Social Networks Hostility: Online Communication Not So Sweet

An interesting research article just came out about hostile communication on social networking sites. When I think about it, my activities on Facebook has been less lately (past 3 months or so) because people have been posting negative comments, complaining, or just go off on other peoples status updates. Twitter and Google + are not as bad but Facebook has just been a downer for me. I just assumed people were unhappy, stressed or something. Perhaps they are just more negative in online conversations compared to face-to-face communication. The author, Joseph Grenny, found:

• 78 percent of users reported rising incivility online.
• Two out of five blocked, unsubscribed to, or defriended someone over arguments that took place via social media.
• 76 percent have witnessed arguments via social media.
• 19 percent have decreased in-person contact with someone because of something they said online.
• 88 percent believe people are less polite on social media than in person.
• 81 percent said difficult or emotionally charged conversations they have held over social media remained unresolved

(http://allfacebook.com/study-hostility-joseph-grenny_b115004)

The author goes onto suggest some tips for communicating respectfully online. I really like this one:

• Pause to put emotions in check: Never post a comment when you’re feeling emotionally triggered. Never! If you wait four hours, you’re likely to respond differently.

I personally have this rule for online communications such as social networking site posting and comments, email, instant messaging, etc. I think this is a great tip that everyone should follow. I cannot tell you how many times I get an email, Facebook message, or see a response to a post that is covered in negativity which usually just makes me think the person is on a rant. It definitely doesn’t make me any more likely to understand their point or position on a topic, instead it just causes me to shut down and stop reading. So perhaps future research should look at the implications of the hostile communication happening online?