While networked computers are often hailed for the "safe" anonymous places for marginalized voices, these sites on-line can often become a place for students to verbally assault one another. Some students take advantage of the increased freedom of expression and engage in disruptive acts of what are known as mutiny and wilding online, acts which deviate from the instructor’s focus and are characterized by vulgar language and insults. This type of interaction occurred often in several of the groups throughout the semester. Interestingly, the students’ inappropriate behavior most often occurred when there was conflict in the group decision-making process. Often, in order to gain power, students would invoke institutional-based stereotypes or insults among one another.
As the students were all fairly familiar with the demographics of the campuses of each of the colleges, it appears that demographic issues and stereotypes about intelligence and aptitude with computers were common in many of the groups. Gainesville College students were often marked as less intelligent than the other group members. For instance:
Sally-GT: who is posting the log Simon-GT: LOL James-GC: my teacher knows Simon-GT: sally James-GC: she don't care Simon-GT: I want to go to GC James-GC: hey, do ya'll think i ma dumb because i go to GC Mike-GT: *whistle* Mike-GT: *grin* James-GC: haha Simon-GT: of course not Simon-GT: hmmm, hmmm James-GC: thank you Simon, Simon-GT: j/k Mike-GT: heh, I can't talk, I'm a 21 year old freshman James-GC: i went to UGA last sem, but transferred here so i could work
Although Josh confronts the stereotype of the Gainesville College student directly, he also feels it necessary to explain why he attends Gainesville College: for economic reasons. The stereotype of the Gainesville College student as less intelligent and less hard-working abounded throughout the semester in many different ways. In another group encounter about Gainesville College, one Gainesville College student uses his identity as a stereotypical Gainesville College student to get out of responsibility of posting the log:
todd/--gt--/: can anyone save the log? Brad (GT): on it Brad (GT): damn Sarah: no Brad (GT): i don't know how Sarah: i dont know how Sarah: i am dumb Brad (GT): haha Sarah: keith? you know how keith(GC): i'm frm gainesville Sarah: well tino then Sarah: sorry man, you are the only one that knows how Brad (GT): no one here does Brad (GT): haha Brad (GT): oh well Sarah: oh Sarah: well someone has to keith(GC): GT people are supposed to be smart Brad (GT): one sec keith(GC): i got to go keith(GC): bye see you at 5 Brad (GT): see ya guys
Keith uses the stereotypes of Georgia Tech people being "smart" to place the responsibility of the job squarely on Georgia Tech’s shoulders. Indeed, in many of the sessions, Georgia Tech students were described as the "smart ones" and/or often the "nerds." And in fact, Georgia Tech students were, by large, more knowledgable about technology than the students from the other campuses and most had experience with WebX in other classes. For this reason, much of the work load was performed by the "techies."