Polarization of People Chapter 6 Beth Holman Stephaine Grimason Liesl Goodwin Just for thought Does internet communication enable people to find common ground or intensify differences? Does the internet increase democratization or create a digital divide? Does the internet increase polarization of people? Polarization Polarize- The internet encourages individuals who are similar to clump together, reinforcing their similarities, and stand against people who are different. The internet encourages individuals who are similar to clump together, reinforcing their similarities, and stand against people who are different. Polarization can be kind and favorable or in other cases it may involve hate and violence. Polarization can be kind and favorable or in other cases it may involve hate and violence. Intensification of Polarization The way people connect with others is a concern for increase polarization. Because your internet neighborhood is so big you are able to interact with people, any where in the world, who are similar to you, and think like you; in turn increasing polarization. Chat rooms and discussion groups allow people to find friends, who are similar to them, by selecting criteria such as personal interest, hobby, age, or whatever you choose. This increases polarization. Avoid these bad habits. avoid polarization Unproven accusations Stereotypes Not listening Rhetorical questions Silencing/dismissing Assertions that imply a person has no rights Chasin, R. (2005, Jul/Aug). Getting beyond polarization.State Legislatures; Vol 31 issue 7 p retrieved on Oct 15,2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Decrease polarization Listen openly Listen openly If you accuse be specific If you accuse be specific Let everyone talk Let everyone talk Dont ask rhetorical or entrapping questions Dont ask rhetorical or entrapping questions Admit you dont know everything Admit you dont know everything Call others on their polarizing communication Call others on their polarizing communication Chasin, R. (2005, Jul/Aug). Getting beyond polarization.State Legislatures; Vol 31 issue 7 p retrieved on Oct 15,2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Democratization or digital divide? On a social scale does the internet bring people together or pull them apart? Who has access to the internet? Does everyone? Does the internet increase division in social classes or reduce communication and status differences? Cognitive Dissonance The theory suggests our believes or cognitions can be related either by their consistency (consonance), their contradiction (dissonance), or their irrelevance (lack of connection ). The theory suggests our believes or cognitions can be related either by their consistency (consonance), their contradiction (dissonance), or their irrelevance (lack of connection ). We tend to hear and seek information that is similar to our beliefs and avoid or deny information that conflicts with our beliefs. We tend to hear and seek information that is similar to our beliefs and avoid or deny information that conflicts with our beliefs. We need to do what ever possible to reduce the feeling of dissonance. We need to do what ever possible to reduce the feeling of dissonance. Cognitive dissonance and the Internet The internet introduces you to people, you would never meet other wise, with different backgrounds, cultures, and education level. This mix of people will hold different views and beliefs than you. Some people hold inconsistent beliefs then you, but this causes no dissonance if you are unaware of the inconsistencies. Online dissuasion brings the inconsistencies to the individuals attention, causing dissonance. Cognitive Dissonance and the Internet The public nature of the internet intensifies reactions to something said, causing dissonance. Discussions held on the internet might be read by many people whos response threatens your belief system. Most use the internet to seek conformation of the beliefs they already hold. These people move from group to group trying to find people who think similarly and have like minds. One should instead explore new experiences and find people who will expand your mind. Video Games Video Games Continue to Become More and More Violent Video Games are found to be more violent and full of aggression. Studies have had a hard time correlating crimes committed due to to these video games. But the higher level of violence is found to make crimes that were once unthinkable, now possible. An example of this would be the Columbine shooting where outcast students came into the school with loaded weapons. They proceeded to kill their classmates and keep the school on lockdown. They are now free to close off their mind to their true surroundings and spend unlimited time in this fantasy world that does not include their friends or family. Privacy while online Many people have a false sense of privacy while online. It may feel like they are anonymous because they are sitting by themselves, on the computer not using their name or pictures. Between cookies that can set up a profile containing your searches and being able to go online and google someones name to find out where they live, privacy is hard to come by. There are products and programs that you can install in your computer to help keep you safe. But are some people giving their privacy away while online? Facebook *In 2008, there were more than 60 million active users. The amount of active users doubles every 6 months *It