I have always been told that the two most common things people are afraid of are death and public speaking. The people telling me this were always teachers as they were assigning my classmates and me a hefty presentation that was due the next week. Why they thought this tidbit would make a bunch of angsty 12 year-olds riddled with self-consciousness any less afraid to put themselves in on the spot in front of their peers, I'll never know.
However if public speaking really is the second most common fear, then why are people so much less afraid to send out their thoughts to thousands/millions of people on the internet? Aren't our social media profiles just personalized stages we have built for ourselves from which we project thoughts, feelings, images, and personalities?
As you may know, there seems to be one big reason that accounts for what I call 'digital courage': anonymity.
Ah, yes. Trolls, cyberbullies, and flamers alike are able to scrape by on social network sites spreading negativity consequence-free thanks to the ability to remain completely incognito. Essentially, people are more willing to say things online that they would never say in real life. This is what scholars call the online disinhibition effect. Dr. John Suler, a professor of psychology at Rider University in New Jersey, breaks down this effect even further into toxic and benign disinhibition. Just because someone says something online that they'd never say IRL doesn't mean they say something exclusively malicious.
"When people have the opportunity to separate their actions online from their in-person lifestyle and identity, they feel less vulnerable about self-disclosing and acting out."
- Dr. John Suler
Benign disinhibition may take the form of identity play, someone trying to understand every part of their social identity. Sometimes people join sites anonymously to express parts of themselves they are uncomfortable sharing in the real world. For instance, if someone is questioning their sexuality or gender identity, it is possible that anonymity on an online platform effectively removes the inhibitions present in the real world that prevent them from exploring these uncertainties.
"When a person is shy in person while outgoing online, neither self-presentation is more true. They are two dimensions of that person, each revealed within a different situational context."
- Dr. John Suler
On the other hand, Dr. Suler explains that toxic disinhibition shows up online as people explore the more negative characteristics/actions that they aren't able to express in the analogue world. These characteristics include violence, crime, threatening language, anger, and harsh critiques. Interestingly, even when people do share personal information online, but they are unable to see each other, the disinhibition effect is still present. Without having to think about your own physical appearance or the sound of their voice, people still feel a certain disconnect from what they are communicating to others. There is even more of a disconnect because on many text-based chats you also cannot see or hear anyone else.
"People don’t have to worry about how they look or sound when they type a message. They don’t have to worry about how others look or sound in response to what they say. Seeing a frown, a shaking head, a sigh, a bored expression, and many other subtle and not so subtle signs of disapproval or indifference can inhibit what people are willing to express."
- Dr. John Suler
When I make accounts on social media, my profiles almost always contain information that aligns with my real-world identity: my name, the school I attend, pictures of myself with friends and family, etc. However, this summer I had some free time and decided to make an anonymous photography account on Instagram. I found some old pictures from past family vacations and starting uploading them with goofy captions. For instance, with a picture of a tree that was in its full fall-time glory, I wrote If you've got it, flaunt it.
Immediately I loved posting things under a different name. I felt a new kind of freedom putting something online that could not be traced back to me. I purposefully did not follow any of the people I was connected with on my personal account. Instead, I followed other photography accounts and was thrilled every time someone else followed me or commented on one of my pictures. The people following me back were from all over the world like Argentina, Germany, France, and Spain! It was exhilarating to be connecting with people who spoke a different language than me through images of beautiful landscapes, mountains, and forests from our traveling experiences.
However, I quickly realized that not every person I interacted with shared the same enthusiasm that I did. I noticed that my follower count never surpassed 90 and I quickly realized that was because people would follow my account long enough for me to follow them back and then unfollow me a few days later. Similarly, not everyone who liked or commented on my pictures chose to follow my account. They were looking to boost their own follower count. I was only a number to them. Ouch. And even if there was mutual interest on both sides of who I was engaging with, there was no way to know. I immediately doubted the sincerity of other people I interacted with because I was unsure of their intentions.
The final blow that shattered my anonymity was that people from my personal account started to follow my photography account. When this happened I discovered I was possessive over my photography account like a toddler with a new toy. How dare anyone else try to be a part of MY new thing. Based on the randomness of who did follow my second account, I can only assume that my new account was recommended to people based on one of the behind-the-scenes Instagram algorithms. The small bubble I had created for myself burst.
Overall, this experience highlighted to me how obsessed people really are with trying to gain notoriety in any way they can. Even sharing neat pictures online is a competitive act. What's more, the ones seeking validation by having higher follower counts discourage people like me with smaller accounts to continue engaging with others online.
Also, the fact that people from my personal account "found" my new account makes me wonder how difficult it is to be truly anonymous. I wonder if it would have taken longer for people I know in real life to stumble upon this account on another social media platform. With social networking sites constantly collecting data on its users and sharing that data with other companies, it's tricky to remain completely hidden online. In an age with so much digital surveillance, can we grow into the people we are supposed to be if we're always being watched? Without the room to make the kind of mistakes that inspire growth, I don't know.