MIDDLETOWN – While it may not necessarily be a sign of the times, recent events involving a Brookdale Community College student and his tweets shines on a phenomena that is worthy of study.
Psychologist Dr. Daniel J. Tomasulo said the vulgar cyber assault leveled against the daughter of ESPN baseball analyst and former Major Leaguer Curt Schilling by a male Brookdale student and a male Montclair State University graduate seems to fall into the category of what the researchers and therapists have labeled the “online disinhibitor effect.”
The effect, which is also referred to as “flame trolling,” is seen in cyber bullying in many forms and is done by individuals who “cannot even imagine the layer of the consequences,” for their actions, Tomasulo explained. It is the loosening—or complete abandonment—of social restrictions and inhibitions that would be present in the usual face-to-face interaction.
“They act before they even think,” Tomasulo noted.
Often this behavior would be seen in small children, acting in egocentric ways common to their age, Tomasulo said.
Researchers have been studying this behavior for a relatively short period—about 15 years—in the rise of Internet usage—in the age of chatrooms, blogging, Twitter and other social media and response sections for online publications, where responders can go off on vicious, occasionally anonymously and sometimes completely unrelated tangents. “The idea is that you’re sitting in your comfortable environment, there’s no threat to you and you can’t anticipate a reaction,” is how Tomasulo characterized those perpetrating the action.
Some researchers suspect this may be related to activity in the amygdala section of the brain. But, “To be honest it hasn’t been studied enough to understand it,” he acknowledged.
But another theory offered is that in some cases this is done to incite an argument or cause polarization, similar to what political provocateurs like Rush Limbaugh or Bill Maher do, Tomasulo said.
College officials said a student, later identified by the college as Adam Negel, a 20-year-old Edison resident, was suspended on Monday, following being identified by Schilling as a source in the tweets aimed at Schilling’s daughter. The other man was identified as Sean McDonald.
Schilling said he was bombarded with sexually explicit tweets following the recent announcement that his daughter, Gabby, will be attending college in Rhode Island.
In his blog, Schilling said the tweets intimated sexual assault, “and pretty much every other vulgar and defiling word you could likely fathom.”
Schiller went to note he spent a lifetime in the male environment of professional sports. “I get it. Guys will be guys. Guys will say dumb crap.” But, he continued, “I can’t ever remember, drunk in a clubhouse, with best friends, with anyone, ever speaking like this to someone.”
Along with being suspended, Nagel, who had been a member of the college’s student radio club and hosted a one-hour show, was taken off the air and won’t be permitted to return, according to a statement released by the college.
The statement went on to say Nagel’s tweets “are unacceptable and clearly violate the standards of conduct that are expected of all Brookdale students.” Negal now faces a college conduct hearing “where further disciplinary action will be taken.” And college police are working with local authorities on a continuing investigation, school officials said.
“Brookdale takes this behavior very seriously and does not tolerate any form of harassment,” the college statement added.
The Asbury Park Press reported that MacDonald was fired from a part-time job as a ticket-seller for the New York Yankees.
Both men have since shut down their social media accounts, according to various media sources.
Tomasulo, a former Brookdale faculty member, who now teaches at New Jersey City University, commended Brookdale for its quick and decisive handling of the situation and for Schilling’s to-the-point response.
“I think until we figure this out,” he said, “the best thing is what we have here: really swift consequences.”
– By John Burton
