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August 26, 2004teens bullying via IM and blogsInternet Gives Teenage Bullies Weapons to Wound From Afar is an article in the NYTimes today about how teens are using IM and blogs to bully other teens. The whole article focuses on the psychology of teen bullying, about how it's so much easier to engage in such cruel behavior from a distance. One thing that caught my eye was the gender differences in bullying: "Online bullying had a particular appeal for girls, who specialize in emotional rather than physical harassment and strive to avoid direct confrontation." There's something about this behavior that is not really explained, something very psychological. The closest explanation we have comes from Milgram's obedience experiments where he noted that people are more comfortable executing cruel acts when they don't see the ramifications. But i really want to have a clear psychological explanation for emotional distance and digital behavior. Nothing that i've read gives a full explanation for this phenomenon. That said, i really love NYTimes articles like this that don't try to explain everything, but just open up a situation and explore it through anecdote. Category: instant messaging
Posted by zephoria at August 26, 2004 10:44 PM
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Comments (7)
Maybe I'm off base here, but articles that swell with anecdotal information as the one you refer to, are used-knowingly or not- to inflame a social issue.
I find it to be interesting human behavior when Fear is the stallion pulling the chariot.
I think some people are fearful of digital interaction because (a) they don't understand it, or,(b) they see it as a threat to their philosophical paradigm of how humans should interact.
On the other hand, perhaps the NYTimes are sincerely looking to instigate a dialog- maybe they should blog it
Posted by lindharma | August 27, 2004 11:22 AM
Posted on August 27, 2004 11:22
Maybe I'm off base here, but articles that swell with anecdotal information as the one you refer to, are used-knowingly or not- to inflame a social issue.
I find it to be interesting human behavior when Fear is the stallion pulling the chariot.
I think some people are fearful of digital interaction because (a) they don't understand it, or,(b) they see it as a threat to their philosophical paradigm of how humans should interact.
On the other hand, perhaps the NYTimes is sincerely looking to instigate a dialog- maybe they should blog it
Posted by lindharma | August 27, 2004 11:22 AM
Posted on August 27, 2004 11:22
Maybe I'm off base here, but articles that swell with anecdotal information as the one you refer to, are used-knowingly or not- to inflame a social issue.
I find it to be interesting human behavior when Fear is the stallion pulling the chariot.
I think some people are fearful of digital interaction because (a) they don't understand it, or,(b) they see it as a threat to their philosophical paradigm of how humans should interact.
On the other hand, perhaps the NYTimes is sincerely looking to instigate a dialog- maybe they should blog it
Posted by lindharma | August 27, 2004 11:23 AM
Posted on August 27, 2004 11:23
Maybe I'm off base here, but articles that swell with anecdotal information as the one you refer to, are used-knowingly or not- to inflame a social issue.
I find it to be interesting human behavior when Fear is the stallion pulling the chariot.
I think some people are fearful of digital interaction because (a) they don't understand it, or,(b) they see it as a threat to their philosophical paradigm of how humans should interact.
On the other hand, perhaps the NYTimes is sincerely looking to instigate a dialog- maybe they should blog it
Posted by lindharma | August 27, 2004 11:29 AM
Posted on August 27, 2004 11:29
It's an interesting article but with very little new information. Check out the following for more detail into the phenomena:
Simmons, Rachel (2003). Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. Harvest Books.
Wiseman, Rosalind (2003). Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence. Three Rivers Press.
An offline process moves to an online forum with few changes beyond the usual time and space issues.
Bullying is a huge issue with many of the teens I talk to. One that we as a society have only begun, post-Columbine, to recognize.
Posted by Lois | August 27, 2004 2:20 PM
Posted on August 27, 2004 14:20
Hi Danah! I am interested in technology and social issues and during one of my surfs I found your blog, which is bookmarked now, together with misbehaving.net. It was interesting to read about bullying on your site because this weekend I read an article about it on the Sydney Morning Herald - I live in Australia. I thought you would like to check it out.
http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/27/1093518082647.html?oneclick=true
They call the people trolls.
See ya
Posted by Erica | August 30, 2004 12:21 AM
Posted on August 30, 2004 00:21
Hi Danah! I am interested in technology, social issues and surfing the net I found your blog, which is bookmarked now, together with misbehaving.net. It was interesting to read about bullying on your site because this weekend I read an article about it on the Sydney Morning Herald - I live in Australia. I thought you might want to check it out.
http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/27/1093518082647.html?oneclick=true
Enjoy
Posted by Erica | August 30, 2004 12:24 AM
Posted on August 30, 2004 00:24