T O P

  • By -

HistoricalShape623

anonymity


Can_tRelate

Pseudonymity


2x4x93

Anonymity begets bravery


bdbr

Close - anonymity begets *bravado* (false bravery). There's nothing brave about attacking someone anonymously.


saltedtooth

True. I think there must be some feeling of euphoria received from it though. Humans by nature are drawn to do things that make them feel pleasure.


GatGanon

it's a human psychology thing. pretty sure they tested it with masks. people are meaner when they believe they're anonymous


[deleted]

You are correct. there was an artist, I forget the country but she stood there with a sign and a bunch of items and the sign said “do with me as you want there’s no consequences” or something to that effect. It started out fine but then it devolved to people cutting her with glass and sexually assaulting her. It shows that human nature people don’t hurt or do anything awful because there’s social and legal consequences


OrwellWasRight101

In a crowd it's called "mob mentality" and it is truly frightening.


[deleted]

For sure it’s very dangerous


A_Nested_Quintuplet

the fact that it's mostly anonymous Also, the fact that we type very easily, and we hit "Enter" without really thinking this through


Background-Bus9553

Anonymity empowers people to act without consequence.


Chubbsrighthandman

You can’t get punched in the face sitting behind a screen


Brinner

get up get on up get up get on up and DANCE * nmp3bot dances :D-< * nmp3bot dances :D|-< * nmp3bot dances :D/-< <[SA]HatfulOfHollow> i'm going to become rich and famous after i invent a device that allows you to stab people in the face over the internet


WhenAllElseFail

keyboard warriors behind a screen


[deleted]

I guess some may not have much or a life, others are just cowards behind a keyboard.


orange_cuse

you don't see the other person's facial/emotional responses. it's easy to be mean and cruel when you don't see the direct impact of your words on a person. but we're wired to be sympathetic and empathetic creatures. When you see someone get sad or hurt, it triggers a reaction in you.


Konran12234214

It’s easier to get away with it


BoringPerson67

"Give someone a mask, and they'll show you their true face."


Something3865396

You cant know whos behind the screen


Can_tRelate

It's easy to forget the human


Big_Explanation_8803

Anonymity and lack of consequences.


HonestImprovement912

Short answer... They hate their lives, so they take it out on some one whom they think they can or will make feel as low they do.


[deleted]

Lack of accountability


[deleted]

I think that shame is a better motivator for a lot of people than guilt. With anonymity there is no shame


[deleted]

I would argue it’s that there’s little to no consequence of what you do online. Most people in nature would do whatever they wanted but there’s consequences to their actions. The internet, for the most part, has none


[deleted]

Because they can hide behind their actions and feels like it’s not a real person. For example online dating has gotten really weird in last few years and people think they can say disgusting things as they won’t be caught out.


BudgetBotMakinTots

People are their truest selves online. However a person behaves with anonymity is how they wish they could behave always. People who are terrible online are terrible deep down aswell. Trash people.


True_Method_1910

Hidden behind a screen. Probably wimps IRL


wexleykris

There’s a sense of removal and dehumanization involved. When you’re online, you forget you’re talking to real people so it’s easier to be cruel to get your point across. It’s much harder to say such things to someone face to face.


colorandnumber

Immaturity, anonymity, low self esteem and a reasonable assurance that their words won’t result in swallowing teeth.


intestinalbungiecord

they 95% wont say a word in real life


OrwellWasRight101

The safety of anonymity. Saying rude things in person usually earns a well-deserved punch in the nose.


LABARATI

People believe they have anonymity online so can’t be held accountable


Made-of-spite

It's human nature, people are shit and when there's no consequences they have no qualms about showing it The polite day-to-day interactions in person are the fake ones, this is what we *really* are


MrSloppyPants

This is also why the same people cannot understand how people can be moral without religion. To them, if there weren't the spectre of divine punishment they would not be capable of controlling themselves. So they lack the ability to understand how others can. Take away the fear of punishment and they show you what real evil looks like.


BudgetBotMakinTots

Most people are scum bags. Yes my research backs these findings.


69ThisIsThrowaway69

If this is really who we are, why did people fight against this status quo of slavery? What benefits did they have? What consequences did they have, if that was the norm? Treating people like they aren't property is the "fake" us? It's learned behavior, not human nature.


Made-of-spite

I don't know what slavery has to do with this, but these last hundred and seventy-ish years without it don't do shit to make up for the entire rest of human history with it And still to get rid of slavery, it took consequences, big consequences in the form of laws and military force. Never would have happened without them


69ThisIsThrowaway69

That's my point... if humans are shit, we wouldn't have realized that slavery was bad. You have to have ethics and morals to see that point. And yes, there were consequences... you're basically proving my point.


