Lentis/Reddit: Anonymity and Social Norms

Introduction

What is Reddit?

Reddit is the self-proclaimed “front page of the internet”. It is an online forum where all content is provided by the users, called Redditors. Redditors are characterized by only a username and content they provide. There is no requirement for the redditor to incorporate any personal information into their content or username. Due to this, Reddit is largely a community of completely anonymous users that provide web content for each other.

Content on Reddit is supplied in the form of hyperlinks to external websites which may display images, text, or any general web content. Users also determine the visibility of content by voting the content either up or down. Content with more up votes shows up on the Reddit front page. Content is divided into categories, called subreddits, which are maintained by Redditors called moderators. Moderators are charged with guaranteeing that content on their subreddit is relevant and appropriate. Each subreddit typically has rules which content must satisfy in order to stay on the site. As with many online communities, there are two types of Redditors, content providers, who supply the URL links for the viewing of the community, and lurkers, who may or may not have Reddit accounts, but do not typically supply content.^[1] It is the content providers who typically participate in the controversial activities associated with Reddit, as when Reddit falsely accused a missing student, later found dead, of being the Boston Bomber ^[2]. These lax restrictions on content coupled with the anonymity of the users and Reddit's popularity ^[3][4] make Reddit a unique social space worthy of investigation.

Psychology and Anonymity

Sign-up Page for Reddit

One important aspect of Reddit is the anonymity of user accounts. When creating a Reddit account, the only fields used to identify a member are an email (optional) and the username. The only information collected on users is post analytics to improve site performance. Reddit never sells private information and only given to authorities when required by law or during emergencies. ^[5]

Anonymity online allows users to feel a sense of security and privacy between themselves and other users. Because they have a boundary of control with others, users can share opinions and feelings more openly or experiment socially without fear of social repercussions. Examples include online support groups, blogs expressing people's feelings and interests, and online communities. ^[6]

Anonymity also inhibits accountability of user actions. Users, colloqually called "trolls", can post false, malicious, or derogatory material without consequence.

The danger of group behavior is also present. One example is bystander apathy, where people are apathetic or skeptical of events online due to the anonymity.

Theories

There are two theories why online interactions might differ from face-to-face interactions: 1) the Equalization Phenomenon and 2) the Social Identity Model of Deindividualization Effects (SIDE) theory.

The Equalization Phenomenon states that computer-mediated communications (CMC) allows all members equal participation. Since the physical interaction is missing in CMC, participants' status equalize as evaluation anxiety and biases are harder to form. ^{[7] [8]} For example, a person who would usually disrespect people of short height probably will not act the same way to short people online.

The SIDE theory states that anonymity gives rise to greater social and decreased personal identity. The group utilizes the enhanced social identity to meet its goals.

Subreddits

By subscribing to certain subreddits, users can more easily find content that aligns with their interests^[9]. Subreddits focus around specific topics such as sports, books, movies, or food. All of these Reddit communities exist outside of the anonymous realm of the internet. Examples might include fantasy sports teams or book or movie clubs. Reddit has less innocuous subreddits. Although many of these may have some sort of real life analog, they are nowhere near as popular as their Reddit counterparts.

Gone Wild

One example of such a phenomenon is Gone Wild, a subreddit where users can post nude photos of themselves. While Gone Wild is a source of entertainment for those viewing the posts, it can be a source of self-confidence or rebellion for the posters. According to Gone Wild user Natural_Red, “Gone Wild is a great place for people who are looking for a bump in self-esteem, exhibitionists, and people who are just looking for a little something thrilling in their day-to-day lives. It's a win-win. You get a rise out of posting, and other people get boobs.”^[10] Gone Wild has numerous offline analogs such as strip clubs and themed bars like Hooters. Although they are well known, the popularity of these institutions is on the decline^[11], while their Reddit counterpart has flourished^[12].

TIFU

Another controversial subreddit is Today I Fucked Up, or TIFU. Users are encouraged to post personal stories about a situation where they made a major mistake. Other Redditors will then up vote the stories they find most entertaining. Comments on these posts can range from berating the original poster to offering legitimate advice. This subreddit serves as a way for users to get things “off their chest”^[13]. For other users, it is a source of entertainment and perspective for their own problems. Much like Gone Wild, TIFU has several analogs outside of the internet such as religious confessions and therapy. However, anonymity allows those posting their stories to unburden themselves of their mistakes without judgment by people they know personally. Because they are anonymous, people are more willing to share information they would not normally.

