What do you think accounts for the rise in incivility?

[Prism]

123. I think the Internet is eroding socialization

Mind you, politics were never really all that civilized to begin with. I spend a lot of time reading 18th and 19th Century political materials, and what got said to and about opposition politicians would never ever fly in contemporary America. We may think the Rush Limbaughs and Ann Coulters are beyond the pale, but believing so simply proves just how far we've come. Even the 20th Century had its Red Scares and McCarthyite eras, where the worst things imaginable were believed and spread about anyone who opposed your ideology. Perhaps they weren't doing it on television, but the whisper campaigns were used to great effect, and conventions thrived on believing every vile lie about your opponent.

So, politically, we're probably a bit better these days.

Socially, I honestly believe it's the Internet. The Internet just doesn't have the same reinforcing factors general socialization requires. You can say what you want to who you want, and what kind of trouble will you ever get in? Worse, there's a kind of momentum that comes with anti-social behavior. There are entire popular message boards and websites dedicated to behavior that any parent would be horrified to find their child engaging in.

Proper adult socialization requires us to inhibit our thoughts, words, and feelings for the sake of lubricating our relationships. The Internet renders that moot. In fact, the internet will reward you with attention, peers, and praise if you find the right nook.

I don't think it's coincidental that the expansion of the Internet has seen a rise in un-PC humor, where racist, sexist, and homophobic jokes find large audiences among youth. Think of the Daniel Toshes of the world.

Look at yahoo comment sections after news stories. Check out right-wing blogs. Heck, look at DU. These are full of people screaming whatever they want to whoever they want in ways they never would if the people they were talking to were present in the same room.

This Freedom of the Tantrum online has become so ubiquitous, it's starting to seep into our offline culture. Online, people have always felt free to be uncivil. And hey, not having those inhibitions feels good. People get in the habit of being nasty and rude.

Well, there's no such thing as separate personalities. How you are Online reflects upon who you are Offline.

I think we're really starting to see that more and more. The world is full of jerks, but until the Internet celebrated jerkery, a lot of people kept their jerk-aspect under wraps. Now, we celebrate it.

It is what it is.