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Studies

by Joseph Weisenthal

Tue, May 9th 2006 1:18pm





Want Attention In Chat Rooms? Change Your Name To Jennychick1997

from the asl? dept

Here's a great example of why more research needs to be made public. A study out of the University of Maryland suggests that female screen names in chat rooms receive 25 times as many private threatening or sexually-explicit messages as men. This really shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who has spent time in a chat room. Even in a room dedicated to a benign subject such as chess, the conversation can turn sexual when a female enters the room, or when female GM Alexandra Kosteniuk is mentioned. The scene inside chat rooms is like a bar, though anonymity helps lower inhibitions in ways that alcohol can only dream of. Still, just as you can hide your identity when privately addressing someone else, so too can they. The next person you hit on may be a professor from the University of Maryland Engineering Department.

47 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    identicon
    Justin Siegel, May 9th, 2006 @ 1:45pm

    Feel free to test the theory

    Feel free to test the theory on MocoSpace.com if you like and tell me the results. I'm not sure the results will bear out especially on a mobile community like ours.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 9th, 2006 @ 1:52pm

    have to change my alias...

    Damn... have to stop using jennychick1997 now...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 9th, 2006 @ 1:53pm

    Heh

    The next person you hit on may also be an undercover cop. Are there really any single women cruising for men online, or are they ALL law enforcement?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    jennychick1997, May 9th, 2006 @ 1:55pm

    Like No way!!!

    OMG! COOKIES!!!

    Shoot, gotta find a new name.

    I know, maybe jennychick1998... yeah....

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Kamran, May 9th, 2006 @ 2:07pm

    Yep...

    My friend and I went onto an ICQ chatroom, teens, and our nick was CaliGurl18fca. Oh boy.

    If you want company, that's alllll you gotta do. Perverts galore. "hi." "cyber?" "sexxx?"

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    hotchickgurlICQ95448621, May 9th, 2006 @ 2:23pm

    Please

    Anyone wanna cyber?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    identicon
    MM, May 9th, 2006 @ 2:26pm

    Old News

    Heheh, didn't this covered by the old axiom "on the internet, no one knows you are a dog"?

     

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  8.  
    identicon
    JerseyRich, May 9th, 2006 @ 2:29pm

    Years ago (mid 90s) when we had AOL, my wife's screenname was Female23. She innocently chose it because she was - you guessed it - female and 23.

    Well, once I logged in with her SN and got in a chat room. DAMM! I literally could not keep up with the PMs that were coming through.

    What a trip.

     

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  9.  
    identicon
    Posterlogo, May 9th, 2006 @ 2:32pm

    So how'd you hear about it?

    I like how you start off by referencing your own organization on a totally unrelated story about making research articles public (which they are...or maybe you expect all publications of anything to be free). Curious how you heard about this research into chatroom names if the research is so hidden. Curious indeed.

     

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  10.  
    identicon
    Intergalactic Hussy, May 9th, 2006 @ 2:34pm

    Crazy People

    People are crazy. I spoke to a chick a few times on IM. I thought she was cool... turns out way too materialistic (ugh label whore) and extremely psycho! I was like five years (I'm 25 now) younger and thought it would be a good idea to just stop talking to her. It's not like I really knew her anyway.

    Bad move. Crazy bitch set-up several emails just to screw with me years later... And even a year or so after I thought that was over, she finds me on myspace (I knew it!) and is trying to spread awful rumors that don't even make sense. I'm mainly bothered by the fact that she's bothering my friends with fake profiles. And I thought myspace annoyed me a year ago...

    (All I wanted was to just meet up with old friends. F@#!ing crazy people, they're all over. Always be careful. Because at the least, its annoying as hell.)

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    identicon
    Well Hello female 23, May 9th, 2006 @ 2:34pm

    LOL @ female23 and the rest of the messages.

