The goal of iCivility is a simple one. We aim to change the current level of discourse online, encouraging constructive dialogue to improve society.
There are three simple steps we can all take:
- Practice what we preach. Whether we're simply adding a comment under a blog post or news article, or we're writing our own original post, we need to ask ourselves if our language, our tone, our use of words, has added constructively to the debate. Often our first reaction is not what we should post. We're conditioned socially to pause before speaking; we need that pause button online.
- Reward constructive dialogue. When responding to someone else online, whether you agree or disagree, thank them when they post their opinion in a way that encourages positive debate.
- Direct the troubled to iCivility.com. If you're reading a series of comments, and someone goes beyond the pale, simply add a comment directing them to iCivility.com. Likewise, if you are moderating a site and are forced to remove an uncivil post, replace it with a link to iCivility.com. The original offender may not be moved by this site, but others seeing your post might.
Toxicity spreads like a virus online. Civility can spread the same way. Through your positive example, and by spreading the word about iCivility.com, you can help shift the culture of debate online.
Ad Hominem -- What?
Our Mission
Many attacks online are known as ad hominem attacks. Often the one making the accusation is a frequent violator himself.
According to Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, it means "appealing to a person's feelings or prejudices rather than his intellect," or "marked by an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to his contentions."
Even legitimate arguments appeal to emotion, but we still need to have facts.
Attacking character is all too common online, and generally occurs when the one doing the attack has never actually met the one being attacked and thus is in no real position to judge their character!
