[Air-l] Flame Wars

[Ben Davidson]

Eva,

Would you accept the idea that the medium is the problem?

I pendulum between two views.  Sometimes I feel persuaded by the thought
that this medium really is different - the lack of visual (and most other
non-verbal) cues fosters misinterpretation, poisonous projection, malignant
mirroring and all the other dysfucntional facets of group dynamics.  If
you're ready to feel threatened, slighted, ignored, it's the perfect medium
to get that experience confirmed.  And across the 'net, you're sufficiently
distant from the others communicating to feel safe in retaliating.  Road
rage is similar, you feel protected with a sort of barrier between you and
the other.

Other times I see lists much as any other (large) group.  After all,
thoughtless reaction isn't confined to electronic media.  As I wake this
morning in London I hear on the news that Catholic schoolgirls are being
attacked again in Belfast on their way to school by the mob, while
Protestants feel that their rights to secure boundaries after years of
republican military action are being trampled on.  It's easy to get
polarised in any group, and the only difference in Internet large groups is
that we are less familiar in 'reading between the lines' of communications.
But that will change as Internet fora become as second nature as the phone
now is.  Or television.

This second set of ideas I developed in a paper in group analysis reproduced
here:
www.bendavidson.co.uk/professional_pages/publications/articles/lrgegrp.htm

I'd be interested in yout thoughts.

Ben


----- Original Message -----
From: "Eva Ekeblad" <eva.ekeblad at goteborg.utfors.se>
To: <air-l at aoir.org>
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2002 8:33 AM
Subject: Re: [Air-l] Flame Wars

>Why flame?