Anonymity and Problems in Forums
24 05 2006A List Apart: Articles: Anonymity and Online Community: Identity Matters Here is a great article on the problems of anonymity in online communities. It responds to a problem that is becoming more and more prevalent.
Anonymity is a double-edged sword when it comes to an online community. While anonymity may allow people to feel more free and disinhibited to discuss otherwise embarrassing or stigmatizing topics, it can also be a community’s biggest enemy. Anonymity allows people to hide behind their computers while saying whatever they want with little ramification. Psychologists know that online community is far more disinhibited than face-to-face communications.1, 2, 3 Pair that disinhibition with anonymity and you have a recipe for potential disaster.
This only affirms some of my experiences online. From years ago on an “emerging church” website to only a couple of weeks ago on an up and coming youth ministry site, it is just too easy for people to flame, spout off, and just be childish without some form of accountability and recognition of what they have done.
Many people who are really into forums and online community would have a lot to say about this, no doubt. They might argue the benefit of moderators and that poster’s profiles and how that prevents anonymity from becoming a problem. The actual practice of this is a dream though. Often moderators are involved in the conversations online or at least biased toward one person over another. Occasionally they take sides and then it really gets ugly.
The article suggets several solutions. My favorite is to provide a reputation system. This will get ugly, but al least there is some accountability.
Is it possible to actually have an “online community” in any real sense? Maybe, but the fact that anyone can submit only what they want people to know about themselves is the antithesis of real community. The question I have is, if this is true and the new generation loves authentic community, then why are they flocking to these online forms of community? Either they don’t really want authentic community or they don’t realize that they are being duped by sites like myspace, or possibly both.
I think they’re being duped because they are searching for someone to validate (or at least not openly judge to their faces) their opinions and feelings. If you disagree online, most often it’s about the issue itself (and sometimes the group you represent), not about you, personally. If you’re looking for someone to tell you, “YEAH, man. You’re RIGHT!” you can easily find that online. You might have to hunt to find it (or not), but you can eventually find someone to support your view no matter how warped or sinful it is.
Which is what real, genuine community sometimes does: call you on your sin. Both to its credit (i.e. accountability, confrontation, etc.) and its discredit (i.e. judmentalism, criticism, and opposing insecurities)!
Authentic community to me is summed up by that Rolling Stones song: you can’t always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you get what you NEED.
I think we’re in an age where community and local are really taking on new meaning. You’re right to bring this up as you have. In my experience so far in online community, it can be very authentic…and sometimes more real than virtual. I think of emails that have come into some of our websites. Those emails were shown to local ministers who never heard those questions asked in a face-to-face environment. There was a value in anonymity.
But also in my experience I’ve seen and dealt with way too many trolls. They are easy to spot and they are annoying. They have more gall online than they would offline. But you know what? In the communities I’ve been a part of offline, I tend to see people who are both hurtful and peaceful.
My experience of online community vs. offline community is actually quite similar…sometimes online being more authentic.
This is a huge issue we are tackling as we learn how to use this tool of the internet in the context of relationships.
[…] Paul Martin writes today on Anonymity and Problems in Forums Is it possible to actually have an “online community” in any real sense? Maybe, but the fact that anyone can submit only what they want people to know about themselves is the antithesis of real community. The question I have is, if this is true and the new generation loves authentic community, then why are they flocking to these online forms of community? Either they don’t really want authentic community or they don’t realize that they are being duped by sites like myspace, or possibly both. […]
Paul (and Rob)…
Hang in there. As we increasingly connect/tighten connections across the country & globe, accountability increases. See Blews.Network — national to neighborhood. That’s our goal.
Think of it — God knows everything. There’s really no such thing as ‘privacy’. The devil thrives on creating isolationism/privacy, otherwise known as non-accountability.
Similarly, as the information explosion expands, more and more is known about everyone. Accountability increases when you know your mom (or your pastor, or neighbor, or George Bush) is watching.
But you perhaps counter: ‘But what about the anonymous user?’ Right?
Let me ask you, if a person walks into your business or knocks on your front door at home, and they’re wearing a mask — what’s your reaction?
It won’t be long til anonymous encounters are minimal. Admittedly some potential for anonymous evangelism or counseling is diminished — but it’ll still exist in darker corners of the net. But it won’t exist in popular discussion groups, etc.
MySpace, Xanga, etc…. will unknowingly help all of the above to occur. In fact, I can cite youth pastors who now are able to BETTER-KNOW their youth, via their social-sites. Accountability increases.
IMHO.
Btw, we’re actively pursuing ‘authentic community’ among driven Christians. We believe the only way it can be reasonably done, is by invitation only… and securing the site. Eg…CrossroadsConnection.com.
YBIC
Neil Cox (.com)
IndyChristian.com
“Connecting Driven Christians in the Racing Capital of the World”
Neil, I appreciate your post but would still disagree with you from what I have experienced on the web. Too often I have been blasted on Christian web sites from people’s knee jerk reactions outside of the community and inside by the anonymous. Criticism is really fine with me if the people doing that are doing it in the context of accountability.
That isn’t the real problem though. The real problem is that people are purposefully more abrasive and less loving in anonymous community settings because they can get away with it. No one can truly hold someone accountable on the web, because they can just leave and come back as another username.
Myspace, Xanga and all the like are places where people post only what they want people to see about them. I can’t call that real community. It’s just a facade. I look at my students myspace sites often to see what they are asying about themselves, but I know that it is an unbalanced, biased perspective. It is the opposite of community.
Community should be a place where people know who you actually are, not just who you want to be. In that respect, I don’t think the web is even close to authentic community.
The question is compelling, but I’m not sure the question couldn’t be reversed.
“With all the pressure to be socially accepted and percieved as successful, is it possible to have authentic community in a real life forum?”
Visit a neighborhood association meeting (I know you have the opportunity in Central Florida), and then tell me that “Anonymity allows people to hide behind their computers while saying whatever they want with little ramification.” No, people in American culture feel free to do it in a real life forum, too!
There is a difference between an open forum and a community. And there are good communities and bad communities. Online or IRL (in real life) doesn’t strike me as the defining difference.
Jerry, thanks for commenting and you raise a very good point. There are many places to hide IRL. Many people really just don’t want what comes from real community. It’s messy. I think that it is a lot harder though to hide in real life from people who press the authentic side of community than it is online.
It’s a great point though and I’m glad you made it.