Anger and flaming in computer-mediated negotiation among strangers

The present study explores the antecedents of the antinormative hostile communication of emotion, termed flaming, in the context of computer-mediated negotiation. We find that flaming is associated with anger directed toward the negotiating context; this can occur when a negotiator becomes frustrated due to problems with communication channel characteristics or due to uncertainty surrounding the negotiation task. We also find that flaming is associated with anger directed toward a negotiator's partner, which can occur when a negotiator perceives that the partner is being unfair. We find further that anger totally mediates the relationships between flaming and its antecedents. These findings provide the basis to argue that anger reduction can effectively decrease flaming, independent of the existence of flaming antecedents, such as unfairness. We therefore provide suggestions that can help with the reduction of anger in such circumstances.