     

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  12.  
    identicon
    computer geek, May 9th, 2006 @ 2:36pm

    careful what you ask for...

    Hey, guys, this can backfire, too! One of my friends (a guy) thought that he was slick by posing as a 19 yr old lesbian on Microsoft Chat (several years ago) thinking he would get to talk to other hot lesbians... He got a lot of PMs, all sexual in nature. At first, he thought he found a gold mine. The joke was on him, though, as EVERY OTHER PERSON claiming to be a lesbian was actually another guy! 8 Years later and he is STILL trying to live that down!

    Someone already mentioned about undercover cops posing as teenage girls online. I, for one, am really happy that police are putting in such a great effort to stop online predators. Thanks to shows, such as Dateline, I think many other would-be predators are realizing that online stalking is not a good idea. With today's technology, it is very easy to track online users, even if the so-called anonymous person is using some sort of ip-blocking software.

     

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  13.  
    identicon
    josh, May 9th, 2006 @ 3:12pm

    People still use chat rooms?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  14.  
    identicon
    Rofl, May 9th, 2006 @ 3:15pm

    In general

    Well i dont know what research articles you are looking at cause i have completely stopped doing chat rooms all together. The reason being is because it seems that every time I get into a chat room i get analyzed by some weird psychiatrist or some other random person.

     

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  15.  
    identicon
    Dr. Wierdric Von Psychiatrison, May 9th, 2006 @ 3:41pm

    Re: In general

    I think you have issues with letting go, and probably abandoment issues after the circus no longer allowed you to travel with them. Perhaps you should see a Psycologist for some new meds.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  16.  
    icon
    ConceptJunkie (profile), May 9th, 2006 @ 3:42pm

    Re: In general

    Rofl:

    That's not a chat room. You're running the old ELIZA program.

     

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  17.  
    identicon
    m0rd3r, May 9th, 2006 @ 3:46pm

    Re: Please

    "Anyone wanna cyber?"

    I put on my robe and wizard hat...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  18.  
    identicon
    captain obvious, May 9th, 2006 @ 4:28pm

    Stupid researchers

    yet another example of "researchers" wasting their time... putting into paper diagrmas what is plain to see with the butt-naked eye...

    more obvious than masticating food is the fact that men are a bundle of built up horniness and nerves... what will researchers discover next?

    TOP STORY: Researchers discover that chewing food makes it easier to swallow

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  19.  
    identicon
    Kevin Mesiab, May 9th, 2006 @ 4:48pm

    uh...

    ...this is news?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  20.  
    identicon
    Christina, May 9th, 2006 @ 5:02pm

    Yes

    We have come so far that all the things-we-didn't-know stories have been covered, and they've resorted to telling us things-we-already-know. Back to basics, as they say.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  21.  
    identicon
    LA POLICIA, May 9th, 2006 @ 5:29pm

    WE HAVE YOU NOW!!!!

    PUT DOWN THE COMPUTER AND COME OUT WITH YOU GLANDS UP!!!1!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  22.  
    identicon
    jennychick1997, May 9th, 2006 @ 5:32pm

    i am a chick dammit

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  23.  
    identicon
    JennyTransGenVegetarianCarnivoreMale32, May 9th, 2006 @ 6:20pm

    Re: Re: In general

    ELIZA! Ha! Haven't thought of that in years... why don't you play a little 'Zork' and puzzle over the "artificially intelligent" 'life' program?!

    Ah, the good old days...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  24.  
    identicon
    MS, May 9th, 2006 @ 9:15pm

    Hot Nerdy Chicks

    This woman is beautiful, smart, she can play chess... Why wouldn't men want to talk about her... :-) Quit man bashing... if it wasn't for men trying to be with women none of us would be here right now...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  25.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 9th, 2006 @ 11:55pm

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  26.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 10th, 2006 @ 12:00am

    alert('boo, Techdirt vulnerable to XSS!');

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  27.  
    identicon
    jennychick1998, May 10th, 2006 @ 7:15am

    Re: Like No way!!!

