Poll: Anonymity and Evil

[Falconsgyre]

One thing I'm sure people have noticed is that a lot of people act pretty differently when they're anonymous. Often, this involves them becoming complete assholes. So my question to you is: how does this reflect on the person as a whole? Does how you act when there's no consequences and you can't see the effect of your actions say something about who you are as a person? I'll leave my opinion out of it for now, except to say that I really don't like trolls, and to note that I'm willing to bet every single one of us has said something on the internet we wouldn't have said in real life.[footnote]And if you haven't, welcome to the internet! You must be new.[/footnote]

The subtext of the question is, how dependent do you think morality is on the person vs. the situation? (No poll for that, because it's way too complicated a question.) If you haven't already wasted enough of your time on the temporal black hole that is TV Tropes, this question was inspired by the trope What You Are in the Dark [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatYouAreInTheDark]. (And if you haven't wasted enough of your time and have some to spare, go waste some there. It's a fun site.)

Edit: Since it's been so totally one-sided, I guess I'll throw an argument for "no" in here:

Everyone's focusing on the part where you are anonymous, but most people might not note that everyone else is, too. Why is this relevant? Well, now there's a little part of your brain which doesn't register people as people anymore, and it's not something you can control. The reason we're nice is, mostly, because of empathy. We feel other people's pain. And the internet takes away your ability to do that because it deprives you of any real feedback from your actions. So, does this mean you're a bad person? Maybe a little. But it's not really as bad as you might think it is. How can you be expected to play nice when all the rules have changed?

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Gonna have to go with the generally yes option. If you're anonymous or not, you're still responsible for the words you spew. I try to stay true to how I'd act in public IRL when I'm here in the forums.

 

[Jedoro]

When you can't be judged, that's when who you really are comes out. No one to look down on you, no consequences, just the decision you really, truly want to make.

 

[Jodah]

Everyone is an asshole. It just matters to what degree they hide it when there are consequences.

 

[Enamour]

Yes, it does reflect. The same with drunk people; messed up people tend to reveal themselves when drinking and I've noted with interest in the past that "friends" of mine act online the same when they've been drinking.

There's a veneer we all "hide" behind in consequence-relevant environments.

No offence mate but this isn't really even a question; it's a given that's such a large and obvious part of our natures. Look at most escapist threads for example, someone asks a question and then you've got pages and pages full of people saying the EXACT same thing OVER and OVER again. I'm very sure that those same people don't stand around in groups ignoring the words that other have already spoken and then simply repeating what those other people have said.

Person A "Cats are nice."

Person B "I don't like cats."

Person C "Cats are nice."

Person D "I like cats."

Person E "Cats are stupid."

Person F "Cats are cool."

Person G "Cats suck."

And so forth. There's not much to this thread other than "It's obvious. (insert a reason)" or "I don't agree. (insert reason)"

 

[Mr Thin]

Yes, it shows what they're like when they're freed from the restrictions of consequence; but that doesn't necessarily mean it shows what they're truly like, you know, underneath the skin.

For example, I rarely share my opinion in real life, and am quick to redact it in real life when it's challenged. This is not the case on these forums, where I have increased anonymity. That doesn't mean I'm actually a confident, forthright person when you strip away the trappings of my environment; in my case it just means I'm more comfortable when I don't have to look people in the eye.

But in some cases it does show more about who they really are. Someone who's a troll on the Internets but a nice guy in real life isn't a nice guy who acts like an asshole some of the time. He's an asshole who acts like a nice guy, most of the time.

Morality is dependent entirely on the person; environment simply gives them varying opportunities and ways to express their morality. I think anonymity is sort of like a sandbox in this regard.

 

[Falconsgyre]

And so forth. There's not much to this thread other than "It's obvious. (insert a reason)" or "I don't agree. (insert reason)"

I mean, isn't that how most threads with yes/no polls go? Either you agree, or disagree. I could actually give a reason for "no" pretty coherently, even though my actual opinion is yes. You think I should put that up there, then? I don't think the answer is really that obvious.

 

[LiberalSquirrel]

I'd say yes. I don't act like an ass when I'm anonymous. Check my posts. I'm a slightly-cynical-but-generally-nice gal on the Escapist, just as I would be if you met me on the street. I'd like to think that says something about me (namely that I am... not an ass). Conversely, I think that generally, people who act like brats online (or in whatever alternate form of anonymity they choose) show, at the least, a significant amount of immaturity, and at the worst, a rather nasty extant side of their personality.

 

[averydeeadaccount]

anonymity is irrelevant on the internet because even if you know their username you still cant really punish, so many people act like a douche regardless, such as me.


i lost the game.

 

[Falconsgyre]

anonymity is irrelevant on the internet because even if you know their username you still cant really punish, so many people act like a douche regardless, such as me.


i lost the game.

No offense, but did it ever occur to you to just not act like a douche?

...actually, maybe a little offense was meant. This is a question about ethics. Shouldn't you be more responsible for your actions?

 

[Falconsgyre]

Seriously? Okay, accidental double post. Ignore this.

 

[b3nn3tt]

When there aren't consequences, people act how they wish they could normally. It basicaly boils down to whether people are the way they are because of intrinsic motivations or a fear of consequences. If the latter, then as soon as they are given the veil of anonymity people will take full advantage and do things they could never get away with normally. If the former, then they will behave pretty much normally when anonymous, possibly with slight increases in confidence.

