www.guardian.co.uk/online/news/0,12597,1178589,00.html
Chatrooms separate the men from the boys Polly Curtis Friday March 26, 2004 Internet chatroom users can be so aggressive that a sociologist studying them has labelled some online communities electronic fight clubs. According to the new research, even the most laid-back people can erupt into furious rants when debating online, and its all part of an effort to distinguish themselves from the next user. Some even take on multiple personalities in a bid to outsmart their online acquaintances, while others adopt menacing usernames. Gordon Fletcher, an information systems lecturer at Salford University, revealed his findings to the British Sociological Association meeting this week. His paper, entitled Fight Club: culture, conflict and everyday life amongst an online community, focussed on a sociological study of an online finance forum, describes conflict as a unifying social force that shapes individual participants relationships with one another. The researchs abstract explains: Conflict is an important social force among online communities, as it assists in the construction of hierarchies and social orders without the need for prior knowledge of individual participants or other forms of verification or trust in relation to the claimed identity of others. The finance chatrooms that Mr Fletcher studied were made up of stockbrokers and finance buffs, who used pseudonyms such as Moriarty and Xerxes, and repeatedly argued until they established a pattern of social hierarchy. The hallmark observation of this forum was the regularity with which conflict occurred among the members, Mr Fletcher told the Times Higher Education Supplement. These people are coming together because they have a common interest, but that doesnt necessarily mean they want to be friends with one another, he added. Talk Come and have a go if you think youre hard enough Printable version Send it to a friend Save story .
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