Republished from Baptist Bulletin April/May 2017 with permission. © Regular Baptist Press, all rights reserved.
by Daryl A. Neipp
In 2013, researchers conducted an online survey and discovered that 78 percent of users have experienced a rise in arguments and hostility within social media platforms.
Specific findings include these:
- 3 in 4 have witnessed an argument on social media;
- 4 in 5 report rising incivility online;
- 2 in 5 have blocked, unsubscribed, or unfriended someone as a result;
- 1 in 5 have reduced in-person contact with someone over a cyber argument;
- 88 percent believe that people are less polite on social media than in person;
- 81 percent say emotional conversations held on social media are most often unresolved.
Discussion