The D-Ego (Digital Ego)...

As promised in my first thread of this Forum, www.abovetopsecret.com... I am going to try to explain the "D-Ego" and how it can impact the responses we make to comments and or views expressed by our fellow members.

The D-Ego is a REAL phenomenon. We all have a persona on line. Some people are the same on line as they are in the RW ("Real/non Digital World") and some people take pleasure in creating a completely new personality.

Regardless of whether you are "you" on line or a created personality, you WILL be emotionally challenged at times by what you read in these forums.

That challenge impacts the way you respond to what you read. In other words, your D-Ego takes over. I've personally watched several logical, rational, polite members literally "blow a gasket" and go over the virtual deep end because of what someone posted in the forums.

This behavior is most unfortunate but it can sneak up on you if you are unaware. A classic example would do well to illustrate what I am going on about here...

Member J points out that all people with blue hair are unclean pigs and child killers.

Member C, having blue hair, doesn't take that very well and lets member J know he "doesn't appreciate that broad brush statement", a very mature and polite response.

Member J retorts with "that's because YOU are a baby-killer and stink!"

Member C should use the "gripe idea button" and report the idiocy Member J is spewing in our forum immediately. Then Member C should STAY OUT of the conversation and IGNORE Member J until a staff member can deal with the problem.

Unfortunately, our angered Member C, his D-Ego in full swing now, goes on to point out what an fewkin moron Member J is and how his mother is the heat source for the local fire department or something like that.

Now it seems in Member C's mind that he was attacked first so he is well within his rights to launch a verbal ICBM at member J. Well it's not within his rights and he's in as deep as Member J now.

The point of all this is...

The TAC (Terms and Conditions of use) specifically FORBID the insulting/name calling of a fellow member period. It does NOT say "it's Okay to insult a member who insults you first".

If you ever find yourself in a situation like this PLEASE use the gripe/idea button or contact a Moderator. It will save you alot of unnecessary anguish and I PROMISE YOU the offending member will be dealt with and YOU will be held in very high regard for handling things correctly and NOT sinking to "their level".

The D-Ego is the favored prey of trolls, trouble makers, spammers, and various other undesirables that do, from time to time, find their way into the hallowed halls of AboveTopSecret.com.

These type of users NEVER last long here. Our members usually find them out within a post or two and we ban them on the spot.

Occasionally, a "good" member will have a bad day, a bit of "drunk" on, or simply go stark raving mad and act the fool (the D-Ego gone haywire). When this happens we certainly DO take into account the history of the member in question and act accordingly. Usually this sort of situation is resolved with a stern "talking to" and a warning.

I do hope this helps to give you a little "for sight" into how this happens and how we deal with it.

Springer...


Edit: Just fixed a link

[edit on 15-12-2005 by ZeddicusZulZorander]

That line deserves a reply in and of itself! Epic.

We'd love to have your participation in the "Yo mama" thread that's floatin' around here somewhere Springer.

Peace

Excellent post Springer. I am the same here as in real life, maybe a little toned down if anything BUT I have lost it here before. Your suggestion about the Gripe button is the way to go. I have found though that if I feel myself losing it, I log off. Settle myself down, once it took a whole day, before getting back online. As Springer said, it WILL be dealt with.

Excellent advice, Intrepid. Despite my *cough* heroic D-ego, I have been known to make an ass of myself by not knowing when to say 'when', cut my losses, and log off.

Don't make the same mistake I did, kids.

DE

An excellent exposition on the the very real subject of the "D-Ego."

Members should take heed, if you feel there is personal attacks, or other violations of the Terms & Conditions Of Use, use the Gripe/Idea button... Taking matters into your own hands, or responding in kind, will only serve to drag you into a U2U exchange that you probably don't want to be involved in.

There has been more than one occasion were a long term member has become "involved" in such a situation, the "D-Ego" has taken over, and a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde situation has devolved into Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Banned.

The purpose of the ATS Staff is not to get members banned... It is to ensure that the Terms & Conditions are followed, and quality on topic discussion, free of baiting, sniping, and trolling is fostered within the many boards and forums of ATS.

Take a break if you need to, use the Gripe/Idea button, U2U a staff member... Heck, be really crazy and go out into the real world for a while... Just come back and you'll find that it wasn't a big deal, and if someone else was causing a problem, it was taken care of.

How about even more of a "peeling of the onion" on this D-ego?

You, the members should know that WE also take precautions to keep our own D-egos in check. This provides all of you the saftey and protection from persecution, etc.

What the heck do you mean Zedd?

I mean that when we take action on most things (maybe excluding a small 20-point one-liner warn or something), we discuss the matter among the other Staff members. This assures that one day Zedd doesn't go rogue, banning all those members that he just plain doesn't agree with on subjects.

I bring this up because it IS a topic we always hear..."the nazi mods are out to get me" or "Zedd just doesn't like me and is out to get me." Believe me...because I AM being completely real here. If I were to do something like that, there would be angry Mods, angry Councilors (who members vote in and are privy to some action matters) AND I would have an Admin's foot imprinted heavily on my backside.

You ALL do that?

Yes we do and it's NOT just at a set level..that goes to the top. Admins also "check themselves" and absolutely DO take advice and criticism from other Staff members.

