Facebook - friend or foe?

Tilia · #91 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:19

As BigD was saying, I think that we are indeed seeing a paradigm shift here with the internet. The effects of this shift are still to early to evaluate fully though. My main concern is for the ones caught in the middle of the shift.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrus

My point is that FB, or the internet, or whatever newfangled thing that recently came out is this generations demon, same as always, that it has somehow fundamentaly changed life to make it worse, to which I say, bollocks.

Speaker to Animals · #92 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:20

Strongly agree with you there BigD, it's not hard to imagine the effect on a developing personality. Is there any relational causational link to be made to events such as the Columbine shootings or the Virginia Tech shootings?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigD

Again, I'd be interested in seeing some published research on this relative to personal face-to-face treatment, but it's clear being stalked, humiliated or insulted online by an anonymous person or persons can create a great deal of trauma. The fact that this can be witnessed by many others adds to the effect.

If it is done with no right to reply or no undertstanding what has prompted the accusations or the accuser can lead to a kafkaesque kind of torture for the person affected.

BigD

Cyrus · #93 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speaker to Animals

Strongly agree with you there BigD, it's not hard to imagine the effect on a developing personality. Is there any relational causational link to be made to events such as the Columbine shootings or the Virginia Tech shootings?

Honestly, wtf? How the **** do you get from online social groups to schools shootings? Has everyone forgotten that bullying goes on in real life too?

For example, in the news, there was a kid who killed herself over FB bullying, how many suicides occur due to actual real life bullying? That is so common it never makes the news.

retto · #94 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:28

i will post something i posted on the other side

Quote:

"Today the Internet is much more than esoteric discussion forums. It is a mass medium for defining who we are to ourselves and to others. Teenagers groom their MySpace profiles as intensely as their hair; escapists clock 50-hour weeks in virtual worlds, accumulating gold for their online avatars. Anyone seeking work or love can expect to be Googled. As our emotional investment in the Internet has grown, the stakes for trolling — for provoking strangers online — have risen. Trolling has evolved from ironic solo skit to vicious group hunt.
“Lulz” is how trolls keep score. A corruption of “LOL” or “laugh out loud,” “lulz” means the joy of disrupting another’s emotional equilibrium. “Lulz is watching someone lose their mind at their computer 2,000 miles away while you chat with friends and laugh,” said one ex-troll who, like many people I contacted, refused to disclose his legal identity.
Another troll explained the lulz as a quasi-thermodynamic exchange between the sensitive and the cruel: “You look for someone who is full of it, a real blowhard. Then you exploit their insecurities to get an insane amount of drama, laughs and lulz. Rules would be simple: 1. Do whatever it takes to get lulz. 2. Make sure the lulz is widely distributed. This will allow for more lulz to be made. 3. The game is never over until all the lulz have been had.”

full NYT article here
(or here)

the net is now crazy, scary place for teenagers...)

i agree with what you are saying STA & Cyrus ( i am not downplaying the seriouseness of bullying in real life)
but remember kids nowadays spend so much time on the net that you cannot ignore this fact.
I for one think trolling/bullying/mobbing is a serious issue that crosses over from real life to net life

Speaker to Animals · #95 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrus

Honestly, wtf? How the **** do you get from online social groups to schools shootings? Has everyone forgotten that bullying goes on in real life too?

For example, in the news, there was a kid who killed herself over FB bullying, how many suicides occur due to actual real life bullying? That is so common it never makes the news.

Whoa there! I'm not trying to be controversial. The subject has shifted slightly into how does bullying affecta person. And if you read what i posted you will have noticed I made this remark as an open question. I assume your answer to this question is no, there is no link to be made.
I am not at all disputing that bullying occurs in real life.

Cyrus · #96 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speaker to Animals

Whoa there! I'm not trying to be controversial. The subject has shifted slightly into how does bullying affecta person. And if you read what i posted you will have noticed I made this remark as an open question. I assume your answer to this question is no, there is no link to be made.
I am not at all disputing that bullying occurs in real life.

It's an open, but somewhat loaded, question.

Tilia · #97 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:40

Why??

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrus

somewhat loaded, question.

retto · #98 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrus

It's an open, but somewhat loaded, question.

either way, it is true and probably to become more prevalent
there is the case of the myspace bullying by a parent which led to a suicide
this is cyber bullying merged with real life bullying also i would say?

another case man kills wife over facebook posting

Speaker to Animals · #99 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 11:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrus

It's an open, but somewhat loaded, question.

Does the open question become more palatable if I substitute random acts of vandalism in place of school shootings? A less emotive subject.

Cyrus · #**100** (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 12:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tilia

Why??

The purpose of the question is not to establish the causes of school shootings, but to establish a link between school shootings and social network sites. (Or so it would seem). We can't say that at no point did anyone use the internet in some way connected to the incidents, but we can say that about most things. A technique well used by politicians.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speaker to Animals

Does the open question become more palatable if I substitute random acts of vandalism in place of school shootings? A less emotive subject.

Not really, we may as well ask if the use of telephones has promoted random acts of vandalism. Yes, such things can be organised through the medium, but they are not the cause. When I was a kid at school, I had a party that was crashed by the whole year, this was managed without the use of the internet.