Anonymous user profiles on social media websites are so prevalent nowadays that we barely even notice them anymore. The question that is worth looking into is, how does user anonymity impact behavior in virtual environments? Does existence of anonymity increase users’ ability to freely express themselves? Does it pave the path for formation of a subversive culture in cyberspace for anti-immigrant, anti-religious, racist hate, etc.….online discourse?
Existing literature collectively believes that the state of anonymity impacts online behavior (e.g., Bernstein et al.2011; Postmes et al. 1998). Additionally, Zhang & Kizilcec (2014) suggest that “popular social media interfaces could encourage participation from those who fear over their privacy” (Zhang & Kizilcec, 2014, p. 3).
Zickmund (2002) argues that internet could potentially be seen as a tool that paved the path for cyberhate discourse to be streamlined (Zickmund, 2002). This particularly becomes evident when anonymous users engage in online insults, where any opposing comment is faced with insulting discourse and a language game that has elements of cyberhate in it. Having said this, Zickmund (2002) also argues that the openness of the cyberspace removes the seclusion and isolation that these hate groups usually need, so in other words, internet itself is a tool for fighting bigotry in cyberspace.
What are your experiences? Are there positive sides to online anonymity?
References:
Bernstein, M. S., Monroy-Hernandez, A., Harry, D., Andre, P., Panovich, K., and Vargas, G. G. (2011). An analysis of anonymity and ephemerality in a large online community. In Proceedings of ICWSM 2011, 50–57.
Postmes, T., Spears, R., and Lea, M. (1998). Breaching or building social boundaries? side-effects of computer-mediated communication. Communication Research 25(6), 689–715.
Zhang, K., & Kizilcec, R. (2014). Anonymity in Social Media: Effects of Content Controversiality and Social Endorsement on Sharing Behavior. Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, 8(1). Retrieved from https://ojs.aaai.org/index.php/ICWSM/article/view/14573
Zickmund, S. (2002). Approaching the Radical other: The Discursive Culture of Cyberhate. Virtual Culture: Identity and Communication in Cybersociety, 185-205. doi:10.4135/9781446250303.n10
This culture of online anonymity combined with the accessibility of mobile technologies is a very interesting debate. On the one hand, there is the issue of privacy and on the other, the false feeling of being able to say and do anything without thinking about the often negative consequences. With the proliferation of ghost VPNs or “incognito” options on search engines like Google, or even with the dark web and also the possibilities of paying with cyber currencies anonymously, there are many strategies to go unnoticed on the web. I don’t think it’s inherently negative to have the ability to be anonymous, but it opens the door to cybercrime both locally and globally. However, how anonymous are we? Aren’t there more and more tools to find those who think they are untraceable? This article from the United Nations is very interesting on this topic: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/index.html
Great post. This is a very important topic.
When I read your post, the intersection of cyber-bully culture with the always- on culture came to my attention. This intersection of cultures is a destructive combination for youth. When I was in school, if I had a bad day with a bully at school, I would leave at 3:00pm and enjoy time with my friends and family – completely shut off from the bully. Today, the bully follows you every where you take your phone. This realization makes me feel an immense sense of sadness for todays youth.
I am sure there are positive sides to anonymity but, particulary for youth, they are not immediately obvious to me.
Hi Katherine,
Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and for your feedback. Great points.
It does bring an immense sense of sadness, in particular when you look at the bullying statistics in Canada. Here are a few examples based on https://www.bullyingcanada.ca/get-help/ articles:
• Canada has the 9th highest rate of bullying in the 13-years-olds category on a scale of 35 countries.
• At least 1 in 3 adolescent students in Canada have reported being bullied recently.
• Among adult Canadians, 38% of males and 30% of females reported having experienced occasional or frequent bullying during their school years.
• 7% of adult Internet users in Canada, age 18 years and older, self-reported having been a victim of cyber-bullying at some point in their life.
• The most common form of cyber-bullying involved receiving threatening or aggressive e-mails or instant messages, reported by 73% of victims
These numbers show why this is such an important topic which requires further investigation, and definitely something that educators should include in their curriculum design.
Thank you,
Saeid