'Soc culture europe" uses the science to moderate and inform the
newsgroup

   ONE VIEW ON THE TOO STRONG ON LINE REACTIONS


BIASED STILL? READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE ON SOC CULTURE EUROPE
IT IS NOW USING THE SCIENCE PUBLICATION FORM TO INFLUENCE
PARTICIPANTS ( PUP UP FIRST). WE DO NOT HAVE THIS KIND OF MODERATING.

Excerpts that illustrate above are in parenheses; credits at the end:

"Contexts of Uninhibited Online Behavior:
Flaming in Social Newsgroups on Usenet
Joseph M. Kayany

Department of Communication, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo,
Ml 49008

E-mail: kayany@wmich.edu

Recent research on uninhibited behavior in computer-
mediated communication (CMC) systems have suggested
that flaming is social-context dependent and not
a media characteristic of CMC. This study takes a closer
look at the social context in which flaming occurs, which
need not necessarily be developed online but, as well,
can be the social, religious, and political background
and affiliations of the participants.

(.....)



Conclusion

Although flaming attracted the attention of researchers as
a potential anti-social effect of computer-mediated communication,
recent research has shown that it is not primarily a
characteristic of the medium, rather a phenomenon that is
social-context dependent. This position is supported by a
recent study by Fox (1996), of electronic listservs used by
persons with disabilities, that reports a comparatively high
degree of flaming (8.1%). The interaction context of these
listservs is arguably affected by the physical and social
adversity experienced by the participants. Social identification
is the key issue that leads to in-group normative behavior.
In other words, computer-mediated communication
is looking more and more like any other medium of communication
where the tone and emotional content is affected
by social and interaction context, rather than the medium
itself. This study, indeed, did find higher levels of flaming in
Usenet social groups whose participants are sensitive to the
political, religious, and social contexts they share. Perhaps
within the same interaction context, such heated discussions
would have occurred in any other medium. Hence, the
warnings issued to those responsible for implementing
CMC systems in organizations about the potential dangers
of the medium is arguably misplaced. Uninhibited expression
of hostility is, indeed, a facet of human communication,
but research evidence suggests that it is not a problem that
pertains exclusively to computer-mediated communication.

Acknowledgment

The author thanks Ahmed Al-Yusuf, University of Saudi
Arabia, for his assistance in coding and data analysis, and
Kuriakose Athapilly, Western Michigan University, for his
valuable suggestions and guidance.

References (....)"