Flaming is the act of posting messages on the internet with the intent to insult or create dissent within a group. It can be caused by trolls, selfishness, controversial issues, or non-constructive criticism. Flaming is common due to the anonymity of the internet, but it is considered a serious violation of netiquette.
Flaming is the often deliberate act of posting or writing messages on Internet message boards and message boards that have the intent to insult or create dissent within a group. An internet flame is often filled with foul language and personal insults. It’s meant to hurt people’s feelings, turn them on, and not delve into the conversation about a personal matter. It is never conversational, but can be intended to unsettle a whole group, prompting conversation about someone’s flame or fire practice in general.
Sometimes, people called internet trolls intentionally practice fire to provoke a group of people. This may simply be to annoy a group, or it may be an attack aimed at a group of people who have an interest not shared by the flamethrower. In a political forum for the election of a particular presidential candidate, someone from an opposing camp might join the group and deliberately practice fire to disorganize the group’s efforts. Piles and piles of messages that take the group’s interest away from their initial intent can follow a flame.
Other times, selfishness causes a person to practice fire. A person may feel that his opinion is the only valid one on the matter and say it in an offensive way. This can result in fire wars, where people on two different sides of an issue only voice opinions and insult the person who “started the war.” Fire wars can only be resolved when those involved decide that more opinions on topics are to be expected.
Sometimes people are inflamed by the content of someone else’s discussion. For example, an Internet group of moms might be set ablaze by someone’s comments about spanking. Instead of offering each other support, arguments and flames can break out around this controversial issue. Often these issues subside after a week or two of fiery posts or emails, but they can be brought up again and again, especially as new people join the group and older folks drop out.
Flaming can also be the practice of offering non-constructive criticism. A product website might get flaming over their product. These flames are usually laced with strong language and more swearing.
Some people theorize that flaming is common on the internet because there is a relative anonymity to internet posting. People who flare up aren’t as likely to insult people in person. Flaming on the Internet offers a degree of protection that could hardly be guaranteed in a face-to-face conversation. On the other hand, people with the right spyware can find out the identities of others, so it’s simply not a good or safe practice. In most cases it is considered a serious violation of netiquette to practice fire.
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