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Message boards are a great way to share ideas or communicate with people around the world. They can be used to find information, compare opinions, or meet new people. Yet message boards can be treacherous places with flaring tempers and mean posters just waiting to stir up trouble.

Why do people have to be so mean on message boards?

There may never be a satisfactory answer to explain such negative behavior, but looking at some of the reasons may help shed light on the subject.

1. Anonymity

On message boards, people do not have to look each other in the eye or, in many cases, even give their real names. They are free to say whatever they want and this freedom seems to bring out some nasty behavior. There may be multiple motives behind the viciousness, but anonymity is the cloak that lets the mean comments fly.

Anonymity lets some people feel uninhibited enough to say any uncensored thought that passes through their minds. Without fear of reprisal, it's possible to trot out any offensive argument or just revert to grade school name-calling and cursing.

2. Misunderstood Meanings

Not all message board meanness is intentional. Or at least not at the source. Misunderstanding on message boards abound. The same can be said about email, chat, or other written communication. Particularly when posters dash off short, vague statements or comment in chat-speak.

Without tone of voice and facial expressions, written words can take on multiple meanings. It is much too easy to misunderstand what someone else has typed and that misunderstanding can escalate to a whole out war of words in no time.

3. Malicious Mischief

And some message board meanness is entirely intentional. Whether it's from boredom, a desire for attention, or true malice, there are some people who go out of their way to stir up trouble on message boards.

These are usually the people who revert to name-calling or off-topic inflammatory arguments. There is no reasoning with someone who is just looking for controversy, but these mean-spirited posters are adept at pushing the buttons that keep escalating an argument.

4. Time to Think

Message boards are not real-time. This can both squash flame wars and escalate them. How many times have you seen an offended poster say that they will not dignify an inappropriate comment with a response only to have a change of heart and post a tirade later?

When in the middle of a message board argument, having time to wait for a response either lets tempers cool or keeps people dwelling on the issue, making it worse in their own minds. It can go either way, especially when multiple posters are involved.

5. An Open Forum

More the merrier? Maybe. But often, open message boards mean there are more people to jump in and cause confusion or shift the direction of a conversation. Changing the direction of a topic is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can frustrate those who step away and come back to find that the thread has been spun off course and their previous comments are now being quoted out of context.

When there are misunderstanding on message boards, some well-meaning posters will want to clarify someone else's comments. The intention is to mediate but, if they are also misunderstanding the comments, this may lead to more trouble. You can't please everyone all the time, and that is especially true on message boards!

Next time you are on a message board, try remembering that there are actual people behind the other posted comments. If you wouldn't say it to a person's face, then don't type it online.

Learn more about this author, Susan Quilty.
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