Lack of Eye Contact on Piano Forum fuels Hostility

[faulty_damper]

So it's not the anonymity of an online forum that compels people to be mean and type cruel and insulting things - it's the lack of eye contact.  That's what researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel has found and says that eye contact helps others see that they are actually talking to a real people behind the screen names.  Maybe we need to have profile pictures on this forum.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=rudeness-on-the-internet

[mikeowski]

Doesn't the picture only get shown on your profile page? I just uploaded mine for a test, and everybody is free to look at it ofc, but even if everybody else had one, I doubt people would go through the effort to click on every single profile.

[chopin2015]

You're cute!

[mikeowski]

Haha, thanks!
Nothing better to reduce hostility than a profile picture it seems

[49410enrique]

You're cute!

you forgot to tell him his eyes are like 'arpegios'....

[chopin2015]

Haha, no I prefer, you make my heart beat in sixtuplets, or something like that

[j_menz]

I fear that, contrary to the study, I'm equally nasty in person. 

[faulty_damper]

I didn't even know you can upload a picture... But according to the experiment, the picture needs to be visible on each post.

[49410enrique]

i'll buy it to the extent that the assumption is that it is the lack of eye contact the pulls the trigger, not that it neccessarily loads the gun. that is, i don't see decent non butt heady type folks being nasty just becuase there's no eye contact. but if you're already a douche bag, then ok, maybe it makes it easier to be douchey sooner or more douchey than normal i suppose.

[faulty_damper]

Yeah, I agree with that assertion, you douchbag! Hehe

[outin]

I wonder if it's possible to embed a picture to the signature area?
Not that it's really needed, I have been on many internet forums/communities over the years and this one probably has the most pleasant atmosphere I have encountered.

[Bob]

Years ago Nils said there weren't those little avatar pics here because it would slow down page loading.  We could ask again. It's been years since then.  I don't think many people are still on dialup.

[outin]

Personally I think we are better off without extra stuff...I like the clean layout of this forum.

[faulty_damper]

I'd rather not have the pictures.  But maybe just add eyes or something.  Maybe with a smile.  Like this :

 

This way, the smiley face helps deter obnoxious behavior.

 

[j_menz]

But. But.....

[lloyd_cdb]

look into my eyes, I don't know why anyone would be hostile