Facebook fiiiiiight!!! Errybody gather 'round!

And it goes something like this!



Well, not really.  But sometimes I do wonder if perhaps people give too little thought to what they are writing about others on public forums.  The Internet, contrary to what some would prefer, is not a secret clubhouse for the most "l33t" (that's 'elite,' for those who weren't hacking around prior to the '90s or haven't read this comic) members of society.  In the year 2011, it is understood that about half a billion people have Facebook pages, and a user's wall can be accessed by anyone on said person's friend list.  So why do we insist on starting drama where everyone else can see it!?

http://fbfights.com/

This website documents various Facebook fights / tiffs / arguments / disagreements / brawls / et cetera, all while protecting the identities of innocent chumps by swirling their images and blurring out last names.  Besides providing us with entertainment, the contents of the site raises the obvious question:  Why would you want to air your dirty laundry on the Web?

One reason that comes to mind is the simple fact that the Internet allows us to be aggressive, even if we are naturally passive (a common cause of 'Internet Tough Guy Syndrome').  When we have the luxury of an audience who always listens and the power of anonymity, we are free to do and say as we please without persecution or consequence.  I don't know about you, but I have read some pretty outrageous and offensive things online that I guarantee the authors probably would never have the guts to say in front of their peers.  The Internet, though, gives them a fine opportunity to express their views--no matter how absurd--to the masses.

An alternative theory is that Facebook and the Internet itself are integrating into the mainstream and simply becoming new methods of communication for us to use at our own discretion.  In the "real" world, there are people who start loud arguments shamelessly in public and verbally slam others, the latter of which most people ignore instead of confronting.  But what if it had happened on Facebook?  If someone complained about you there, would you still ignore the derision or would you threaten and swear in all caps since they can't reach through the computer to throttle you?  Would you be more likely to start a fight?  I think a lot depends on the individual person, but sometimes our reactions can be different when there is no one directly facing us, thereby opposing and censoring us.  So...have you ever been in a Facebook fight?