Online communities tend to become alarmingly toxic over time
A research study investigated the online behaviour of a British electronic dance music community over 18 years, analysing more than seven million posts from its 20,000 members.
People who socialize in online communities often become alarmingly hostile, toxic, and verbally violent to one another, according to new research by Birkbeck, University of London, Vienna University of Economics and Business, and HEC Paris.
Online communities are important places for social interaction with people from all over the world meeting to discuss common interests. But easy-going discussions about shared hobbies can quickly turn into hate and malice, bullying, and trolling. This was evidenced in this research study which investigated the online behaviour of a British electronic dance music community over 18 years, with more than seven million posts from its 20,000 members being analysed.
Olivier Sibai, Lecturer in Marketing at Birkbeck, said: “Clubbing culture is all about fun and escapism, so I was surprised by how conflictual the atmosphere was in this online forum. By examining the discussions over time, it was clear that chatting online seems to lead to constant frustration and ultimately to a toxic culture.”
The researchers identified three kinds of direct, structural, cultural, and mutually reinforcing forms of violence: sadistic entertainment (verbal conflict and exploitation performed in front of an audience for their entertainment), clan warfare (competing subgroups vie for dominance), and popular justice (members violently enforce community norms). The research team concluded that frustrated desires for entertainment, social status, and justice are the main reasons for violence.
Moderators have an important role to play to stop online violence. Marius Lüdicke, Head of the Institute for International Marketing Management at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business commented: “If moderators recognise and name these patterns early on and, above all, speak out against the supposed harmlessness of online verbal violence, they can probably curb this behaviour.”
"Verbal violence on the internet should not be taken lightly. There is now sufficient evidence that it can lead to depression, anxiety, feelings of shame and post-traumatic stress disorder, and even increases the rates of self-harm and suicide among young people. This study contributes to an increased understanding of online violence and therefore a better response to it.”
The study was published in the Journal of Consumer Research.