Do you think people take less responsibility for what they say on the Internet vs. Real life?

[g84]

I'm not sure why i'm thinking about this right now.

 

There was a time when i used to visit another forum; it was very different from Ena.

 

I could say that the majority of people on that other site don't care what they write to another person. I'm not thinking about situations where "tough love" was needed or anything; it was a place where people would pretty much call you any name you could think of, for the saddest, strangest reasons.

 

I personally think that being cruel to someone online is no different than doing it in real life.

 

Even though you can't see me, and i may even live in a different country, i'm still responsible for what i say to you. I don't believe in "it's just the internet". There may be misunderstandings that take place and everything,

but being plain careless is different, in my opinion.

 

I'm just thinking about all the negativity and cruelty i've come accross on the internet over the past couple of years. It has the potential to reach so many people, too.

 

I came accross something interesting one time: some guy asked, why "what goes around comes around" would have anything to do with what he says to someone online. I guess i found it strange/interesting how he takes much less responsibility for his activity / treatment of others on the internet.

 

I've been very strongly affected by some things that i came accross in the past (that might be a different thread all together lol), and they weren't even said to me. They were said to other people in similar situations, though.

 

At this moment, i feel nothing negative, maybe i'm just numb. I accept that people will say a lot of things..but i guess i find that division between online and real life accountability kind of strange.

Maybe i'm crazy, lol.

[Seraphim]

I think you are right. A lot of times people say things on the internet they would never have the nerve to say to someone in real life. That is intensely disturbing because there are people on the other end of the screen. I never say what I would not say to a person's face.

[tina-rocks]

I would like to say that all people whether it be conversing in person or over the internet or by text and would stay true to the person they really are..

 

Sadly I know this is not the case so the only thing is to bare this in mind when you are talking with people where you don't have actual contact.

 

It is very easy to misread into messages I agree so it does take a little more time when compiling them.

 

On a lighter note we are not all like this.

 

Christina

[DropToZero]

I agree. I'm doing better at realizing how "text" can be easily misunderstood... especially since there is no *tone* behind the text, and no voice or expression.

 

People should think twice about what they say...

 

If someone needs to hear something though, and it's not what they want to hear(which is what most of this forum is)... they can't call it cruel, it's just the truth.

 

I've already said it before, and I'll say it again... a GOOD majority of the issues on this forum---people know the answer to the questions they ask... but they just want reaffirmation, or they won't be happy. Only a few actually can take the truth... these are the one's worth speaking with.

 

When it comes to break ups and needing a positive lift... obviously the above doesn't apply, I'm just saying the majority of issues could be solved if people had better relationship and communication with their friends/family/spouses/SO's instead of always looking for answers here(and don't take that so far that it doesn't mean you can't ask for advice as for how to address someone in person with the issue you wish to communicate).

 

I feel like I have to keep answering the replies I know I'll get with generalizations.

 

Take responsibility for everything you say... just because it's out of reaction or just text on a page doesn't mean it's justified.

[pinkelephant]

This goes back to ethnics and whether morality is only socially constructed and is simply a mean for us to co-exist. To most people, it is just the mean for us to co-exist. Most are only nice because they will face punishment in some way or another. You can't control what others do or act, you can only control how you respond or not respond to it.

 

Having said that, no, I don't find that there's more cruelty on the internet. My freshmen year in high school, my best friend and I were bullied mercilessly by a couple of girls and we couldn't get away from it as easily as one would over the internet. You could just click that "x" button to get away.

[g84]

Yea, i agree that people can be just as careless in real life as well. I guess i've just been more shocked by some things that i've seen online.

How a person could just write some really hurtful things like it's nothing.

I've been hurt by others' words in real life too, but the stuff that i've seen on the internet has disturbed me a lot, it seems.

I guess one day i might make a thread about those things, as it is something that i have had trouble dealing with.

I just get the feeling that lots of people tend to forget that they're speaking to a person, not the screen.

 

To clarify though, I definitely don't get this feeling on Ena very often. I'm mainly referring to my past experiences on another place/site.

[Seraphim]

The way I see it, if you can not say it to someone's face, close your mouth or take your fingers off the keyboard.

[Tarkan]

To put it in short words: I believe that internet reveals the true colours of a person ^^