“Our results show that people from all walks of life had reason, at one time or another, to seek anonymity,” the researchers wrote of the 44 interviewees.īut according to a 2013 study from the Pew Research Center, while most internet users would like to remain anonymous, most don’t think it’s entirely possible. Plus, being anonymous in an environment like the internet can help safeguard personal safety. One participant said that he frequented message boards to help people solve technical problems, but sought to avoid unwanted commitments through the detached nature of the internet. Anonymity helped them better manage certain spheres of their lives. One interviewee, for instance, created an anonymous online community for English learners to practise their language skills. In 2013, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania published a study in which they conducted in-depth interviews with dozens of internet users on four continents. Without one or the other, our wellbeing can easily become disrupted.”īeing anonymous allows us to try new things or express ideas without being judged. “But we also need a private self – an internal space where we can reflect on our own thoughts and feelings apart from outside influence, where we can just be with our own psyche. “We need a public self to navigate the social world of family, friends, peers and co-workers,” says John Suler, professor of psychology at Rider University in New Jersey, and author of The Psychology of Cyberspace. It’s emerging as one of the major challenges of our age: how should we go about both ensuring national security and enhancing our lives through technology, whilst also maintaining a basic right to privacy that feels like it has existed since the beginning of human history?”Īnonymity, which is Greek for “no name,” is a uniquely human psychological experience: it’s the idea that we all have identities to present to the world, but under certain circumstances, can switch the identity off and operate in total secrecy. But in the year 2017, it’s pretty much all but dead. What you’re experiencing as you walk into that room is anonymity: a sociocultural phenomenon that’s afforded privacy and freedom. But whatever your feelings would be, you would at least safely assume that you can enter this isolated situation without being monitored or tracked by a far-flung company or individual – right? Perhaps you feel energised that you can use this opportunity to experience life on your terms, at your own speed. Perhaps you feel free of the judgment and scrutiny from acquaintances or associates. You’re free to do anything or go anywhere or talk to anyone. You don’t know anyone, and no one knows you. Imagine walking into a roomful of strangers.

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