© 2005

The musings of an amateur cyber anthropologist on the culture of chatrooms -- the unique human interactions and resulting dynamics. A work in progress and will be updated as life and time allow.

12/12/05

Please, note that I do not profess to be a professional anthropologist. Nor do I claim that all chatrooms are the same.  But, after visiting the same chatroom for over a decade I began to observe behaviors and group dynamics. Over time becoming a regular, and becoming fluent in chatspeak

The idea of Cyberanthropology is a wide open area of study and I consider myself and all who interact in this vast Netosphere to be what I call 'cyber pioneers.'

We are making history. WE the People have created a new language and each chatroom over time establishes it's unique phrases and Emoticons.

Netiquette is a goal, but in reality in chatrooms as in the real world (RW) it's often abandoned. However, that in and of itself is yet another opportunity to observe human interaction. Individuals and groups. Not just the influences of the chatroom itself, but also the backdoor communications of emails and IMs.

"Using Serendipity as a sociological method in building on ideas as the fairly common experience of observing an unanticipated, anomalous and strategic datum which becomes the occasion for developing a new theory or for extending an existing theory."

Applying the theories to the chatanamics as related to the various choice of screen names, changing of screen names and the human interactions which result in a group dynamic theme and the forming of cliques. Including the use of font choice, color and size.

The goal for now is to write about my observations in using the Internet and my chat experiences over time. Including the experiences I have had with other chatters who are involved in the same chatanamics.

The building blocks will begin with establishing what I have learned thus far with the goal to be posting the chatanamics as they are observed on a daily basis.

For now I am just getting started and will be using my pioneer spirit in traversing this new road in how I go about posting the information. It seems that the use of links to explain certain events, and the use of the Urban Dictionary will assist me in explaining what I hope to convey.

My premise is that the observations of a specific group of individuals who regularly visit the same chatroom result in the ability to observe and witness a unique human interaction. Chatrooms present a unique opportunity to observe and understand the human behaviors exhibited under conditions never before experienced. Therefore, my thoughts are that this information could be quite valuable to many areas of learning and fields of endeavor. Including, ever day life in the "RW."

During my tenure in chatrooms I have found that I have learned from all and I have learned a lot about myself!

The Fathers of Behaviorism would find the chatroom forum of human interaction to be a veritable feast. And, the pioneers of Anthropology would likely be quite interested in the culture of chatrooms and chatspeak.

Since this is a new endeavor my goal is to post my thoughts and observations using chatspeak. And, I will as best I can describe the chat dynamic (chatnamics) so that visitors to my site are able to decipher what I'm trying to convey.

I write and compose while online and have no editor. Therefore, you may find this page to be of some entertainment value while reading my typos or poor grammar and my ramblings while I put myself out there as I learn and grow. A study of sorts in it's own right!  LOL (laughing out loud)

Chatrooms are akin to the old western pioneer towns. And, the chatroom forum provides me the inspiration for many of my ideas and thoughts.  Chatters from the early days recall how cable TV commentators would watch chat and comment and name the chatter they were quoting!

During the reading of this page and other pages on my site you will find words that are not spelled as you would find in the real world.

Additionally, there will be words and phrases used which were coined specifically due to the chat dynamic by myself and individual chatters. These words and phrases will of course be credited and will be obvious to those who are involved in the chatanamics.

This endeavor is by no means meant to be a professional diagnosis of the psychological, but rather is meant to try and understand chatroom dynamics as well as human interaction in a totally new forum of communication.

All of us visit chatrooms for the same reason; human interaction. All bring to the group dynamic their unique contribution.

Online you look at the  monitor much like a TV screen and the chat flows across your screen it is an active interaction, whereas, blogging, and message boards are static.

Chatrooms only allow 36 people at any one time. In the early years the room would allow only 23 and a host could enter and make it 24, There will soon be a link to provide the definition of host guides and other chat word references.  People type their comments and they show up on the computer screen, and sometimes the flow of chat moves so fast its near impossible to keep up. Which is why I love my chatroom.

The beginning of chat was interesting, with people discussing the different topics and issues. Some eventually sharing personal information. Then began the descent into the dark side. Bulling, jealousies which led to people looking for personal information, background checks, phone calls to chatters homes, workplaces and when this was brought up in the chatroom, the behaviors being dismissed and comments such as 'it's only chat.'  "people take this chat too seriously.' Those comments directed at the ones who are the subject of the breaches of privacy by those who are indeed taking the chat too far and too seriously by spending their time to look for personal information and by calling people's work places.

One chatter in particular, I began to notice would actually take on the characteristics of myself and other chatters. When I would post about the loss of my dog and she saw how that received discussion, sympathy, empathy, feedback then she too, had a dog die. When i discussed having a cat, she too then had a cat. She was always saying that i was not a nurse and would call people on the phone to talk about me. She even told them BigFatLies, about how she knew me personally, and how I worked as a janitor in a clinic and that's how I happened to know some medical information. When a chatter was remodeling their home, she too then was remodeling her home. When a chatter discussed going on a cruise or vacation, she too would do the same. She changed jobs often, would be retired, had a headhunter find her for a management job at a nursing home, but then would again be in chat and again a different job.  In the beginning when she was busted lying so often she disappeared, only to return months later, hoping chatters had short memories and that enough new ones would buy into her machinations. She would IM and email chatters while in the room and give them her version of what I was all about while she was lying, and lying all over again.

The odd thing to me was that most of these other chatters would actually believe her. Now that chatanamic really educated me about people. Why would they believe what another said? Why would they take calls from a chatter and listen to them talk about another without wondering the motivation? Didn't they suspect something was wrong?  There were, however, a few chatters who told me what she was doing and instead of putting me on ignore, put her on ignore and exposed her in chat. But, those chatters were far and few between. One chatter who was a veterinarian, bought into her machinations, and then emailed me an apology, and never came back to chat because of embarrassment.

Then we have the chatters who develop cliques. They come into chat together and gang up on a chatter who likes to have discussions. These chatters most of them, came from another room where they were 'run out of' by the admission of one in their group. They would sit and snipe at the ones who were discussing. Thereby, leading to a distraction away from any meaningful discussion, their eventual goal. Their goal because they weren't able to type well, using the hunt and peck method, and wanting the attention themselves, but their only way to gain attention was to attack the popular ones who were getting attention for being genuinely interesting.

What I observed was how this behavior would lure in so many other chatters. Which allowed me to see the very rare and few who didn't fall for the tactic. I saw that so many people are so negative and so many are drowning in what I came to label, 'The Partisan Vortex.'

Another dynamic is how chatters seem to find chatrooms to be their means to self esteem promotion. Very important to them how many chatters like them, or are on their side. Making overtures, to gain a chatter to their side.

Male and female dynamics, flirting and behind the scenes IMs and hook ups also taking place that I never knew about until they go wrong and the scenario being played out in the chatroom over 10 months!

Attacks, and lying, sides being drawn. One chatter in particular taking on the male culprit, feigning being a friend by doing so, when in reality, it was just to gain more attention and fight, which she loves to do.

What I found the most perplexing in chat was the enabling and denial. Which I came to realize was actually a microcosm of society in general.

Well, I am getting tired for now, and going to stop -- will post more at a later date. BTW regular chatters to the room will know who the chatters are that I am writing about so I don't need to list screen names. The important goal in this endeavor is to discuss the dynamics observed  in chatrooms.