Friendships cut short on social media as people get ruder: survey

Reuters ^ | 4/10/13 | Belinda Goldsmith

[SoFloFreeper]

Rudeness and throwing insults are cutting online friendships short with a survey on Wednesday showing people are getting ruder on social media and two in five users have ended contact after a virtual altercation.

As social media usage surges, the survey found so has incivility with 78 percent of 2,698 people reporting an increase in rudeness online with people having no qualms about being less polite virtually than in person.

One in five people have reduced their face-to-face contact with someone they know in real life after an online run-in.

[SoFloFreeper]

I can testify. There are those old friends whom we cannot believe have turned out to be people who openly celebrate abortion, sodomy, government control of wealth, and racism....

[mountn man]

I don’t know about social media, but Yahoo forums are especially rude. Liberals seldom “discuss” issues, they just spew at anyone and everyone that disagrees with their world view.

[ClearCase_guy]

I can’t believe you said that. How dare you insult Yahoo forums! It’s over between us.

[Caipirabob]

I’m ditching anyone who remotely sounds like a damned, cursed socialist jack wagon.

[mountn man]

Obviously you're not a liberal.

Otherwise you would have sworn repeatedly at me.

[Fred Hayek]

I have no use for social media. And I don’t really call LinkedIn social media. I will not even go to a Fakebook page.

[ClearCase_guy]

Dang! I thought I could pull it off!

[cyn]

Why on earth did you post this nonsense? Total waste of bandwidth.

/sarc

[Gabz]

...78 percent of 2,698 people reporting an increase in rudeness online with people having no qualms about being less polite virtually than in person.

It happens right here on FR on an increasingly regular basis - I encountered it earlier this evening.

I remember a time on FR when rudeness and personal insults aimed at other posters was not tolerated at all - now it is a regular ( and apparently acceptable) everyday occurrence.

[Gabz]

Yahoo forums have ALWAYS been rude.

[mountn man]

Over at Yahoo, they'd never say "Its over between us".

They'd just say F#@k You j@gO##, you f#@king f#@k of a f#@k...F#@k you.

[sarasmom]

Viking Kitties now control the entire electronic world!

[Incorrigible]

I remember a time on FR when rudeness and personal insults aimed at other posters was not tolerated at all

I had to check your sign up date Gabz 'cause that was a long time ago!

But even then we had ***Ash Alerts***

.

[this_ol_patriot]

Viking Kitties now control the entire electronic world!

To think, it all started years ago with Mewsnet.

[EQAndyBuzz]

I closed my Facebook account the minute Obama won Ohio. I knew what was coming and had no use for it.

[Tammy8]

I encountered it yesterday right here on FR, you are right rudeness and personal insults were not allowed but seem to be fine now. Not sure why, disagreement with issues used to bring out well reasoned discussion and now it deteriorates into rudeness and name calling. Just asking a question is now enough to invite rudeness.

[Gabz]

Yes, there were the “Ash Alerts” but still - there was a much higher level of decorum and politeness and a much lower tolerance of rudeness and personal attacks.

[JoeProBono]