Lee, S. H., & Kim, H. W. (2015). Why people post benevolent and malicious comments online. Communications of the ACM, 58(11), 74-79.

https://m-cacm.acm.org/magazines/2015/11/193324-why-people-post-benevolent-and-malicious-comments-online/abstract

Abstract

With the proliferation of smart devices and mobile and social network environments, the social side effects of these technologies, including cyberbullying through malicious comments and rumors, have become more serious. Malicious online comments have emerged as an unwelcome social issue worldwide. In the U.S., a 12-year-old girl committed suicide after being targeted for cyberbullying in 2013.20 In Singapore, 59.4% of students underwent at least some kind of cyberbullying, and 28.5% were the targets of nasty online comments in 2013.10 In Australia, Charlotte Dawson, who at one time hosted the "Next Top Model" TV program, committed suicide in 2012 after being targeted with malicious online comments. In Korea, where damage caused by malicious comments is severe, more than 20% of Internet users, from teenagers to adults in their 50s, posted malicious comments in 2011.

Recognizing the harm due to malicious comments, many concerned people have proposed anti-cyberbullying efforts to prevent it. In Europe, one such campaign was called The Big March, the world's first virtual global effort to establish a child's right to be safe from cyberbullying. The key motivation behind these campaigns is not just to stop the posting of malicious comments but also to motivate people to instead post benevolent comments online. Research in social networking has found benevolent comments online are not alone but coexist in cyberspace with many impulsive and illogical arguments, personal attacks, and slander.14 Such comments are not made in isolation but as part of attacks that amount to cyberbullying.

연구의의

본 연구는 오늘날 전 세계적으로 다양한 연령층을 대상으로 발생하고 있는 사이버불링 현상을 타개하기 위해 특히 온라인상 악플을 줄이고 선플을 증대시키는 방안에 대해 주목한 연구임. 이를 위해, 악플과 선플에 대한 사용자들의 동기요인, 문제점, 개선방안 등을 파악하여 온라인 사회분열 요소인 악플을 줄이고, 사회통합에 긍정적으로 활용할 수 있는 선플을 늘리는 올바른 댓글문화를 실천하는 방향을 제시하였음. 본 연구는 소셜 미디어 기반의 사회통합 방안 및 건전한 사이버 생태계 구축 정책에 대한 시사점을 제공해줌으로써 바람직한 댓글문화 함양에 이바지했음.