Four weeks ago I blogged that I was pressing pause, and then took a two week vacation. I let everything hit the floor, and stayed offline and out of business for the most part. Heck, I didn’t even write until… Read More »Breathe, then Think
There are two things that they say one should not discuss in public settings; politics and religion. Yet, my new book Exodus takes the latter topic head on, and examines what causes people to act violently in the name of… Read More »Dancing Around that Religion Thing
The following is a guest post by my former colleague Andrea Weckerle, the founder of CiviliNation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting online hostility and character assassination. Her book Civility in the Digital Age: How Companies and People Can Triumph over Haters, Trolls, Bullies, and Other Jerks was released in February.
Every single day we see example after example of online attacks against individuals and organizations. It’s as though people have forgotten, or possible never even learned, the art of disagreeing with another’s position or point of view without devolving into personal or reputational attacks against the other side as a means of expressing their displeasure.
What’s interesting is that when we think about online attacks, we often focus exclusively on who the people or companies in dispute are. Identifying the public-facing attacker and the visible target or victim is relatively easy, whereas we tend to overlook the behind-the-scenes or hidden disputants who are represented by the visible ones.
A cloud hangs over Manhattan
A forthcoming Columbia University and University of Pittsburgh study shows that surfing on Facebook with close friends lowers inhibitions towards self control. The study says that with an inflated positive self caused by ego-stroking on Facebook we feel more inclined to take license.
So now we know the medium is toxic. Does that give us license to behave poorly?
In recent weeks, I’ve seen and received direct feedback from several folks that we all act like assholes and b&^ches online.
That’s true.
Read More »It’s Not OK
President Obama and Jack Dorsey at the White House Twitter Town Hall Everyone talks about relationships and the importance of two-way interaction in social media. Participation is a cornerstone of building strong community presence. But other than core subject matter… Read More »Give Them Something to Talk About
Sitting on a panel about public failure this past week, the conversation revolved around negative comments and how to handle them online (Image by thebittenword.com). After five years on the internet as an opinionated blogger, I’ve learned a thing or… Read More »Attack of the Fried Chicken Freaks