It’s something that many people experience; online rants are becoming one of the most common forms of interaction that people experience. Someone says something that another person has an opposing opinion about and the ability to express opinions freely and without ramifications often leads to an online spar with a total stranger.
Studies show that, while these online rants might cause a short term feeling of relaxation, in the long term, they might have more of a negative impact than anyone realizes. Of course, it feels good to express feelings, but one of the studies that was done on the subject suggests that people who routinely visit the “rant” websites are actually more angry overall and often express their anger in inappropriate ways.
In the online journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, a published study suggested that people that even read rants tended to experience mood shifts that were negative. According to Ryan Martin, and associate professor of psychology and human development at UW Green Bay, the internet causes people to have problems with impulsiveness and many people think that it’s easy to respond in the moment that they are most angry.
The idea is that too many people are able to use screen names to preserve anonymity, and this gives them a sense of social distance. The study was directed at various sites that encourage back and forth virtual battles, but it also carries implications for social networking sites like Twitter, as well as Facebook. These interactions are actually reducing people’s perception of what is reasonable social behavior.
According to Martin, websites such as these that encourage people to vent believe that venting is a good way to deal with anger, and believe it to be a healthy approach when, in fact, it isn’t healthy at all. He found that, for some people, venting online is a result of frustration over being helpless and powerless to change things.
In Martin’s third study, he found that many people are angry with large groups of people; it might be political groups, or groups like illegal aliens. He feels that people want to believe that they are making a difference, and expressing their opinions online seems to fill that desire. There is a difference between expressing opinions and venting, and venting can often be linked to feelings of anger, and anger is what can cause problems for many of these people.
Experts who performed these studies agree that while it’s normal and healthy to feel angry about many different things, it is far healthier to get involved in activities that truly can make a difference in communities and in lives to help offset some of the anger that people experience.
No matter how potentially harmful they may be, ranting websites are probably here to stay. Martin and many other mental health professionals recommend using them wisely and taking a step back before responding to specific posts that have the potential to provoke anger.