Baiting

as the internet grows, i've seen over the past few years that internet hostility has also grown.

i even nicknamed youtube, "battlefield youtube".

youtube is a real battlefield - with hot & cold spots, of course.

a gigantic nation of it's own
with categories (states)
and channels (cities & towns)

even yahoo has become full of violence, abuse & outright ugliness. c'mon, people .. it's yahoo! what?

at this point, i feel it's necessary to mention ... "The Egg Rolls are IN the oven".

just kidding.

but what i really want to get at ... is BAITING.

tsk, tsk.

is it worth it? like ... i don't do that ... so i don't know what the motivation is (emotional? desperation?)

what really is the motivation for baiting? is it sinister in nature, like ... negative spirits?

i've determined that Hellion is a number.

that's one nasty hook ya got there, kids.

This concludes my self-amusement.

[innerlight]

They are battlegrounds because they are not moderated. That is why this forum is is a nice warm place. We have a team that works around the clock to keep this place the way it is.

It's easy to say anything when you are sitting behind a monitor and not having anyone to look at or be near. So people take advantage of that.

Add in that those posts aren't looked over or monitored and people can do what ever they want because they can.

I guess I see baiting as a form of control and manipulation and unfortunately a form of amusement for some. Faceless communication does have its downfall.

Originally Posted by innerlight

They are battlegrounds because they are not moderated. That is why this forum is is a nice warm place. We have a team that works around the clock to keep this place the way it is.

It's easy to say anything when you are sitting behind a monitor and not having anyone to look at or be near. So people take advantage of that.

Add in that those posts aren't looked over or monitored and people can do what ever they want because they can.

my post wasn't about moderating, but yahoo & youtube each do have features - certainly, not personal like it is here.

my post is more about human behavior & motivation, particularly - baiting.

and stalking seems so commonplace that it's almost accepted as "normal" ... with all the various ways now to "follow" people. i invited someone today to discover this forum ... i sure hope they arrive and participate.

i read on one thread here, posted in september, that october was supposed to be active with lots of negative energy. seems to be so.

baiting has never been a behavior of mine, but i have recognized it. it leaves me wondering...

Originally Posted by nightowl

I guess I see baiting as a form of control and manipulation and unfortunately a form of amusement for some. Faceless communication does have its downfall.

that makes sense, i guess. i can certainly see how someone might be amused - even smug satisfied.

weird.

There are some Internet forums that seem to prize people being uncivil & rude to each other.

This is likely exacerbated by those who feel powerless in their real life & act out as cyber-bullies. This gives them a sense of power even though this is pitiful bullying.
Tsk, tsk!

It’s great that you invited someone to visit the forum.

Originally Posted by 1being

as the internet grows, i've seen over the past few years that internet hostility has also grown.

i even nicknamed youtube, "battlefield youtube".

youtube is a real battlefield - with hot & cold spots, of course.

a gigantic nation of it's own
with categories (states)
and channels (cities & towns)

even yahoo has become full of violence, abuse & outright ugliness. c'mon, people .. it's yahoo! what?

at this point, i feel it's necessary to mention ... "The Egg Rolls are IN the oven".

just kidding.

but what i really want to get at ... is BAITING.

tsk, tsk.

is it worth it? like ... i don't do that ... so i don't know what the motivation is (emotional? desperation?)

what really is the motivation for baiting? is it sinister in nature, like ... negative spirits?

i've determined that Hellion is a number.

that's one nasty hook ya got there, kids.

This concludes my self-amusement.

Its the internet, regardless of moderation, there is a lack of real world consequences to most online behavior. Even in a moderated venue, the worst that can happen to you really is banning and most internet savvy types that engage in the types of behavior you mentioned don't care, they'll shuffle their IP address and come right back. You can get away with saying things you never would to someone's face. Betray them in ways you could never pull off in a face to face way, and in general be a real jerk and get away with it online.

I personally, think its reprehensible, and despite being a geek myself makes me long for the days when the internet wasn't so accessible. But sadly its a Pandora's box that has been opened, and there is no going back, barring some global catastrophe.

[psychoslice]

Many here throw out a bait, not realizing it, they throw out a question, but only wanting to hear what they want to hear, when someone comes along and goes completely against what they want to hear, they then get upset.

Yes, the internet has definitely bloomed with viciousness since it's inception.

But I see this as humanity getting to know itself. The future is now. The internet has allowed for the first time large scale interaction with people who are otherwise completely removed from your presence, transcending time and space in previously unheard of ways.

Man's first instinct is to poke at what is strange. I read into many people the feeling that they are just not heard, so must be louder and more vicious to feel they are some force in the world.

It is not a pretty picture, but that is us - and now we are starting to look into that world-wide mirror, and reflect...

[Lightspirit]

What's happening is that once we were all just normal grounded people with inhibitions and respectful, sensible attitudes.

Deep within us all is who we really are. That person for many never surfaces.


Along comes the Internet and anonymous accounts where you can say what you want good or bad.

That. Is ok except some forget about reality and live in cyberspace.

When you forget about reality and the manners your parents taught you in the real world you change and become the weird person who posts ****** things.