Interne Rudeness
There are so many ways for people to say what is on their mind when it comes to the Internet. You can visit YouTube to showcase a talent through a shared video, post pictures in a multitude of places, visit a forum to post an opinion, or share private details on a blog.
People show their not so angelic side when it comes to sharing things about themselves. Thanks to the fact that their identity can be masked online, these people display a rudeness that, in a face to face conversation, would not be acceptable.
A common term you'll run into online is "troll". It's Internet slang for someone who posts controversial or defamatory messages in hopes of inciting anger and emotion-driven responses. Causing others to become distressed is the primary goal of these individuals.
There haven't been studies as to why people "troll" and even if there was, how would you get accurate data? These "trolls" work hard to remain unknown in the vast sea that is the internet.
Sites such as YouTube leave users feeling a bit different than those posting in just text based places. When you post a video on YouTube, you appear on camera, and leave yourself open to the public. This makes it easier to figure out who is displaying such rudeness to the public by using a video to do it. It doesn't need to just be mean and hurtful comments coming from the trolls either. Other comments will be vulgar in nature.
These types of people are everywhere, and though we aren't positive as to why they do it, it may be because they are just venting. Just because there is a sense of anonymity on the Internet, people should quit feeling that it turns a place for social interaction and information into a giant playground. This is a myth that could potentially lead to harm.
Even though you think no one can find you on the Internet, there are easy tools online that can do just that. By putting in an IP address at a website like http://ip-yahoo.com/ you can be found quite easily. With one sequence of numbers and one click of the mouse, your location can be mapped. You never know who you encounter online and what kind of mental state they're in. Who knows what will cause them to have a mental breakdown.
When using a certain website, if you are hurt by someone else's comments and you feel as though they are a troll, report them. Trolls are known to have their accounts banned on certain sites, once it is clear that they are being hurtful through their posts. Internet rudeness is not something that we have to be accepting of. A good rule is that if you wouldn't say it to a person's face, you shouldn't be posting it online.
