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The Internet and the Increase of Insolence
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  Has the internet made us a more rude society? The faceless means of communicating through blogs, comment sections, e-mail, social networking sites have all contributed to the rise of what’s called the “Dis-Inhibition Effect” and with it, an increase in cyber-bullying, name-calling and just bad manners. We’ll look at how the internet has changed how we communicate and see if it’s made us more rude. Guests
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I play on online game and post comments to blogs and articles. I wonder what would happen if you were required to post your age and/or any recipient of a hateful or negative comment was given the access to face their accuser.
I would agree that the absence of body language is a major factor that contributes to misunderstandings between internet interlocutors. More than once (I guess I'm slow to learn), with colleagues who know that my sense of humor can be oblique or ironic, who know my bent for the sardonic, even with them I've gotten into trouble with emailed messages that looked like jokes at my end but emerged at the other end as anything but. What? You mean they couldn't see me grinning like a monkey as I typed, couldn't see my tongue making acorns in my cheeks? I guess I should learn to use those little smiley icons – trouble is, they never look like me.
I agree whole heartedly with Mr. Weinberger in wanting to keep the net open and anarchic – whatever you say, I would defend to the death your right to e-say it, particularly when I have the ability to e-ignore you. Talk of rules and ratings reminds me of the sign in T. H. White's ant colony: "Everything not permitted is forbidden."
As to the existence of unsavory/rude/ignorant people in the world – I am shocked, shocked! However have we survived thus far?
And as for the kids, god bless 'em, I think the proper response to their online – uh, verbal experimentation – is a shrug, and a clicking of the ignore button. I suppose I could engage in some vapid rant about the effects on the young of blowing this and that to bloody smithereens on video gaming screens, and adopting similar persona in blogs … but I won't. It's simpler than that – they (and we) are born anarchistic, little solipsists, they are the center of the world and often they treat the rest of us as if it were true. Most of them grow out of it, and learn that other people are real. If they just wouldn't keep calling me "dude!"