And, really, the internet is virtually anonymous anyway -- so resorting to anonymity within a framework that's already largely anonymous? It's almost like people need and actively search for an outlet for that toxic disinhibition. Anonymous love memes, of course, would probably count as benign disinhibition, but there are significantly more anon memes that feed off negativity.
These are the days I wish I'd been a psych major. The upswing of anon-memes in an already anonymous cyberspace would make an awesome paper. Does it suggest that somehow cyberspace is getting less anonymous? Or is it an individual fragmenting of personas?
It also explains why I never feel the need to participate in anon memes -- what could I possibly have to say that I cannot say as myself? I don't really change at all between RL and so-called cyberspace. *shrug*
Interestingly, I've seen people make gaffes in office communications that might be traced to the psychological effects outlined here -- the bulk of our workplace communications take place over email and AIM, and I'm guessing that it's hard for some people to shake the sense of dissociation. Interesting...
It really is an interesting article, and really very telling. It explains a LOT of the asshattery present in fandom, for instance. I wrote a paper on the disinhibition effect for a class last year, and it was some of the most useful reading I'd done in a while.
But think about it -- this covers not only anon memes, but sock-puppet antics as well. I mean, if you just think about how much of this applies to fandom and LJ and other places on the internet, it's kind of boggling.
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These are the days I wish I'd been a psych major. The upswing of anon-memes in an already anonymous cyberspace would make an awesome paper. Does it suggest that somehow cyberspace is getting less anonymous? Or is it an individual fragmenting of personas?
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But think about it -- this covers not only anon memes, but sock-puppet antics as well. I mean, if you just think about how much of this applies to fandom and LJ and other places on the internet, it's kind of boggling.
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