Identifying Attitudes Through Newsgroups Messages

What I Learned Through Newsgroups


Instructions for this Report


Introduction: The Search Begins...

As technology continues to increase and more people become contributing members of the cyber-community it becomes increasingly difficult to keep from drowning in the overwhelming flood of information available on the internet. Everyone seems to want to share opinions or contribute data on just about any subject you can think of. So how does someone manage to make heads or tails of all this knowledge? How can you keep track of current news on topics of interest? By using Newsgroups and their related search engines one can easily follow posted messages on the net about subjects of their choice. They have access to information as well as the ability to share with others by writing posts themselves. But what kinds of people participate in Newsgroups? In an attempt to identify attitudes through Newsgroup messages I followed various groups for a significant amount of time cutting and pasting what I felt was relevant and proof of Newsgroup behavior.
Using the DejaNews search engine, I looked up "aggressive drivers" and read about 50 of the most current postings on the subject. I repeated this search numerous times for a couple of weeks alternating between "road rage" and "aggressive drivers" search parameters. Of the many messages I read, all were included in these various Newsgroups: rec.motorcycle, atl.general, misc.transport.urban, triangle.general, alt.autos.sport.nhr, and rec.autos.driving. At first I felt lost in a never-ending labyrinth of slanted responses and dead-end arguments but as I eventually found my way and began to make sense of the various Newsgroups. Although there were many messages I believed to be informational as well as thought provoking, there seemed to be an equal amount of idiotic and thoughtless posts. As I familiarized myself with the Newsgroups, I soon discovered that more was going on the just a simple exchanges of information. Messages on Newsgroups were answered by its readers with negative or positive feedback which in turn was replied to from the original author creating a process of communication. Newsgroup participants often share similar points, agreements, and new understanding but more often have misunderstandings, disagreements, and just plain fights. I believe this is natural as those involved feel strongly about the subject matter and is characteristic of all human interaction. As far as I can tell Newsgroups provide an alternative means of communication for users sharing similar interests. It helps spread information from one group to another but also provides means for social interaction as individuals react to different postings.

How Newsgroups are Described in The Generational Curriculum: Lessons Learned from the Past

To get a better overall understanding on what is involved in participating in a Newsgroup the class was instructed to visit web pages of some of the previous students involved in Dr. Leon James Generational curriculum. There were posts describing in detail their experiences with joining and participating in various Newsgroups, what they got out of it, and how they feel about it.

Kendra Morgan's Report on Newsgroups

The report by Kendra Morgan consisted of topics covering how to use Newsgroups, rules for participating, the relay of messages, what participation is like, and the effects of Newsgroup involvement.
Eventually, she decided to follow the rec.scuba and misc.health.alternative Newsgroups going through netscape with alta vista. Although she had never tried scuba diving or holistic medicine before she believed these to be interesting subjects to follow. But to help understand the process she defines important Newgroups terms such as flagging, exporting, threads, spamming, and flaming. The report also mentions different types of behavior observed while searching through the different posts. Disagreements and criticisms get old after a while, according to Kenya, but for the most part she found much of the information helpful and interesting. A significant portion of the remaining report is dedicated to her first posting and response experiences. She was really interested in information involving scuba diving but was too intimidated to ask questions. After a while, she did find the nerve to post a message receiving mixed results from not very helpful, to very helpful, to totally useless advertisements.
Overall she felt that the study of Newsgroup interaction was becoming more important because of the amount of people now involved. And that it could be helpful if you had the right instruction.

Kristin Evert's Report on Newsgroups

I liked Kristin's Report. I appreciate her cheerful demeanor, her comfortable writing style, and I relate to her inexperience and lack of a home computer.
She begins much like everyone else, expressing her thoughts on Newsgroups and how they are important and that we should know more about them, etc. What I found interesting was her lack of computer knowledge and of a home computer! It becomes extremely difficult to do work for this type of class if you have access only on campus during lab hours. I know, I'm in the same darn boat. But I digress. "Getting the Bad News" is how she labels the first part of her report. I thought this was very amusing as I (and most of the class I'll wager) felt the same way when we got our assignments. She talks about how she was skeptical about learning to use Newsgroups and that she didn't think it would be that interesting. But proceeding with the project she eventually chooses two groups involving Disney secrets and Billy Joel. By following the messages of these two groups for a few weeks she learns what is involved with using Newsgroups. She goes on to talk about quoting, rules for groups, flaming, threads, predictable, conflicting, breaking, her experiences with her very first post, and her future involvement with Newsgroups.
Although she feels that there are those that don't appreciate the importance of Newsgroups she thinks that they are good source of information and a place to find individuals of similar interest.