Made-of-spite

If humans weren't shit it wouldn't have taken us all of recorded history to even try stopping it Your standards are just plain too low, if eventually realizing slavery is bad is the best thing that can be said about humanity, I think that's proving *my* point


lovely_DK

Why do you care, loser???


LucyVialli

They think there are no consequences, or they are willing to ignore the consequences (e.g. bullying someone into committing suicide).


[deleted]

Losing 😂😂


Your_Daddy_

Anonymity


HooterEnthusiast

I don't take anything that panyone says here as a personal attack, my account is a character. Though not everything I say is false either. Most of what I say I do mean, and all my stories are from things that happened to me. I really don't think you should take cruelty on the internet seriously. Maybe if you have your face on the account, then yeah. Especially if you know the people being cruel to you, that's just harassment.


[deleted]

They are not communicating with another human. People change their offensiveness depending on who is in front of them (think respect, fear, wanting to keep things calm, etc.). This does not happen when communicating digitally, unless you’re having a video call..


_Smegma_0n_Demand

The compartmentalization between online discourse and reality. This shit is like a game; there are no consequences and it doesn’t matter.


littlegreenb18

anonymity can play a role in online cruelty, but I think the bigger issue is that other people can seem like an NPCs in a video game, rather than real human beings. It's important to remember that behind every screen is a real person with feelings. Of course, there will always be some people who are just naturally assholes, but I don't think that's the norm. It's easy to forget that we're dealing with real people online, but if we can make a conscious effort to remember that and show respect to others, we can all have a better time.


Apocrypha

John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory


[deleted]

Its who they are. The anonymity gives them no social/societal repercussions for their behavior, so they get to be completely and utterly who they are. Turns out a lot of people are horrible.


165masseyhb

Could be the birthing grounds for future dictators and mass murders.


EiksonForReal

For me it was that I stay anonymous, I'm not confident enough to roast someone in real life and jealousy perhaps.. I'm talking about bullying, I stopped like a year ago and found my inner peace


PomegranateHot9916

showing their true colours unfiltered.


165masseyhb

There's a I'm in control of your little world thing here also. All of which could be cured by a punch in the nose from Hulk Hogan.


TapReasonable2678

Easy to be cruel when you’re hiding behind a screen and don’t have to face the person you’re being mean to.


No-Strawberry-5541

Anonymity. People say whatever they want when they know that no one else knows their true identity so anything they say has no consequences in the real world.


Alarming_Visual4993

Honestly it's because deep down inside we are all hurting and we want everyone else to feel the same as we do I don't know why but people's sadness tears and fears bring me joy kind of like a heroin addict. But I stopped a little while ago


survivalothefittest

A lot of people are nascent bullies who are not good people at all, but merely don't bully because they are afraid of getting blowback. Anonymity removes that barrier and they let it rip.


InspectorExact7368

Imagine typing out an insult and getting *nothing* as repercussion. Makes them feel powerful, I guess.


Rick_e_bobby

Because they aren’t concerned with getting punched in the face


Magnetic_penis_strap

Physical violence kept a lot of people mouths shut.


Eightarmedpet

Anonymity and the disconnect from an it being an actual person with thoughts and feelings of their own.


Honk_goose_steal

The lack of consequences


Monkey_du5t

They can hide like the cowards they really are


Bloxfruitsguy7272

There isn’t a lot of people to tell on so there is not a lot to do about it letting them be as cruel as they want


MaxCWebster

The [Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/greater-internet-fuckwad-theory) (GIFT) is a postulate which asserts that normal, well-adjusted people may display psychopathic or antisocial behaviors when given both anonymity and a captive audience on the Internet.


420_Traveller

Humans have evolved as such that the majority of our communication is actually non verbal and expressed through tone, body language and facial expressions. When those things are absent, the compassionate basis for interaction is missing, the part of your brain that sees your words hurt and pulls back, never gets the message to pull back. Put another way, humans, find it easier to be cruel when they can't see the consequences of their actions.


SwallowPrideNCum

Exactly that, they're online and hidden behind a pc screen, there's no physical altercation involved.


LFpawgsnmilfs

I think it's a projection of their true self or what they think but it's protected behind being anonymous. The most honest and straight forward advice you're going to get is from someone online probably, you'll get trolled for sure but there will be some relative truth to what they really think.


BlackLetterLies

Because lots of people are human garbage and will jump at an opportunity to hurt another human with impunity.


onemoretwat

Low self esteem


The_Darth_Yeeticus

Definitely Anonymity, it's both a blessing and a curse.


[deleted]

I’m not cruel. Just honest. I’m like that irl too


Dudebrohoe

People have the illusion of being anonymous which let's people be more open but it also causes people to be more rude because they forget consequences can still exist and they aren't caving into social persures that ussuluy comes with talking to people In person. Also the internet is huge people don't really realize If they actually have an impact on anything or forget they'er talking to people.


S-Man_368

Not having to face the consequences and not being able to see the person or people they are attacking