    HEY! You better not try to steal my screenname you ho! I have been using it since... well, for a long time now. I tried to get jennychick1997 but you must have already had it. I NEVER get threatening or sexual messages.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  28.  
    identicon
    Michael, May 10th, 2006 @ 7:17am

    Pffft.... that's a Photoshop, for sure ;)

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  29.  
    identicon
    noseeme, May 26th, 2006 @ 5:45pm

    Re: careful what you ask for...

    What is it with guys hot for lesbians? Hello! They are lesbians -you know into FEmales. You can never get rid of human preditors until lawmakers realize they are not "sick". They are compulsive criminals and have to be locked away forever.

     

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  30.  
    identicon
    noseeme, May 26th, 2006 @ 5:52pm

    Re: Stupid researchers

    Hey! Reseachers have to sit through years of boring classes until they grow up to be researchers. The dumbies are the ijits who give them the money to do the stupid research. You can't get a grant to study chronic rapists but there's a ton of money to study the mating rituals of the three toed bullfrog.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  31.  
    identicon
    noseeme, May 26th, 2006 @ 5:56pm

    Re:

    Honey you're not a coward. Just smart. Too many crazy people out there these days. Keep your head down and your ass covered.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  32.  
    identicon
    unknown, Jun 5th, 2006 @ 11:07am

    Re: Crazy People

    ok pt it this way you shouldnt have went on the chat rooms anyway your 25 u can do without them

     

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  33.  
    identicon
    one tough cookie, Jun 5th, 2006 @ 11:11am

    Re: Re: Crazy People

    dou know what a mean though where is the point on goin on a chat room when all you want is for someone to act, now i qote "crazy" al over you get a bloodly well grip and get a life for gods sake 25!!!!! acting like a fukin teenager

     

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  34.  
    identicon
    truth teller, Jun 5th, 2006 @ 11:19am

    Re:

    why lie you aint no chick probably some fat ginger haired scotish bitch

     

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  35.  
    identicon
    din, Jun 7th, 2006 @ 7:45pm

    good line

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  36.  
    identicon
    yup...., Jul 9th, 2006 @ 11:11pm

    Re: Hot Nerdy Chicks

    b/c ur stupid shes fugly and chess is for stupid lil nerdy ppl....



    thats fuckin y...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  37.  
    identicon
    Jazzie, Jul 10th, 2006 @ 4:23am

    attention!!

    if u want attention in chatrooms u hav 2 pick a cool name like a attention grabbing 1!!!! get out there

     

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  38.  
    identicon
    joshuascott, Jul 21st, 2006 @ 7:46am

    Re: Heh buddy list

    HI OK YES

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  39.  
    identicon
    gary, Aug 22nd, 2007 @ 6:00pm

    chat

    how do i chage my chat room name?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  40.  
    identicon
    gary, Aug 22nd, 2007 @ 6:00pm

    chat

    how do i chage my chat room name?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  41.  
    identicon
    gary, Aug 22nd, 2007 @ 6:01pm

    chat

    how do i chage my chat room name?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  42.  
    identicon
    camille, Sep 17th, 2007 @ 1:22am

    Re: Like No way!!!

    can i add you as my friend

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  43.  
    identicon
    Roman, Jan 23rd, 2008 @ 7:16pm

    Wow guys there is sun outside ? :[

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  44.  
    identicon
    giuditta, Nov 6th, 2008 @ 5:25am

    scalo 76

    sendo me vevono lasciare stare fracesco delle vibrazioni sulla sua vita privatta

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  45.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jul 3rd, 2009 @ 4:05pm

    any single guys?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  46.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jul 3rd, 2009 @ 4:43pm

    whats cyber mOrd3?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  47.  
    identicon
    casey, May 17th, 2010 @ 8:11am

    Re: Heh

    That is really true

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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