Erin Tanaka's Report on Newsgroups

When reading Erin's report the one thing that I noticed was that she made a few references to having friends her acquaintances help her. The reason that I felt that was important was because many of the generation 7 students have found help with each other or outside of class. I myself don't know what I would do if my friends ignored my desperate pleas for help, instruction, and computer use.
Her report and be broken up into these basic sections: what a Newsgroup is, her experiences while exploring, learning the different rules of Newsgroups, and what it's like to be involved in the Newsgroup process. Eventually, after learning how to access various Newsgroups through DejaNews she decided to follow posts in the rec.arts.bodyart and rec.pets.dogs.breeds groups. After following the posts for a significant amount of time she became more accustomed to the norms of Newsgroup interaction. In the report she talks about her experiences with some of the terms commonly found in Newsgroups such as quoting, flaming, and threading. She also discusses her first experiences of posting messages on the web. Initially she was very nervous and after making a few mistakes she was pleasantly surprised at the response she got by the other users. Finally, she searched using excite for articles related to Newsgroup etiquette because she was concerned while posting for the first time.
From her writings and general tone of the report I get the feeling that Erin had much to learn about computers and cyber-space before making much progress with Newsgroups. Taking this into account I feel she did a good job reflecting these experiences into this report.

Now that I know much more about Newsgroups I think that they are much more important that I first thought they were to be. I thought it would be boring current event type topics and mind numbing discussions about the meaning of life (of course there are these messages) but they turned out to be much, much, more. They provide valuable information and sources of communication for those of similar interest. Just about any topic you would be interested in are there for the access. I could maybe in the future become a lifetime participant of a Newsgroup if I had easy access to a computer and a need for such interaction because it seems to me the easiest way to stay current with issues that one deems important.

Attitudes and Newsgroups: What Kinds of People Use Newsgroups?

Attitudes are as diverse as people themselves. And as I searched through the posts on "road rage" and "aggressive driving" the various attitudes common to Newsgroups became apparent. Classifying them into five groups; flamers, mockers, regulars, and wagoners.

1. flamers

Occasionally you come across individuals, driven solely by a need to insult and humiliate others, whose thoughtless comments and incompetent arguments do nothing less than incite others to come down to their level of mindless stupidity. That sound a little harsh? Well, so do they. These people use Newsgroups as an outlet for their aggression as they vent their misguided and often unjust beliefs onto others. I feel that those of this attitude are terribly socially maladjusted. It seems to imply that they enjoy hurting the feelings of others as these users often participate in many different Newsgroups for the sole purpose of "flaming" or insulting others. If these attitudes extend to their everyday lives then they must be as hurtful to others in real life as they are in Newsgroups. Something I'm sure most people can do without.


Subject: Re: Road Rage = propaganda scam
From: hartman@NOSPAM.tconl.com (P.J. Hartman)
Date: 1997/09/30
Message-Id: <343c17f5.526926398@news.uswest.net>
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving

So, you were camping in the left lane, and you got away with only adirty look. You're probably lucky you're not road toast right now.

If it were me that wanted past you, I wouldn't give you any morethought than I would to any other rolling obstacle, unless you triedsomething stupid.

P.J. Hartman hartman{at}tconl{dot}com
Corvette, Talon, MGB, ZX-11, GS450LX, and Sonata

2. mockers

There are those users who contribute ideas and arguments to Newsgroups but do so by mocking other posts with sarcasm. They do not possess the mindless aggression common to flamers but share the similar lack of respect and hurtful attitude towards others. I think this reveals a philosophy common to many of people today which is lack of common courtesy. There is no reason to insult or put down the comments, even if its only through sarcasm, no matter how ridiculous or silly their arguments may seem. I'm sure that just about everyone has experienced someone who has had this type of attitude before. It is something we can do without in real-life as well as in Newsgroups.


