The Cyber Lawless Frontier

The nebulous virtual existence of the banned cyber poster.

The internet has outrun the Constitution and has indeed outrun current concepts of free speech. Forums and Message boards have been struggling to find the answer to bad behavior on the internet. Enhanced by anominity, some posters frequently step outside the bounds of decorum and find them selves at odds with Forum Hosts, Moderators and members alike. With prerogatives set by the software manufacturers the Moderators and Forum owners have the ability and are forced to ban posters who harass thru the written word, consistently inflame, disrupt, browbeat, annoy, slander, and generally alienate their fellow man.

Upon banishment

Upon banishment the poster has to vilify and justify their position to fellow posters often thru fair means and foul and a systematic posting of half truths, displacement of blame, and projection. The first line of defense is a tirade of emails to fellow posters on the board, and a campaign of the “poor me syndrome” on Instant Messenger. The net result of such action is that the group becomes caught up in a new phenomenon called “Cyber Gang Mentality” and it fits all the parameters of the modern street gang.

Within short order the gang finds an unmoderated board on which to congregate with the soul purpose to further find their own pleasure by creating displeasure in others, denigrating the persons they hold responsible for their banishment, and with plotting and collusion scheme the demise of the board or boards they have been banished from, or self banished themselves from.

Over the years I have observed several cyber “operating gangs” and usually they congregate in numbers of no less than five but no more than 10. I am not sure what creates the limitation of the group’s growth, or the inability of the Group to maintain no more than 10 or so active members for a limited time span. The group, in time, self destructs due to lack of order and descend into disorganized mayhem. The various and sundry posters dissipate to other boards to, once again, in time, be banned again or find themselves ostracized by their choice of friends.

Net Lists Are Not Public Places

Net message boards, Forums and Bulletin Boards are not public places and are not, therefore, subjected to the application of the rules of “Freedom of Speech”. The lists are private places into which the people freely agree to abide by a set of rules prior to admission. It is these rules that this lawless poster finds constricting to their “style”.

Challenging their peers, the dissident poster is a constant challenge for the moderator and owner of forums . The dissident’s constant incitement and self posturing on the forum is time consuming in that the behavior generates box full of private email, screen falls of Instant Messages with complaints, and lack of productivity on the boards.

Moderator’s Number One Rule

The number one rule for Moderators is to not respond, and do not engage. Often it is difficult, at the onset of their campaign, to recognize the provocation. It is even more difficult to not go into details justifying your action, as moderator, on the board. After all, the moderator is going to be admonished as, of course, everything posted and said by the banished poster is factual - right? Most bullies on boards are desperately seeking attention. Seeking any type of attention and the more public, then that best suits their purposes. First and foremost, take the discussion of your concerns off the board into the private arena. One on one, the provocateur can, sometimes, be reasoned with. But, alas, the seasoned bully will never be tamed and you, as Moderator, will be forced to banish the poster to the land of the cyber lawless.

The Internet is not a lawless frontier

A belief, held by some, is that the internet as a whole is a lawless frontier. Like the inflammatory tales told of the Wild West, the truth is that there were some scoundrels but, on the whole, there were only a very few gunfighters. And so it goes with the internet. There are a few cyber scoundrels out there, but on the whole they are quickly banished anymore into the lawless virtual frontier to dissipate over time.

Overtime the Board under fire returns to calm, order and on topic. From time to time it may be challenged by an anonymous poster from the renegade board who has circumnavigated the block of their ID by creating a new one. But the current members of the board have been alerted to such a possibility and they ignore the posts, the invitations to join them in their campaign, and the renegades find themselves eliminated from the Chat lists as the members tire of their constant agitation. The “Rejection Forums” also, in time, dissipate due to lawlessness and lack of a real rewarding focus.

Kathleen Johnson
9/17/03

Kathleen Johnson works for Primedia.inc as a moderator on the AllExperts Board for About.Inc. Kathleen also owns multiple Groups on Yahoo and has participated online for many years observing and writing articles on Group dynamics.

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