Internet forum psychology
I hope this is a subject that can be taken somewhat seriously with a mature level of debate, or I guess it just confirms what i'm going to say.
There is something about the way people act on the internet, in particular forums, places like YouTube or anywhere that has a message board. I'm pretty appalled by the way people can act on the internet, and YouTube is probably the worst offender. I don't think you can have one video on YouTube that doesn't have a black person in it without a horrendously racist comment within 5 posts. But I also find the behaviour of people of internet forums equally strange and bizarre. It makes me wonder, if some of the people act the way they do on a forum/message board that they do in real life, most people would think that person was a complete douche! I dont just think it's the strange way people talk on the internet, using heavy internet slang, usually crap picked up from places like 4Chan, but it's the general rudeness that seems pervasive.
It seems that internet behaviour is so strange and different from every day life, that it warrants some sort of psychological study or debate. I think the internet is a fantastic thing, as it creates the spread of information, especially to places where information is repressed, but im quite perturbed by the strange behaviour it engenders.
My only conclusion to how people act on the internet is this:
People are good, but internet anonymity makes it easier for a person to act like a tool, because there are few reprisals. Which begs the next question.
Is the internet poster a good person that acts like a tool because of anonymity, or is the internet person a bad person that only acts good in face to face social environments.
I tend to lean to the latter, but im curious as to what others may think.