is the 6th most trafficked site in the United States *More than 14 million photos are uploaded daily *Facebook is the number one photo sharing site *Unless you change your settings, someone can search your name and have free access of your Facebook page MySpace MySpace has more 110 million monthly active users 1 in 4 Americans is on MySpace On average, 300,000 new people sign up on MySpace per day The site broke a record when they had 4.5 billion page views in ONE day! 8 million images uploaded per day Even though we spend so much time on these websites, are we truly becoming closer to each other? By talking to our friends online, we are able to continue doing whatever else we want to. There is no meeting time to get together. No face to face contact. We can have several conversations at once while also watching t.v. No longer are we meeting for coffee, instead we are commenting on each others status instead of being with one another. Hoaxes, Rumors and Myths A hoax is false information that is spread from person to person. An internet hoax is especially dangerous due to the speed and repeated messages of misinformation getting to people. Many hoaxes feed on fear which spreads incredibly face on the internet. Examples of Online Hoaxes Onions vs. Swine Flu- claim that placing peeled onion above your home will fight off the flu Warning about a Osama captured/hanged video containing computer virus Bigfoots body found in Georgia Citizens Against Breastfeeding- agroup was petitioning to Congress for a bill to ban breastfeeding Internet and Polarization Paradoxes The internet can make people feel safe, because they are able to find information quickly and easily They are able to get solid information Able to join groups that they are interested in and meets others with the same ideas Fear and hateful thoughts can be increased much quicker This fear causes users to feel vulnerable There becomes a lack in privacy, especially when people are unaware of what to do to keep themselves safe FLAMINGFLAMINGFLAMINGFLAMING Where can you find flaming? On the internet of course! However, it can occur offline as well, but most often is found withins, blogs, chat forums, any site where you are allowed to leave a comment about services or communicate with other people. Why is it important? It causes conflict, misunderstanding, hate and confusion. There are many definitions described by researchers, but most all agree that flaming is an intentional act to offend someone. How messages are interpreted Different age groups are perceiving and interpreting messages over the internet differently. Emoticons (typographics or pictographs ) and using all CAPS contributes to the interpretation of messages as well as the establishment of flaming. It is recommended that recipients who are Traditionalists (born before 1946) should not be sentwith emoticons; those who are baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) probably should not be sentwith emoticons; those who are Generation Xers (those born between 1964 and 1980)may be sentwith some of the more common emoticons; and those who are termed Millenials (born after 1980 and coming of age after 2000) may be sentwith generous use of emoticons. (Krohn, 2004, p. 321) Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13 (2008) 4359 2008 International Communication Association Studying Flaming Anna K. Turnage has studiedflaming and came up with a scale to score high level and lower level flames Message Invectives Scale hostile __: __: __: __: __: __: __ non-hostile aggressive __: __: __: __: __: __: __ non-aggressive intimidating __: __: __: __: __: __: __ non-intimidating insulting __: __: __: __: __: __: __ not insulting offensive __: __: __: __: __: __: __ not offensive friendly __: __: __: __: __: __: __ unfriendly uninhibited __: __: __: __: __: __: __ inhibited sarcastic __: __: __: __: __: __: __ not sarcastic flame __: __: __: __: __: __: __ not a flame Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13 (2008) 4359 2008 International Communication Association Please use the previous scale to score these commentaries 1. Now how in the hell would I know that if nobody tells me??? GEEZ!:0 2. CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME THE FINAL ON THIS AND DO YOU KNOW WHO WAS TO SEND THIS OUT???????????????????? 3. Hi, everyone. I need to get an update from you on each of your funded projects ASAP. What Im looking for is any progress you can report on the projects. Were working on the annual report and we want to be able to include this information. Thanks! 4. As it is now, it works well and its really not necessary. Tell them that I said no.:) 5. I am asking you to follow up with her and report to me. Thanks. 6. Shit! We need those umbrellas before that! The Results, according to Turnage and the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 1 and 2 were in the highest level of flaming 3 and 4 were in the lowest level of flaming 5 and 6 were found somewhere in the middle of the flaming levels Where did your scores rank? Do you agree with the scoring chart they established? Can you see how wording, lettering and punctuation all have importance in the perception and interpretation of a message? Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13 (2008) 4359 2008 International Communication Association Hate speech is a message that advocates oppression and violence toward a group of people. Human Communication on the Internet (2004) Shedletsky and Aitken Hate speech reaches many outlets through both verbal and written word. However, the internet provides a means for haters to communicate, collaborate and plot not possible in the offline world. Hate can be found in video games, dedicated websites, magazines, books, the news, blogs and many other places. Hateful words often turn into hateful actions Christopher Wolf January 2009 Who is targeted? Homosexuals, celebrities, political figures, different religious groups, certain ethnicities, sports teams The internet has become easy access for people to express their hatred toward certain people or groups that it would be an easier question to answer who is not targeted. There is so much hate these days that, the list of who is targeted is practically empty. People say and do things online that they would never do in person Christopher Wolf January 2009 According to Christopher Wolf, Chair of Anti- Defamation League Internet Task Force Laws will create a sense of security but probably cannot be truly enforced so it will weaken the law as a tool Hate in the Information Age (2008) Wolf In other words we will create a law that will make the targeted feel better, but will not do anything to stop those participating and will make the law look like a big joke. If something cannot be enforced, then why create it??? Besides that, dont we have the 1 st Amendment in the United States guaranteeing us freedom of speech? What do you think? We are living in the 21 st Century, do you think there should be a law to protect from hate speech or should the 1 st Amendment stand firm to protect freedom of speech? Canada, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and India all have laws or have signed international conventions banning hate speech. Israel and France forbid the sale of Nazi items like swastikas and flags. It is a crime to deny the Holocaust in Canada, Germany and France. Hate speech or free speech? NY Times (2008) Liptak Right now the 1 st Amendment protects freedom of speech no matter how offensive the act. Is a disorder where someone cannot control their excessive use of the internet where it becomes problematic and interferes with normal activities and interactions. Why do people become addicted to the internet? According to NetAddiction.com 1 and 8 Americans are addicted to the internet Some people are more prone to addiction or impulsive behaviors than others The Internet fulfills voids in life The Internet provides entertainment Some people find it easier to socialize online than face-to-face Feel like it is therapeutic What are these people doing online? Online gambling Online Dating Video Games Social Networking Shopping Kids on the Internet Some children and teens are more likely than their peers to become addicted to the Internet, and a new study suggests it's more likely to happen if kids are depressed, hostile, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or social phobia. If at-risk children are not properly monitored, internet addiction could become the most chronic childhood disease. Internet Addiction linked to ADHD, depression in Teens (2009) MacMillan What can internet addiction do to you? Develop poor interaction skills Ruin personal relationships Interfere with work, school, family and friends Are there different types of internet addiction? Cybersexual Addiction- pornographic activity Cyber-Relational Addiction- chat rooms/ online relationships Net Gaming- gambling, gaming, shopping and stocks Information Overload- web and database searching for info Computer Addiction- games and other activities not done online such as solitaire How to tell if you are addicted: First off, are you more prone to addiction? Is your internet use interrupting activities? Has someone complained to you about how much you use the internet? If you have answered yes to any of the above I suggest taking the addiction test. Psychologist Dr. Kimberly Young has developed a test to determine if online users are addicted or not Please follow this link and take the test to see your results: Internet Addiction Test Internet Addiction Test This test measures mild, moderate and severe addiction If you are addicted you can and probably should seek some sort of help through a professional, support from family and friends, limiting and/or monitoring internet use. Wolf, C. (May 15, 2008). Hate in the Information Age. Briefing of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) Rosenthal, R. (2009). Media violence, antisocial behavior, and the social consequences of small effects. Journal of Social Issues, 42, Salmons, D. (2008). Internet Hoaxes and Scams and Why We Believe in Them. Test Freaks Blog. Owyang, J. (Jan. 2008). Social Network Stats: Facebook, MySpace, Reunion.Weekly Digest of the Social Networking Space. Mikkelson, D. ( ). 25 Hottest Urban Legends.Shedletsky, L., Aitken, J.(2004). Human Communication on the Internet. (pp ). Boston, MA. Pearson Education, Inc. Works Cited Chasin, R. (2005, Jul/Aug). Getting beyond polarization.State Legislatures; Vol 31 issue 7 p retrieved on Oct 15,2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Turnage, A. (2008).Flaming Behaviors and Organizational Conflict. p4359. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication International Communication Association. MacMillan, A. (October 5, 2009). Internet Addiction linked to ADHD, depression in Teens. CNN. Hill, C. (April 16, 2004). Cyber Junkies, The Story of Internet Addiction. Foundations of Information Technology.