PAPER V: FINAL PAPER

FACEBOOK RUDENESS 1

FACEBOOK RUDENESS 5

Facebook Rudeness: How Comments May Affect One’s Attitude and Behavior

Maria Ortega

Florida International University

The circulation of printed media has seen a major decline of subscribers and people together with the industry dealing in information disbursement has resorted to online platforms. As such, social media platforms like Facebook have stamped their authority as relevant online channels for socializing and marketing. Studies indicate that these online channels are not used by people for information seeking alone but also for social interaction and politics. Colliander (2019) argues that in the new days to come, people will no longer view their world through the front pages of popular magazines but through Facebook news feed. It is just a matter of time before the printed papers are down away with since all information is available online at the touch of a button. Since the ever changing technological world is not hid, various TV and radio stations are developing strategies to adapt to the changing patterns of seeking and utilizing information hence setting up of their channels within social network cites. Cionea et al (2017), states that this new age of Web 2.0 is characterized by the interactive potential of online technologies and new media. With its new features, academicians and practitioners have increasingly given attention to liking and commenting features. This is because of their prevalence and impact on people’s attitudes and behaviors. On media pages, news outlets’ and websites, such features have enabled users to express their opinions. The opinions of the users give the owners of account make certain changes to please their audience members, and participate in processes of news production and interpretation. In the past Facebook had a big number of young users but things are drastically changing as even the older generation has grown a liking for it. According to Pew Research Centre (2015), the young generation tops in the percentage of people using Facebook.

Moreover, online commenting is becoming more popular on Facebook, as increasing numbers of organizations such as parastatals, radio and TV stations are removing their websites’ comment sections and focus on building sustainable online society around their Facebook pages (Cionea et al, 2017). Without a doubt Facebook pages and their associated user comments have become part and parcel of each other impacting the online news-consumption experience not only in the United States but around the world. It is noteworthy that Facebook does not hide the name of the user hence ensuring that comments come from real people and not computer generated items.

The comment section does not just carry words but people’s thoughts, opinions and ideas. As such, some people are civil while others are rowdy. People are free to comment anything unless blocked by the admin or owner of a platform. However, the comments can affect an individual behavior, attitude, and expectation. According to Weber et al. (2020), comments on Facebook have the ability to alter a person’s mindset on certain issues, give them certain attitudes and even instill either positive or negative emotions. It has been proved that most Facebook users today are driven by a desire to win people’s approval meaning that a person will dress and address people in the social platform in a way that match the social context. This means that a person may even live a fake life on Facebook since they have to win the approval of their friends. Many people take pictures around vehicles or posh houses which they do not possess so that they may be accepted within a social setting.

The brain is an important organ in a person’s life. It is what makes a person who they are. In the past people would read books and be influenced by content. Things have taken an opposite turn with this new generation. Social media has become the new site for getting influential persons and adopting their ideas. Different comments on Facebook can directly or indirectly affect an individual’s perception of who they are and what they believe. When a person’s belief is influenced, their behavior is also impacted not only in the Facebook platform but also in their practical daily life. According to Kim and Kim (2019), comments in their varied states have an effect on a person’s attitude and reasoning. Kim and Kim held that people who are exposed to too much uncivil comments are more likely to end up with negative emotions in their lives, their attitudes also change for the worse and they are more likely to form barriers while receiving new information.

It would be injustice to state that all comments on Facebook are negative. Exposure to humble and positive comments that are void of rude content and disrespect also influence people to positive attitude and emotions in life. According to Spottswood and Hancock (2016), a positive concern on Facebook influenced others to post positive messages and avoid rude content. When a person is commended for posting their nice picture or a piece of information, they are likely to do that over and over again and also those people around them are influenced to do the same. There is need for education of the public on the need to promote humble communication between each other.

References

Cionea, I. A., Piercy, C. W., & Carpenter, C. J. (2017). A profile of arguing behaviors on Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 76, 438–449.

Colliander, J. (2019). “This is fake news”: Investigating the role of conformity to other users’ views when commenting on and spreading disinformation in social media. Computers in Human Behavior, 97, 202–215.

Kim, Y., & Kim, Y. (2019). Incivility on Facebook and political polarization: The mediating role of seeking further comments and negative emotion. Computers in Human Behavior, 99, 219–227

Spottswood, E. L., & Hancock, J. T. (2016). The positivity bias and prosocial deception on facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 65, 252–259.

Weber, M., Viehmann, C., Ziegele, M., & Schemer, C. (2020). Online Hate Does Not Stay Online – How Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Mediate the Effect of Civil Negativity and Hate in User Comments on Prosocial Behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, 104, 106192.