Subject: Re: Road Rage!
From: ao984@freenet.carleton.ca (Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff)
Date: 1997/09/05
Message-Id: <3410686b.23750359@news.ncf.carleton.ca>
Newsgroups: alt.autos.sport.nhra,rec.autos.driving,uk.transport

Okay, I'm cracking now....

Doc, you're doing it again. You're hallucinating. Where exactly inthis article did you see _anyone_, let alone any law enforcement orsafety officials, mention anything about "competitive behavior"?

wow.

A mother might lovingly buckle her baby into an infant seat, carefullyplace it onto the rear seat of her vehicle, and then fail to correctlysecure the infant seat with the car's seat belt. It happens, far toofrequently. It is dangerous and illegal, and the mother is beingnegligent, reckless and incompetent. Or what if she places the infantseat up front, incompetently ignorant of the dangers presented by anair bag deployment? If in a subsequent collision the infant seat andbaby are thrown from the vehicle and crushed by a passing bus, wouldany sane person think of labeling either of these incidents as "roadrage"?

Man oh man! That sounds suspiciously like you're saying it's time togive up wine, women and good times... Acknowledge that you're allsinners before it's too late... It is time to repent... Donations tothe Church of Road Rage are now being accepted... Order my latestbook... Send cash only... Act quickly, while orders last...

3. regulars

Logical, thoughtful, helpful, and concise... these are qualities of users that would be ideal. These are individuals that most people would like to see participating in Newsgroups. They do not let their emotions effect their judgment, they make good points, and are usually quiet informative. I see users who share these attitudes as the best example of well adjusted individuals. They seem intelligent, capable, and in control of their emotional responses. These people appear to be truly interested in the issues raised on the various Newsgroups without other agendas such as aggression outlets. These individuals set the example of proper behavior on Newsgroups just as people with similar attitudes set examples in real life.


Subject: Re: Road Rage!
From: jcwconsult@aol.com (JCWCONSULT)
Date: 1997/09/05
Message-Id: <19970905130401.JAA22175@ladder01.news.aol.com>
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving

The really tragic thing about so-called road rage, or aggressive driving,is that some enormous percentage of it is actually caused byscientifically-invalid posted speed limits, and a lack of lane discipline.

If most roads were posted at their scientifically-valid, and safest, 85thto 90th percentile levels, that would help. It would make it totallyobvious that sitting in the left lane at the 50th percentile speed isstupid, wrong, and dangerous. When the posted speed limit is only at the50th percentile, the legislatures actually encourage such stupid, wrong,and dangerous behavior. By refusing to post scientifically-valid speedlimits, state legislatures (and to some extent NHTSA) actually cause a lotof road rage, or more-properly, aggressive driving.

The other item for correction is lane discipline. Proper speed limitshelp, but one other very inexpensive item would help more. Pass andenforce a law on lane discipline, and attach an inexpensive sticker toevery speed limits sign on major highways saying:

<-- Pass Left Drive Right -->

4. wagoners

I have a friend that, for the life of her, cannot make up her own mind. She is always quiet and never initiates decisions or conversations. I swear if it wasn't for other people telling her what to do she wouldn't get anything done. Now, she is an extreme example but I've noticed similar posts on the various Newsgroups that I've followed. For one reason or another they only positively reinforce existing messages. Now, there is nothing wrong with this because in a way this is a way of voicing your opinion on a subject. But they never contribute anything new to the issues. I've labeled users such as these "wagoners" or those that jump on the band wagon. I see individuals such as these as often lacking in self confidence. They very well may have good points to bring up or say but are to shy to venture their own ideas onto the web for others to examine. Instead, they contribute by commenting messages that already exist. Granted of course, some of these people may just have nothing to say other than agree with someone else already brought up. That's all right, I'm just focusing on those who exclusively and repeatedly just agree with other's opinions. This reveals that there are those who are reluctant to post original messages due to fear of negative feedback. It is really unfortunate that our society would reinforce silence that expression of original expression and thought.


