Hey everyone,
Ive decided to do my second blog on deindividuation. I decided to do this topic because of my own experiences. I have had quite a lot of trouble with anonymous mobile phone harrasment.
I figure sites like myspace and facebook would be the perfect environment for deindividuated harrasment. I've heard there have been problems in highschools with kids pretending to be teachers, putting up degrading pics and cyberbullying other students. I've found a couple of journal articles on the consequences of deindividuation in internet chat rooms but havent come across anything about facebook yet - I guess it's still pretty new!!. Has anyone experineced or know anyone who's experienced any problems on facebook, myspace etc?? Or other forms of computer mediated communication?
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4 comments:
Hi Mike,
I am a bit of a facebook adict, and have only ever experienced one bit of negativity... which actually happened today.
I created a memorial 'group' for one my really good friends who was tragically killed 2 days before Christmas 2 years ago.
It was created because alot of the people who loved her wanted to have some sort of memorial this year-- so we thought a facebook group might be an easy way to get the message across and plan a bbq or something.
When I went on there this morning, some random (from a different country, obviously just trawling the groups looking for someone to criticise) had written on the memorial 'wall' that
"you people are sick, trying to get a dead person friends, like she cares, like you think she is looking down from heaven, get a life and some class"....
which i think is just a heartbreaking comment to make to people who are just trying to create a forum to remember and plan a memorial...
I think deindividuation wold have been a big factor in this idiots comment- because that would never happen in real life...
anyway.... it does happen on facebook.. (sorry Im still a bit angry about the whole thing)...
xx
Hi rebekah,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry to hear about your friend, It is an awful thing to die young and to happen just before christmas.... I cant believe anyone could say something like that, some people are heartless. You might be able to report it to the administrators.
It is amazing how much differently some people behave when they are anonymous. Another example that seems to be happening often is kids throwing rocks at cars from bridges.
I wonder if kids are more vulnerable to deindividuation? or more specifically to the negative behavior that sometimes results?
Anyway, thanks again for the reply, good luck for blog 2.
Cheers, Mike.
Hi Mike,
I'm actually starting to do my thesis on this topic exactly. Looks like it needed another 3 years to get it rolling. There actually isn't that much out there specifically to facebook! Amazing hey!
I think it's a great topic, but I think you have it all figured out wrong.
There is no deindividuation on facebook. People are NOT anonimus. That is a neccessary requirement for deindividuation.
People actualy feel almost as in real life. They can be found and punished for their behavior, yet they still do sarcastic coments such as above.
Now, I'm not saying that there are no abusers who intentionaly create a "false profile" and troll around, but I don't think it is very easy for them to survive for a long time on the site. their account gets blocked.
So, they get penalized for anitysocial behavior.
Anywhay, maybe cou should consider empathyzing with the commentator instead of getting offended. I mean, perhaps he does find your way of commemorating a friend by making a facebook group a little creepy.
I know I would find it a bit creapy if it was my friend.
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