iWorld
Boredom and amusement lead most to use social media on Internet for cyberbullying
NEW DELHI: Research shows that boredom and amusement are behind many incidents of cyberbullying and trolling on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Lancaster University in the United Kingdom has said in its study that those who engage in trolling – Internet user behaviour that is meant to intentionally anger or frustrate someone else in order to provoke a response – do so for their own amusement and because they are bored.
Dr Claire Hardaker, a linguistics expert from the University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, studied almost 4,000 online cases involving claims of trolling.
According to a report in The Independent newspaper, trolls operate out of a feeling of power, amusement, boredom and revenge and thrive on the anonymity which the internet provides, she found. The research identified seven tactics used by trolls to bombard their victims with insults and threats.
The seven tactics include digressing from the topic at hand, especially onto sensitive topics, and hypocriticising – pedantic criticism of grammar, spelling or punctuation in a post which itself contains proof-reading errors. Antipathising, by taking up an alienating position, asking pseudo-naive questions is another tactic used by trolls besides giving dangerous advice and encouraging risky behaviour. Trolls also employ ‘shock strategy’ by being insensitive about sensitive topics, explicit about taboo topics, etc. They also provoke others by insulting or threatening them.
They may cross-post – sending the same offensive or provocative message to multiple groups then waiting for the response. “Aggression, deception and manipulation are increasingly part of online interaction, yet many users are unaware not only that some of these behaviours exist, but of how destructive and insidious they can be,” Hardaker said. She also found that while trolling is associated with the young, trolls come from all ages and backgrounds.
“An incredible amount of time and strategy can be involved in trolling, as my research into the techniques they use highlights,” she said. She warned that trolling can in some cases develop into more serious behaviour, including cyberharassment and cyberstalking.
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
