Online Anonymity and Conflict
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On a related front, the relative anonymity of electronic communication has emerged as a new factor that influences conflict, particularly in the generation of heated and unproductive electronic exchanges in Internet forums, in e-mails, and through social-networking sites (Shachaf & Hara, 2010). Of course, people have long been able to provoke conflict anonymously, but the Internet has provided a vast arena for flaming—posting online messages that are deliberately hostile or insulting toward a particular individual. Such messages are usually intended only to provoke anger and can ignite flame wars between individuals when friendly, productive discussions give way to insults and aggression. In many cases, the root cause of these conflicts is not even a true disagreement but rather one person’s misinterpretation of another’s message (as with Joe Lipari’s pseudothreat on the Apple Store detailed in the chapter opener).
Technology and You
Have you ever witnessed flaming or trolling in online messages? How do you tell them apart? Have you ever posted messages that were mistaken for flaming or trolling when that wasn’t your intention? How do you make sure that your online messages are understood as you intend them to be?
Flaming should be distinguished from trolling, which is posting provocative or offensive messages to whole forums or discussion boards in order to elicit some type of general reaction (Morzy, 2009). Trolls often use their online anonymity to intentionally stir up conflict and create damage in an online community; research reveals that they are often motivated by boredom, a need for attention, and revenge (Shachaf & Hara, 2010).