Rash impulsivity, vengefulness, virtual-self and amplification of ethical relativism on cyber-smearing against corporations

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• 作者：Michael Workman ;   ; ^{workmanm@fit.edu} ;   ; ^{workmanfit@yahoo.com}
• 关键词：Cyber smear ; Online behavior ; Impulsivity ; Vengefulness ; Vindictiveness ; Ethics
• 刊名：Computers in Human Behavior
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：January 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：28
• 期：1
• 页码：217-225
• 全文大小：237 K

文摘

Office outbursts are often associated with impulsive reactions to something that is said or done that aggravates an individual by offending his or her beliefs, expectations, sensibilities, or principles. Vengefulness is linked to needs for retribution (until satisfied) for a perceived offense. An unsettled issue is whether these antecedents are also manifested in electronic expressions known as cyber smearing. Free speech by constitution and legislation in the US, UK, EU have been held as a cherished value and basic right, but the rights to free speech are not unlimited and in fact are legally constrained to varying degrees regarding issues such as related to privacy, defamation, and harassment. Cyber smearing is a campaign waged to damage the credibility or reputation of others over the Internet. Using a randomized study we investigated rash impulsivity, vengefulness, and anonymous identity (a virtual self), as factors contributing to cyber smearing, and we found that when people who lack self-control and have tendencies to seek revenge especially when shrouded in anonymity of virtual self and concomitantly have high tendencies toward cyber smearing. We also found that those who hold the view in which ethical standards are situational and relative amplifies these cyber smearing behaviors.