 

[werty10089]

I'd say age factors into it as well. Almost every 12-year-old is going to have an indecent reaction to something on the internet, but everyone of them is very morally diverse as an individual. You just can't judge a character that hasn't developed yet. Choices without consequences may indeed be the main tenet of one's true nature, but the default nature of all people is well, to be an asshole. I'd say that I agree, but there are some criteria that has to be met before a a true judgement can be made. The thing with anonymity is that you can't tell the difference between someone who is always an asshole, and someone who is only an asshole if they're in a bad mood.

 

[J_Monsterface]

having access to anonymity is alot like having access to a wall

if you believe morality matters on one side of the wall, then it matters on the other side too

and if you believe it doesnt matter then the wall will keep people who think differently from seeing the amoral shit you do

IMO, there is really only one reason to desire privacy

 

[viranimus]

Spoiler: Spoiled to perserve freshness and prevent retinal Aneurysm

I will attempt (and Im sure it will be misunderstood) to simplfy it down to 4 words. The Ring of Gyges. To the uninitiated it is the story set forth by Socrates that was the inspiration for the one ring in The Lord of The Rings.

[link]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_gyges[/link] for a rudimentary overview.

Freedom without fear of repercussion is not what motivates or dissuades people. That cloak of invisibility is really something that is an ancillary factor. However people like to use specious reasoning along the lines of "Well if you want to hide, that means you must want to do something wrong" Which explains why many people tend to hate Anonymous, and attributing blame for actions they had nothing to do with. Cause a face hidden behind a mask is easier to blame than no face at all, or to look into a mirror and place blame on our own actions.

Ok, ill give you an example. Im not an asshole, I just play one on t... err.. uhm.. Internet.

Now the way I speak here does not always represent the level of sphincterocity to which I have willingly dropped to, but rest assured, I have left people in tears, started community ending wars, incited unimaginable levels of hatred and many other internet atrocities.

However, if you met me face to face you would think I was the most polite, helpful and unassuming person you would ever meet, because deep down in side I do genuinely like to help people. I genuinely care for the people I interact with. Hell I took two bullets for trying to defend my family.

I have also seen it on the flip side as well. One of my ex's (we met working together ) for example, while on the internet was one of the most polite and well spoken individuals you would ever encounter. Underneath that in real life she was arrogant, rude and self centered around most people (and an unimaginable ***** to me)

Honestly its been my experience from meeting people from the internet over the years, the nicer they seem on the internet, the more vile and deceptive of a person they turn out to be face to face. However, its also been my experience that the people who are not afraid to speak their mind on the internet, tend to be more truthful and forth coming IRL.

For some reason, people confuse brutal honesty with trying to be evil or malicious. The truth might hurt, but telling someone the truth is not really an evil thing. The purpose of that is still trying to help that person in that your trying to get them to see something that they refuse to look at or dont want to admit. The intention is still in the right place and honestly I would rather hear a vicious truth than a tender lie.

Also, you have to consider the type of people who do things for the Lulz. I get it. Its a form of roleplaying. When your every day life is button down, following the rules, minding your buisness, caring what people think of you, sometimes you just want to let loose and be a stark raving mad cockwallow out to make everyone around you miserable. Its more of a sense of social experimentation and seeing how the other half lives.

Edit: Also keep in mind, there are cases where the absence of social contract allows peoples true colors to show. And with the same measure, there is not shortage of assholes out there. We only have as much faith in humanity as we do because people face to face lie about how much of an asshole they are, which is far more damaging than any assholes you might find on the internet. And yes, there are some people who are just useless pricks anywhere they infect.

So in many cases, and in many ways, the way someone behaves on the internet is not reflective of how they behave offline and vice verse. Im sort of stunned that anyone would even have that conception because its fairly well understood and fairly commonly known otherwise.

 

[Blow_Pop]

When you can't be judged, that's when who you really are comes out. No one to look down on you, no consequences, just the decision you really, truly want to make.

I agree with the addendum of who you really want to be as well.

Personally I'm a slightly sociopathic ***** in real life and on the internet.

The thing is once you throw anonymity in there people feel they can be more open and less judged. Some people try and explore and see what this kind of action gets as a reaction vs that kind of action.

 

[Rawne1980]

I don't think anonymity has anything to do with it.

Sure some people might act like bigger dicks online than in real life but at the end of the day they are still a dick.

I'm the same online as I am all the time, i'm far too old to be playing childs games and pretending to be something different online.

I'll grant you that on occasion i'm a dick but thats just me.

But for the most part, the "person" you see online is just an extension of the person typing. People can be a bit more confident and cocky online because there is no consequences.

And by consequence I don't mean a person the dick is abusing getting upset because I can 100% promise you that the dick wouldn't give a shit if someone got upset.

 

[Togs]

Yeah it makes people arseholes, but hate to break it to you on some level everyone is arsehole- as a great man once said "even the nicest of guys have some nasty within them".

 

[ZephrC]

I think generally no. Most people fool themselves into thinking they're nicer than they really are to begin with, but the internet, and most especially forums, really do make it much harder to tell when you're coming across to others as a complete asshole.

Certainly there are genuinely horrible people that have just learned to hide it in reality but don't bother on the internet, but I think most of the time it's simply people not realizing how serious they seem or especially that everyone else probably has the same problem and they're really not actually horrible assholes, they just seem that way because forums are an inherently flawed method of communication.

That's the real problem I think. We all assume everyone online is an ass, and thus undeserving of being treated nicely, and so we all act like assholes to everyone else. We simply don't give the same benefit of the doubt online as we do in person.

 

[Actual]

Absolutely yes. It means they are secretly arseholes, and also cowards as they're too afraid to act that way in real life.

Of course if they're an arsehole in real life and when anonymous at least they're honest and unafraid.