We've all observed this phenomenon. But is it really anonymity that makes people rude? Or is it a lack of a feeling of connection to other drivers? They're not the same thing. It's possible to be anonymous and still feel connected to others. Anonymous giving and other random acts of kindness are examples of this.
I also think that, especially when looking at the actions of others, we tend to overestimate the influence of what we see as deep personality attributes, like integrity or rudeness. But an overwhelming majority of people will act with integrity in some circumstances and with rudeness in others.
For example, in cars, people tend to act more rude when they're stressed, as when they're tired, late, or caught in a traffic jam. And on internet discussion beards, they're more likely to act rude when they have been made the target of a personal attack or insult -- which explains the escalation you see on many internet forums. I think a sense of connectedness to other people and caring (both giving and receiving loving feelings) helps mitigate these things. One of the problems on the internet, in my opinion, is NOT anonymity per se, but rather, is the fact that people often feel lonely or isolated when they're spending hours posting on internet forums. Internet socializing doesn't give the same sort of warmth that you get from in-person contact, the eye contact, body language, physical touch even...those things help people to stay connected. I think this, and not so much the anonymity itself, is the real reason why people tend to act more rudely both on internet forums and in traffic jams.
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We've all observed this phenomenon. But is it really anonymity that makes people rude? Or is it a lack of a feeling of connection to other drivers? They're not the same thing. It's possible to be anonymous and still feel connected to others. Anonymous giving and other random acts of kindness are examples of this.
I also think that, especially when looking at the actions of others, we tend to overestimate the influence of what we see as deep personality attributes, like integrity or rudeness. But an overwhelming majority of people will act with integrity in some circumstances and with rudeness in others.
For example, in cars, people tend to act more rude when they're stressed, as when they're tired, late, or caught in a traffic jam. And on internet discussion beards, they're more likely to act rude when they have been made the target of a personal attack or insult -- which explains the escalation you see on many internet forums. I think a sense of connectedness to other people and caring (both giving and receiving loving feelings) helps mitigate these things. One of the problems on the internet, in my opinion, is NOT anonymity per se, but rather, is the fact that people often feel lonely or isolated when they're spending hours posting on internet forums. Internet socializing doesn't give the same sort of warmth that you get from in-person contact, the eye contact, body language, physical touch even...those things help people to stay connected. I think this, and not so much the anonymity itself, is the real reason why people tend to act more rudely both on internet forums and in traffic jams.
March 28, 2011 - 10:46amThis Comment
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