In cyberspace everyone can hear you swear

Timski says:

10:13am | 14/07/09

I suppose whether you’re having a go at someone in the real world or online the same sort of rules apply. You are in public after all.

Eric says:

10:19am | 14/07/09

It might be worth mentioning, for the record, that the comments on this site are of the pre-moderated kind.

I prefer post-comment moderation, combined with a system of registration.

Registering commenters allows persistent offenders to be banned, while also making it difficult to fake identities. As it stands, The Punch has no protection against commenters impersonating other commenters.

SULLY says:

12:37pm | 14/07/09

As recent posts on Mumbrella have shown, there is an interesting element of self-regulation on-line.
Not necessarily in language (profanities can be blocked in the same way as the TV beep).
More in the way that any incredibly biased or over opinionated view of any kind will draw a response.
The risk is that it turns into a school yard brawl, but in my experience so far, the moral majority seem to win. Just.
As more extremist groups tap into the medium it will be interesting to see if it can be manipulated?

Adam Dennis says:

01:48pm | 14/07/09

These days it’s becoming standard to get commenters signed up, then let them give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down vote in response to nutbaggery. Enough thumbs-down votes and a comment quietly disappears. Add in a bad language filter that automatically masks words from sensitive eyes, and you’ve got a system that allows real-time discussion with community values determining what gets seen in the long run. Yes, there’s the chance that the moral majority might target dissenting ideas ... but there’s an equal chance that the loony left could do the same thing. Generally it all tends to even out after a while and everyone gets along in the playground reasonably well.

Mind you, I’d love a filter that automatically applies proper case to those whose caps lock key is mysteriously stuck in the on position.

footy says:

04:50pm | 14/07/09

F*&$, yes

suze says:

06:59pm | 14/07/09

I’m far more creative with my insults online.  I swear obscenities offline everyday, always and often because it’s easier, and i can raise the severity by saying the word louder or repeating it several times or making different swear combination’s. It all comes down to anger management but if you stub your little toe in a piece of furniture you are not going to say “oh golly gosh that hurts”.

Online i don’t need to use swear words as it is very easy to express or put another person or issue down in so many other written ways. When i look back at my online writing i cringe when i see I’ve over used a swear word.
I’ve had to monitor how I respond to others because writing even without swear words can appear very aggressive and intimidating and after all i want to prove my point not make someone wee their pants in fear.

Brian says:

07:38pm | 14/07/09

Personally, I’m not surprised that people swear less online. I’ve got a couple of theories regarding it:

1) When you swear in person, it’s normally something which flows. Rarely do I think ‘Hmm, let’s swear’ - normally I’m not even aware I’m speaking until I get ‘Gee, that hurts like fu’ out. Most really profligate swearers I know don’t realise they actually swear that much. Online, however, you have to think. I know of very few people who type as automatically as they speak, and most of those are trained (strangely, most training doesn’t include swearing).

2) Online it is much easier to re-read and correct your comment (I’ve reworded theory 1 four times so far), but in real life you get only one chance to say something that makes sense. As a result swearing online only makes it appear that you need these useless words to get your point across, that you are unable to use the English language correctly, and that therefore your arguments are inherently coming from a lower base (true or not, this is how it is viewed. How many of you would take financial advice from a man who swore repeatedly, smelled and wore a blue, stained singlet? For all you know he’s an expert in stocks).

3) Inherently we all want to appear intelligent and reasonable online. Swearing is not usually associated with these traits in the social consciousness.

4) In person we know who we are talking to, and how offended they are likely to get. Online we are making comments without knowing who will read them. I know that when I am with my friends I swear like a sailor (Oops, sorry, being ‘job-ist’ there), but as soon as a stranger, girlfriend or wife arrives we quiet down a lot. Similarly, in a closed chat room, MSN conversation or something similar the language is a lot cruder than on a news site.

AW says:

10:48am | 15/07/09

I agree with Brian,
I chat a lot online, mainly on MSN.  I chat with a group of people from around the country (inc NZ), and I have to say that I re-read everything before I post, so that things can’t be taken the wrong way.  But when it comes to On-on-One chats (when I know the person won’t mind) the filters come off and I tend to say stuff that I’d never say face-to-face.