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I think we could all agree
that the internet has changed the way we communicate pretty dramatically
compared to 50 years ago. I mean you
have to agree, you’re on a blog!
According to Richard
Miller, the internet has brought on “the greatest change in human communication
in human history” (2010, p. 143), which has some pretty huge implications for
the way we interact with each other and understand the world. One big thing the internet has changed is
that we can interact with others away from the identity ascribed to us in “real
life”. I have generally thought of this
as a good thing, for example a recently read an article where a young deaf
woman described that that social media was a gateway to interacting with people
without prejudice (Hollier 2012).
As it turns out
though, there are issues linked with online anonymity. I particularly like the
explanation by Randy Foster, managing editor of the New Bern
Sun Journal, that “[anonymous] online commenting is the literary
equivalent to road rage” (Kabay 2011).
It does make sense, when people are protected by not having to link
their actions to their real life identity; they have a lot more confidence, and
are often quite mean.
Long-established research in social
psychology pointed out that anonymity increases anti-social behaviour. In a 2008 experiment in Japan, 70 undergraduate
students were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions (Anonymous,
Nonidentifiable, Nonaccountable, and Nonanonymous) to examine whether they
would violate game rules to obtain the monetary reward through anonymity. Only
participants in the Anonymous condition violated the rules to obtain the reward"
(Kaybay 2011).
In light of recent nasty comments on
Twitter people are more upset about the online issue (Jones & Byrnes 2012). Some newspaper websites have taken to not
allowing anonymous comments on their posts (Rosenberry 2011, p. 6). I completely get where these people are
coming from, no-one likes trolls, BUT the internet is a separate place to real
life and it allows us to be anyone. I
like the freedom of it, but as the internet is increasingly becoming an
integral part of real life it is inevitable it will have to change. We can’t have trolls roaming the streets, but
if we shoo them offline, where will they go next?
Reference List:
Hollier, S 2012,
‘Social media helps find work (and delivers cheap pizza)’, Ramp Up, 23rdMarch, accessed
30/09/2012,http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2012/03/23/3462327.htm
Jones, G and Byrnes,
H 2012, ‘Time is up for Twitter trolls and bullies’, The Daily Telegraph, 11 September, accessed 30/09/2012, http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/time-is-up-for-twitter-trolls-and-bulllies/story-e6freuy9-1226472133504
Kabay, M 2011, ‘See you anon: Reflections
on online anonymity’, Network World, 26
Sept accessed 30/09/2012, http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA267972186&v=2.1&u=uow&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w
Miller, R 2010, ‘The Coming Apocalypse’, Pedagogy, vol.10, no.1, pp143-151, accessed
Rosenberry, J 2011, 'Users Support Online Anonymity Despite
Increasing Negativity', Newspaper Research Journal, vol. 32, no. 2, pp6-19, accessed
30/09/2012, Communication & Mass Media Complete, EBSCOhost.
Hey Ashley, thanks for the comment! When I made this post last week I had no idea how much we were about to learn on the topic of online behaviour. I think you are right in saying that the public-ness and permanence of comments on Twitter make undeniably them frontstage, event though you might be able to write them in the privacy of your home.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I didn't get Facebook until I was 17 or 18 because my years or terrible music and desperate desire to seem emotionally deep were over. Maybe it won't be so bad for them though (and this is being really optimistic), because if everyone has all of their embarrassing content online then it's just the new norm. Sure, you could access someone's photo of them dressed up like a wannabe Lady Gaga, but they can get yours too. I guess if these youngsters start looking for serious jobs the potential employers might not be impressed, but if all their applicants have every mistake they made recorded online then it levels the playing field a bit.
Hi Laura!
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a thoughtful read!
I agree that there are implications with fully anonymous communication, with a lack of accountability people feel free to express offensive sentiments and do things they would not face-to-face. However also on this note, for a true democracy of thought to exist, people should also feel free to speak their mind without being ostracised by wider community.
Without anonymity a lot of people will not express their own thoughts, simply because they feel them unpopular or because it may risk their safety. We can take the current practices of the Chinese government as a testament to this. The government actively censors politically sensitive topics, ranging from the basic internet search terms such as ‘Tiananmen Square Massacres’ and ‘democracy’ without online anonymity we can expect independent thinkers to be quashed. In totalitarian systems, the liberties of individuals are inevitably quashed. If I have an opinion which I know is at odds with a lot of the people I am friends with, I would not choose to share it online. This opinion could range from taste in music to religious/political affiliations or abortion rights.
I consider there to be an enormous distinction between typical ‘trolling’ and illegal actions. There are particular online actions which warrant police action, such as the sharing of child abuse material, but any suppression of wider socially unaccepted material borders an assault on free thought. Although the purpose of trolling tends to be to bother those around them, it still constitutes a form of free speech. Although we are all told to stand proud by our thoughts, we all, on some level, censor our words knowing the company we are in.
