lol you had to see it to believe it i didnt watch the game to the end i stopped around the 3rd period when we where 30-24 down had to go to bed but i did see the game later today
Do you know TO and Romo have completed 28 TD passes since they hooked up? its amazing[/quote]

Brady and Moss completed 23 last season alone. Think of it, it's not that amazing

JeSoul:
Lol really? I missed that story. Who can blame them anyways . . .
recycled excuses . . . lol . . . even with all the tapes of all the Pats practice, their opponents could still not stop Brady and Moss - FACT.
lol . . . That would be a formiddable line-up. Kick off returns for TD, smack-down defense, fantastic receiving, sound qb . . . I would root for them, until the played the Pats.
not very far I'm afraid . . . I thot I could put my Lara Croft skills to good use
I saw the thread a while ago, whats the current attraction on that thread?

did you mean even with the Pats taping their opponents, they still didnt win the super bowl.

And I will ring you up when a good riddle comes up. You might have to travel to Mindanao, Philippines.