[Serkevan]

There seems to be a proliferation of this on the internet!

Nah, it's just more visible. Outside the internet there's more control over your social interactions, so it's simple to cut certain individuals off quickly. On the Internet one's more exposed to other... people, shall we say. Of course that also means that on the Internet it's more common to come across opinions that are radically different to your own, and we all know that those are all wrong .

(I jest, but part of the reason why the Internet is so confrontational is that it's human nature to entrench themselves and make even innocuous opinions about irrelevant stuff personal)

[Larrymc]

Nah, it's just more visible. Outside the internet there's more control over your social interactions, so it's simple to cut certain individuals off quickly. On the Internet one's more exposed to other... people, shall we say. Of course that also means that on the Internet it's more common to come across opinions that are radically different to your own, and we all know that those are all wrong .

(I jest, but part of the reason why the Internet is so confrontational is that it's human nature to entrench themselves and make even innocuous opinions about irrelevant stuff personal)

I think anonymity breeds confrontational situations on the internet. If a person is an unseen poster on the internet he or she is more likely to say some things they would not say in face to face conversations

[Unregistered User 8]

I think anonymity breeds confrontational situations on the internet. If a person is an unseen poster on the internet he or she is more likely to say some things things they would not say in face to face conversations

A wise friend of mine was talking about how to post on social media and said " Imagine you're having a face-to-face disagreement with a very large angry man who is holding a large club."

[reh321]

I think anonymity breeds confrontational situations on the internet. If a person is an unseen poster on the internet he or she is more likely to say some things things they would not say in face to face conversations

Also, our "modern" society seems to breed contempt for expertise, a view that one opinion is as good as that of someone who actually knows what s/he is talking about.
On LinkedIn, I had to produce an example of programming to create something that could be run at home to show that a student's example, taken from the Internet, was just plain wrong.
The Internet has created a world of experts, "free" from editors.

[Larrymc]

A wise friend of mine was talking about how to post on social media and said " Imagine you're having a face-to-face disagreement with a very large angry man who is holding a large club."

So true.

[Larrymc]

Also, our "modern" society seems to breed contempt for expertise, a view that one opinion is as good as that of someone who actually knows what s/he is talking about.
On LinkedIn, I had to produce an example of programming to create something that could be run at home to show that a student's example, taken from the Internet, was just plain wrong.
The Internet has created a world of experts, "free" from editors.

Excellent point.

[Serkevan]

I think anonymity breeds confrontational situations on the internet. If a person is an unseen poster on the internet he or she is more likely to say some things they would not say in face to face conversations

That is the other part - although I believe that anonimity doesn't create confrontation as much as it doesn't give incentives to hide it. Semantics, in any case; the practical result is that the internet does feel more confrontational and full of armchair experts.

[reh321]

That is the other part - although I believe that anonimity doesn't create confrontation as much as it doesn't give incentives to hide it. Semantics, in any case; the practical result is that the internet does feel more confrontational and full of armchair experts.

and guns are not as useful as words are on the Internet.
I'm not sure what your country is like, but the US has become very confrontational - and if I say any more, I'll get a whole handful of moderators mad at me.

[Parallax]

Every thread in in News and Rumors eventually jumps the shark.

I'ts pretty ironic that this particular one deviated so far.