I think as a very unique domain of human interaction, we should accept that people will do things different to everyday life. For any newbie to the internet, the best advice may be ‘don’t feed the trolls’.
Hi Blake, thanks for your comment, you definitely raise some interesting points. I agree that it is important to remember the opportunity online anonymity can provide for people who are susceptible to censorship. I do think though, that countries that pride themselves on freedom (such as the US) are, ironically, trying to control the internet more and more by absorbing it into 'real life'. I mean things done online can have real life implications, but it is such a great domain to be able to secretly express your love of music or tv shows your real life friend might laugh at you for. That might seem shallow compared to what internet anonymity is capable of, but it's valuable all the same.
DeleteThat's a really funny comparison. I see your point, some of the youtube music vids I like I wouldn't share on my facebook haha.
DeleteThis is a very interesting discussion here!
DeleteI think the problem with mediated communication (when compared to direct communication) is that we are not always in control of it. Last session I did a project on the media in relation to China, it's censorship and the issues surrounding Tibet.
It was interesting that the Chinese Government even provides internet access to those within the Tibetan area when so much of what comes out of there is going to be negative towards the government. In my opinion it appears to just be the PRC Government paying lip service to some sort of freedom of speech, as when the issues become heated up the government has been known to turn off internet service, as well as telephone signals and outsider access to the area.
To relate this back to sociology, I guess it demonstrates how we are not necessarily in control of our own identities, in relation to how we communicate with others. Indeed, the Tibetan identity could be seen as being modified by the PRC government in an attempt to reinforce some sort of overarching national identity.
Sorry for the late comment, but just thought I'd join in :)
Hi Ben, thanks for keeping the discussion going and it's good to get some information with actual research. I think we often assume "China does this and China does that", but in all honesty I'm not really sure what China is doing in relation to their internet and censorship as I have got most of my information on the topic from general conversations or painfully biased television programs. It's very interesting that you say the Chinese Government provides internet access to those within the Tibetan area as it's so different to what you usually hear about China and media. Though perhaps supplying internet to Tibet is just another way to regulate it...
DeleteWell, as I read this I was going to comment what has already been said, so sorry if some of this overlaps, I will try to remain original!
ReplyDeleteSomething else that has come up recently is the potential idea for the Australian government to introduce mandatory data retention by Internet Service Providers which would essentially rid us of much of our anonymity, which I guess operates on the premise that if you’ve got nothing to hide than you shouldn’t be scared. But most people would have certain facts or features about themselves that they wish to remain private or amongst a close circle of friends, which relates to how we form relationships and circles, in that we only reveal certain parts of our identities to those who we trust.
On another note, I don’t think that everything we do online is completely anonymous, it’s just hard for someone to track us down. Every click you make and every letter you type is logged somewhere, whether it be on the internet or on the device you are using. Further, most interactions made on the internet have your Internet Provider address attached to it, which can actually be traced to the computer used for that interaction. Though it is often hard for this to be done and as the internet is spread throughout the world it would be difficult for anyone to access enough of your information.
This then brings up problems associated with our mediated identities. In our interactions we are logged as a number (which can be modified if you know how), but this does not always correspond with our natural identity, for example, what if someone else used your computer to do it, who would be liable?
On the subject of trolls, I think this has merely become a moral panic. ‘Trolls’ have always existed, but I guess on the internet it has become more of a term for those who breach the online social norms and regulations. In the media it has become a term which has been associated with online bullying, but traditionally it’s just someone being annoying or playing some sort of joke.
Thanks for a great post as usual Laura! I think I might jump in on the other comments because it’s an interesting discussion (even though I’m probably really late to the game on this one).
It's crazy how quickly issues around the internet can change. I wrote this post under a month ago, and already there are new issues emerging. The issue you raised about the Australian Government wanting to introduce a mandatory retention of internet data seems absolutely bizarre to me and is something I only became aware of recently. I was listening the Triple J's hack program on Thursday the 18th of Oct and they were discussing this issue (check out the podcast at: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/podcast/default.htm). Their expert said that much of the problem with internet regulation is that the people in power are of a different generation and they simply don't understand the internet. The other part of he problem is that the younger generations don't understand they those in power don't understand. So basically it seems ludicrous to store every piece of data from the internet to anyone who grew up in a world where it already existed, but to people who were always taught that information could be stored and recorded, collecting all the data from the internet seems logical. My favourite point from the hack report was that to store all the information the government is talking about you would have to hollow out a mountain to store the the harddrives - now I think that's a scale anyone could understand!
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