Bad behavior online is a very serious and prominent problem in a variety of social settings online. The internet is a whole new dimension where many things are taking place simultaneously. Having said this, it is very easy to succumb to danger. Just by navigating to a website, you can fall into the trap of hackers and key loggers who are just lurking to pounce on easy prey around the web to obtain personal information.
Being anonymous online allows a person to feel like they can act out in different ways than what they could in real life. Without having a direct face to face confrontation, people online feel less responsible for their actions, leaving them feeling a sense of invincibility. While feeling untouchable, people think that they can perform deviant actions online, such as cyber-bullying, cyber stalking, cyber crimes, and sexual behaviors.
According to Davis (2002), to be deviant is a concept that is defined as being bad but is determined by the target person’s interpretation of the behavior. Davis (2002) also mentioned some causes of this bad behavior such as anonymity and being deindividualized. Deindividualization has to do with losing one’s own concept or values in a social aspect. This usually includes the addition of new traits in order to fit in with others nearby. Deindividualization can cause reluctant behavior in reality or in face to face interactions and can be elevated even more while on the internet (Davis 2002). For example, online users may not care if they hurt or offend other users just because of the fact that people are not ‘real’ online. It is expected that users claim there are no consequences to bad behavior on the internet because it is likely that they will never talk to the same person again (Davis 2002).
According to Sara Kiesler and Lee Sproull (1992) the less social contact cues a person has, the more of a chance they have to produce deregulated behavior, decreased social inhibitions, and reduced concern with social evaluation. Kiesler et al(1992) also reports that there were 102 situations of hostile behavior over the internet compared with only 12 instances through face to face contact with a study she had done.
There is a lot of information out there but the focus for this site is deviant behavior while being anonymous online. There are many studies that have been conducted to show how and why individuals act out on the internet. Click on the tabs above to get started!
Being anonymous online allows a person to feel like they can act out in different ways than what they could in real life. Without having a direct face to face confrontation, people online feel less responsible for their actions, leaving them feeling a sense of invincibility. While feeling untouchable, people think that they can perform deviant actions online, such as cyber-bullying, cyber stalking, cyber crimes, and sexual behaviors.
According to Davis (2002), to be deviant is a concept that is defined as being bad but is determined by the target person’s interpretation of the behavior. Davis (2002) also mentioned some causes of this bad behavior such as anonymity and being deindividualized. Deindividualization has to do with losing one’s own concept or values in a social aspect. This usually includes the addition of new traits in order to fit in with others nearby. Deindividualization can cause reluctant behavior in reality or in face to face interactions and can be elevated even more while on the internet (Davis 2002). For example, online users may not care if they hurt or offend other users just because of the fact that people are not ‘real’ online. It is expected that users claim there are no consequences to bad behavior on the internet because it is likely that they will never talk to the same person again (Davis 2002).
According to Sara Kiesler and Lee Sproull (1992) the less social contact cues a person has, the more of a chance they have to produce deregulated behavior, decreased social inhibitions, and reduced concern with social evaluation. Kiesler et al(1992) also reports that there were 102 situations of hostile behavior over the internet compared with only 12 instances through face to face contact with a study she had done.
There is a lot of information out there but the focus for this site is deviant behavior while being anonymous online. There are many studies that have been conducted to show how and why individuals act out on the internet. Click on the tabs above to get started!