Anonymity has allowed for this type of activity to flourish on Reddit much more than outside the internet. Gone Wild has over half a million subscribers^[14], while TIFU has about 1.5 million subscribers^[15]. While the number of subscribers may give an estimate of the relative number of views a subreddit receives, this number does not include unsubscribed users or users without accounts, meaning there could be many more viewers.

Posts and Comments

Worst Of

Other examples of the impact of anonymity are controversial comments and posts. Reddit features a subreddit for content which users find to violate social taboos, called Worst Of. Worst Of showcases the “best trolls” on Reddit ^[16] and features incidents of bullying and illegality. Worst Of has about thirty-two thousand subscribers and is populated with content constantly ^[16], showing that anonymity allows a high incidence of trolling. Examples include “Save a dog, shoot a cop.” posted by the Redditor Sir-SmokesALot to the subreddit Bad Cop No Donut ^[17] and “… Lastly, they fucking stink. They smell like grease. I can't breathe around black people” posted by hateblacksthrow on Ask Reddit ^[18]. These users post such comments because they have authority over their anonymity and never need to see responses from others. They can thus separate themselves from their Reddit identity. Once they log off of Reddit, they are isolated from their comments.

Throwaways

There is a concept on Reddit called the “throwaway” account, an account whose purpose is to post content which one does not want associated with their normal Reddit account. Throwaway accounts are typically identified by the explicit use of “throw” in the account name ^[19], such as hateblacksthrow whose post cited above began with “Throwaway because I don't want to be brigaded.” ^[18] and superTossAccount who admitted to defecating on a New York City doorway on the Ask Reddit thread “What have you done in life that’s so awful you have to create a throwaway account to admit it?” ^[20]. Reddit does not stigmatize these accounts but rather holds them up as contributors to the site, as evidenced by the above thread. Reddit encourages the use of throwaways because the disinhibition anonymity affords the users allows for better content ^[19].

Naratto

Some Redditors vastly overestimate their anonymity, causing significant trouble. Such was the case with the Redditor Naratto, who used the popular meme "Confession Bear" to confess to killing his sister’s abusive boyfriend on the Advice Animals subreddit. Naratto did not use a throwaway account for this post. Disturbed Redditors googled the name Naratto, found his Steam (a popular online gaming forum) account, which was linked to his Facebook profile, and reported him to the FBI. The perception of anonymity facilitated Naratto’s post, which he remarked on in a later post with “If you joke about murder on Reddit without a throwaway account, you’re gonna have a bad time” ^[21]. Naratto claims to have been joking about the murder but does admit to over-stepping the limits of his anonymity and being too disinhibited.

Opinions on Anonymity

There are two opposing views of anonymity: 1) that it facilitates better discussions and content or 2) it detracts from discussions and allows for poor quality content.

A majority of Redditors support anonymity. A question posted on the AskReddit subreddit asked for Redittors' opinions of anonymity and how it affects the site. Of the ten primary responses to the question, seven advocated for anonymity. ^[22] 4chan, a website similar to Reddit, which does not require an account to post content, supports the use of anonymity. An anonymous user "is not a single person, but rather, represents the collective whole of 4chan." ^[23] Anonymous is a group described as a loose collection of hackers and activists, ^[24] which emphasizes the group and acknowledges individuals as components of the whole. ^[25] Users can then join the group and perform activities under the name of the group.

There is also opposition to anonymity. In the question mentioned above about anonymity, one user stated that it detracted from content quality and the original purpose of Reddit. ^[22] Other sites, such as Huffington Post, have removed anonymous comments because it hindered response quality. ^[26] Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, takes the argument further to rid of online anonymity altogether, citing possible exploitation of information. ^[27]

Conclusion

The idea that accounts can be temporary and never related back to the user behind the screen permeates Reddit. It drives the creation and proliferation of controversial material which users do not want associated with them in the real world. Even the illusion of anonymity, as in the case of Naratto, can greatly lower the inhibitions of the users and lead to conversations and revelations that would never take place in face to face communication ^[19].

In this way, Reddit is the bathroom stall of the internet. Reddit teaches us that when a technology allows users the power over their anonymity, it disinhibits them. It can allow for freer expression of ideas and material as in TIFU and Gone Wild, yet it can also proliferate trolling, as in the case of Worst Of. Anonymity grants Redditors the power to speak their minds, but it also bestows the responsibility to understand the limits of their anonymity. A little disinhibition can be a source of escape and relief. Too much disinhibition can be destructive.

References