From: "Tom Huckelberry"
Date: 1997/09/15
Message-Id: <01bcc22f.1996dca0$b9ac2499@thomashu>
Newsgroups: alt.autos.sport.nhra,alt.autos.rod-n-custom,alt.autos.camaro.firebird,alt.autos.ford,alt.autos.bmw,alt.autos

I couldn't have said this any better !!! "Don't fuel the fire people!!!! Look at the reasons we have aggressive drivers and road rage. Peoplelack courtesy on the road, don't do the same thing to people on the roadthat would set you off. Common sense is the key here. I have always beentaught that the left lane is for passing, which by the way does not haveto be posted as it was in you drivers manual. Ignorance of the law. TheState of Indiana has a law that states if you are blocking three or morecars in the left lane "YOU" will get the ticket for blocking the properflow of traffic.

If a person decides to exceed the speed limit that is their choice notyours to do something about it. That is the reason we have the multitudeof law Enforcement agencies, they are "trained" to handle situations not"YOU". If everybody would follow one principal rule that is "If somebodyis behind you in the left lane, yield to faster traffic" (another rule inthe drivers manual that people forget) If you are a control freak keep itat home or work not on the road !

Is There a Moral Crisis in Driving Attitudes? Lessons for Today?

Dr. James Congression Testimony

As Dr. Driving Dr. James Leon has had 15 years to accumulate knowledge, experience, and information on road rage. His web site contains oodles and oodles of road rage related information including reports from his Generational curriculum, research, and his congressional testimony. There, within his congressional testimony, are found much of his theories and findings on road rage and aggressive driving. It includes a copy of his oral presentation which includes; personal background, road rage potential, cultural influences, the problems related to defensive driving, emotional intelligence, new education, support groups, and what should be done, and a copy his written testimony which contains the following subjects; symptoms of road rage, road rage around the nation, magnification of road rage, examples of road rage, steps of road rage, dealing with aggressive drivers, what needs to be recognized, dealing with aggressive drivers, cultural significance, and statistics.
But how those this relate to you and me? Well, from reading all the post on the web and the findings of Dr. James Leon it becomes clear that we have a problem with attitudes on the road. Is there a moral crisis in driving attitudes? I would have to say yes... but I think it extends further than that. I believe that there is a moral crisis with our society in general and that the growing incidents of road rage are just one example of it. Something must be done to help deal with this growing problem. "Flamer" or "mocker" behavior do nothing to help but instead contribute to this difficult issue when we need a more rational approach such as those possessed by the "regulars." These individuals seem more likely to take the teachings and lessons presented here by Dr. James more seriously and implement them in their everyday lives.

Conclusion: Lessons for future Generations.

Newsgroups are a method of communicating to like-minded individuals on topics of similar interest. It provides a means of sharing knowledge, keeping up on current events, and acquiring helpful information. But just as in any type of communication process the attitudes of those involved either hinder or contribute to the interaction.
Many times while searching the net familiar, nevertheless disturbing, attitude influences can still be seen. For example; prejudice, stereotypes, group dynamics, socialization process, and motivational hierarchy are all appear in the Newsgroup messages. I've seen prejudice against many people in my search but there seems to be a lot towards "road racers" or people who own, modify, and race cars in their free time. Often these individuals are blamed for a multitude of road rage incidents justified or not. Stereotypes are also often seen on the web. An example that seems to stick in my mind is "women drivers." I seen a number of threads devoted to comments on the problems related to women drivers. Group dynamics is how people affect each other in a group. A good example of this are race clubs. A group of individuals devoted to racing cars. There are times in which individuals belonging to such groups are involved in road rage incidents which in turn reinforce such behavior to those within the club. When people develop habits due to learned behavior during childhood this is socialization process. If road rage behavior is not controlled the behavior will be passed down to our children as it has been passed down to us from our parents according to some messages. These terms are important as they help us realize the types of errors and problems that we must somehow address.
To better teach the next generation of students I think it would be a good idea to get involved with the research involved in finding road rage. Past classes have engaged in experiments such as trying to drive speed limit for a week or taking personal files of thoughts during driving. It would give a better idea of how common this problem is if we see how it is prevent within ourselves. Then, if others can see that we, as students of road rage, can deal with the problems mentioned here they know that they themselves have a chance as well.

My Exploration of the Generational Curriculum Labyrinth | My Home Page | My Report 1 on: Identifying Attitudes Through Newsgroups Messages |My Report 2 on: Acquiring Cyberspace Citizenship | My Newsgroups Report | Our G7 Class Home Page | Dr. Leon James Home Page

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