Searches

Keyword(s): anonymous behaviour
Database: Sociological Abstracts
Results: 20
Analysis: This search did yield two potential sources. However, the main focus of these articles was on the differences between how male and female participants reacted in online anonymous spaces. The information is useful as a starting point, but not necessarily as a direct source.

Keyword(s): anonymity AND persona
Database: Communication & Mass Media Complete
Results: 15
Analysis: This search yielded multiple potential sources. The results came from a variety of different fields, making them especially interesting. I think it is important to understand the role of online anonymity from multiple lenses.

Keyword(s): online behaviour and anonymous
Database: Psychology Collection
Results: 9
Analysis: This relatively small search actually yielded very good sources. From cyberbullying to group therapy to machine learning, there was a lot to go through in terms of how the internet affected the behaviours of participants online.

Keyword(s): internet and behaviour and anonymity
Database: APA PsycArticles
Results: 8
Analysis: Another small search that led to interesting articles. These also touched on cyberbullying, but they also included articles on racism and other forms of hate speech found online. A particularly interesting article focused on the emotions of minorities (racial, sexual, etc.) when dealing with online platforms where their anonymity is maintained, which is another interesting angle from which to view the issue of being online with strangers.

Keyword(s): social behaviour and digital and anonymity
Database: APA PsycInfo
Results: 12
Analysis: One source that stood out in this search was an article focused on the effect of anonymity on individuals participating in a team-based online gamified learning environment. The study is especially interesting to me because team-based online gaming is where the original idea for my research topic came from.

Discussion

I believe that there are more searches to be conducted and many articles left to be found. Anonymity online applies so differently depending on which field it is being studied from. I think it is hard to argue against anonymity when looking at it from a legal or medical viewpoint. I also think it is very difficult to argue for anonymity in cases where cyberbullying or digital terrorism is involved. The solution lies in a middle-ground, but I still think the compromise should fall more on the side of less anonymity online outside of very specific circumstances.

Bibliographies

Social gaming is inSIDE: Impact of anonymity and group identity on performance in a team game-based learning environment

Le Hénaff, Benjamin, et al. “Social Gaming Is inside: Impact of Anonymity and Group
Identity on Performance in a Team Game-Based Learning Environment.” Computers &
Education, vol. 82, 2015, pp. 84–95., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.11.002.

This article focused on how individuals performed in a team game-based learning environment. Individuals were first evaluated to determine how much prior knowledge on the subject they had. From there, it was found that individuals with less prior knowledge performed better in situations where anonymity levels were high, and individuals with more prior knowledge performed better when there was less anonymity present. This is interesting to my research idea because it shows that perception can affect performance, pressure and stress, and the mental state of individuals online.

How does anonymous online peer communication affect prevention behavior? Evidence from a laboratory experiment

Saran, Indrani, et al. “How does anonymous online peer communication affect prevention
behavior? Evidence from a laboratory experiment.” PLoS ONE, vol. 13, no. 11, 21 Nov.
2018, p. e0207679. Gale OneFile: Psychology, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A562940804/PPPC
u=klnb_fhsuniv&sid=bookmark-PPPC&xid=d121b0b7.

This article focused on online health forums. Using an experimental design, the researchers found that behaviour was heavily influenced by other anonymous online users. This adds another factor to consider in my own research idea. That is because online behaviour in an individual may be affected by both their perception of their own anonymity and the interactions they may have with other anonymous individuals.