Psychology of Flame Wars

[David Morris]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/20/health/psychology/20essa.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=health&adxnnlx=1172183880-40KkDaL2W5zCplN//gue0w

Flame First, Think Later: New Clues to E-Mail Misbehavior

In a 2004 article in the journal CyberPsychology & Behavior, John
Suler, a psychologist at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J.,
suggested that several psychological factors lead to online
disinhibition: the anonymity of a Web pseudonym; invisibility to
others; the time lag between sending an e-mail message and getting
feedback; the exaggerated sense of self from being alone; and the lack
of any online authority figure. Dr. Suler notes that disinhibition can
be either benign — when a shy person feels free to open up online — or
toxic, as in flaming.