Why Do People Seek Anonymity On The Internet

Behind the mask: anonymity on the internet

Introduction :

With the advent of the internet, anonymity is easily achieved. Anyone can make a account on social media spaces under a pseudonym which allows them to be anonymous.

Plowman and Goode defines anonymity as state when individuals shed their identity and normative standards, which leads to reduced self-awareness. We define internet anonymity as a state where an individual feels like he/she is not being tracked, recorded or viewed whilst using the Internet.

Why is this topic important? The internet affects everyone - in a way or another. According to Statista, there are 3.17 billion Internet users worldwide. In a Triple Canopy article entitled “anonymity

Carnegie Mellon University provides an insight into the motivations of people going anonymous on the Internet in a 2013 study entitled “Why Do People Seek Anonymity on the Internet? Informing Policy and Design”. Kang, Brown and Kiesler state that Internet users seek anonymity to manage the line between their online and offline selves in order to preserve others’ perception of them. One instance is seeking help or doing other activities that might make them seem socially undesirable or needy, such as when using online dating sites or support groups, hence they would prefer to go anonymous (4). The study also found that people pursued anonymity in online activities that being identified might expose to them to personal threat such as exposure of personal information to hackers,online flaming or harassment (5).

In an article for entitled “The positive and negative implications of anonymity in Internet social interactions: On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog”, Christopherson states that the nature of the Internet coupled with the anonymity it offers makes it a safe place for catharsis which is “ the unhindered expression of thoughts and feelings to others,” without the fear of being socially evaluated by others (3041). With a Washington Post article entitled “Cyber-Catharsis: Bloggers Use Web Sites as Therapy” Noguchi reports that blogging enables people to broach difficult subjects with loved ones, as well as gain support from a virtual community of people they don't know (par.