So, all-in-all...we do police ourselves and you should do the same. It's easier when you only post and don't have a "ban button" handy, so you don't need a committee like we do. Simply ask yourself if what you're about to post falls into the various traps that Springer outlined above. Even take a walk for a few minutes first and then...think a second time. All steps YOU can take to keep your "D-ego" under wraps.

Excellent post, and explanation (seen several people around here suffering from this syndrome :lol.

I've had nothing but positive experiences here with ATS staff, and know from experience that everything has a checks & balance system.

My D-ego is a Spanish Bull Fighter called Deiago. whose job it is to fly around the world Denying Ignorance and saving everyone from the Reptilians.

So if anyone wants some help give me a shout

In all seriousely tho' a realy good topic

a perfect example of digital ego would be the majority of users in yahoo, aol, msn chatrooms and other various forums found through out the net. an attempt to start a conversation that requires real thought gets you automatically stoned to death. digital ego is so wide spread its almost like a form of schizophrenia, or as i call it "Volatile-Network-Syncronized-Schizophrenia". It turns on when the very users start up thier pc's and log onto whatever chat system and in alot of cases it goes much deeper than jus having a ego, they sell themselves as a completely different enity online, so much so that they actually believe it themselves.

Makes you glad to have a forum like ATS eh? The "eh" was intentional.

Welcome aboard btw. Enjoy your time here. If you need any assistance feel free to u2u.

I have to ask somthing over the D-Ego. I've had this happen on other boards where the rules are not as tight as they are on here and I would like to ask somthing where does this board stand with people with Aspergers Syndrome such as myself who may not always see the intended humour of the board. I am just asking as I know that the kinds of things that have happend to me elsewhere will not happen here but what's the owners take on helping people like me to be seen as decent human beings and not to be goaded. And yes I have suffered some nasty comments in the past elsewhere. Just asking.

IS

Interesting question. My youngest daughter is Aspberger's. Totally normal but she feels things deeply. I can't speak for the owners but if you feel that you need a sounding board(is someone dissing you) click the u2u and I'll get back to you.

I did not feel that I would have any problems with this character defect. I was wrong. I will work on this and respect the thought and feeling of others while still sharing my own thoughts and feelings.

I only came to ATS to learn. It is easy to get emotionally involved in other peoples stuff. Thus I become emotional myself and say things I would rather have not said.

I wonder what I will learn today?

Tom

What an EXCELLENT topic, Springer!

Being a relatively new 'regular' here, I have found a D-PERSONALITY as well. And while my ATS personality is almost the same as my RW personality, it is hard to shake once it has been associated with your member ID.

For example, I've never really been a stickler about spelling my name right, but after pointing out the error one or two times (ok..... maybe more than one or two times), it is now an idiosyncrasy associated with how people view me. And it is something I can probably never live down while I am here!

I have also noticed that my normal trusting nature has been challenged because of the anonymity associated with the ability to augment or create a D-PERSONALITY. I initially assumed people were being as open and upfront as I was - only to find out the hard way that how they want you to see them isn't necessarily who they really are.

There are some notable exceptions - but they are rare individuals indeed.

My primary point is that I've learned quite a bit about both myself, and how people make an assessment of who I am by what I post here since joining.

It is always helpful to try and put yourself in the other person's shoes and imagine that all they 'see' of you is what you post here. Ask yourself if that is how you truly want to be known by the ATS Community with every post submitted.

Always,
Shawnna

I'll tell something that I told the Admins:

"Its better to attack the words he/she just said instead of the person who said it.We can have conflicts over information,but conflicts over people can lead to something messy and make things difficult.
I wonder,do people attack other people because it feels easier and that attacking information seems messy and could make things difficult?"

I hope this makes you think!! Hmmm I think people attack others because of what they posted;for example,I posted something about UFOs coming to earth next week,another member named "ducky"comes along and attacks me for saying that.Ducky could be attacking me because ducky expects me to post something that's worthy or high quality and not something crappy.
So maybe some members think that if you attack a person then that person will try not to post something crappy next time.After that both members try to criticize each other based on their opinions,ways of thinking,knowledge,IGNORANCE,methods and so on......

In other words,some members bash others to make their post have better quality.Bashing the things they said however is more useful,yet quite difficult & time consuming to say the least.

[edit on 21-11-2006 by tormentor]

Makes sense... it's much easier to just attack an individual rather than their idea. In any argument or debate, unless it is truly warranted (and rarely), you can spot who lost just by who resorts to insults.

Damn I love ats

*bump*
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I am proud to report that I am just as much of a smartass on the outside as I am in the cyber world. Although that is mixed in with some compassion and some sensitivity. I like to think of myself as a humorous cynic, trying to grow into.....well, a moderator. You know those guys that keep their cool now matter how annoyed they may become.
I think its gonna take some time

I just had to laugh out loud at this..............after all he/she said/typed.......i looked to the left to see there profile .......and he/she has got a big fat ban lol


And yes the D-ego is at large but id like to think im the same fool on and offline

reply to post by N.B.A.Y.S.O.H

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HA quite funny!!

And Kleverone really did grow up to be a Mod! I love a thread with a happy ending, had a few massages like that!!

MonKey

P.S. Klever please say it ain't so! You haven't really grown up have you?