An Experimental Test of the Effects of Digital Content Permanency on Perceived Anonymity and Indirect Effects on Cyber Bullying Intentions

Abstract

An online experiment was conducted to examine the causal effects of digital content permanency on perceived anonymity, as well as the correlations between perceived anonymity, perceived consequences of anonymous cyber bullying, normative beliefs about cyber bullying, and cyber bullying intentions. College students in the United States were introduced to a social media platform described as featuring either non-permanent or permanent content. Results showed participants in the non-permanent (vs. permanent) condition were more likely to believe they would remain anonymous. People who believed they could remain anonymous were in turn less likely to believe they would face consequences of anonymous cyber bullying. In addition, normative beliefs about cyber bullying were related to beliefs about facing retaliation and family disapproval. Overall, this study disentangles different concepts related to anonymity and provides causal evidence that a unique feature in digital spaces—content permanency—can impact perceptions of anonymity, which are in turn correlated with factors known to influence cyber bullying intentions.

Virtual work conditions impact negative work behaviors via ambiguity, anonymity, and (un)accountability: An integrative review.

“…For example, people are more likely to repeat cyber-incivility when nearby comments (i.e., descriptive norms) and “up votes” (i.e., injunctive norms; Rains et al, 2017) affirm their behavior. Perpetrators who believe their friends approve of cyberbullying (i.e., it is normative) are likelier to engage in the behavior (Yu & Riddle, 2022). Comparatively, cyberloafing decreases when employees believe coworkers and supervisors do not support it (Liberman et al, 2011).…”

“…Empirical research has also found that the anonymity inherent in social media use is linked to deindividuation and increased cyberbullying (Lowry et al, 2016). Perpetrators are more likely to engage in cyber-aggression using online accounts (Lapidot-Lefler & Barak, 2012), video clips (Slonje & Smith, 2008), social media (Yu & Riddle, 2022), online blogs (Zimmerman & Ybarra, 2016), and Twitter (Fox et al, 2015) when they are anonymous. In addition, Gardner et al (2016) found that (un)accountability reflected in employees’ perceptions of an organization’s ineffective responses to reports of cyber-aggression was positively related to engagement in workplace cyberbullying.…”

“…We suggest that doing so may yield interesting findings about the occurrence of VNWB. To highlight an example of how research may accomplish this, Yu and Riddle (2022) theorize a model that examines the role of permanency and normative beliefs (i.e., ambiguity) and perceptions of anonymity on cyberbullying intentions. Research such as this, which examines the psychological enablers, is not only one of the primary means by which our integrative conceptual framework may be tested but it also highlights a promising way to advance our understanding of VNWB.…”

“…CMC innovation also increases anonymity and (un)accountability by providing new ways for perpetrators to hide their identity and/or online activity. For example, perpetrators may use anonymous or fake email accounts (Naquin et al, 2010), social media profiles (Yu & Riddle, 2022), and Twitter accounts (Fox et al, 2015) to gain access to, and communicate with, the victim, recruit third parties to harass a target (possibly without the third party’s intention; Chik, 2008) and, ultimately, to escape accountability for their actions.…”

How Are Bystanders Involved in Cyberbullying? A Latent Class Analysis of the Cyberbystander and Their Characteristics in Different Intervention Stages

“…First, the study chose perceived anonymity as the predictor of different bystander subcategories, starting from individual factors. Perceived anonymity refers to one’s belief in their ability to maintain an unrecognizable status in a specific digital environment [ 17 ]. Due to the online disinhibition effect, perceived anonymity can reduce the cost and adverse consequences of online behavior, leading individuals to engage in more unconstrained online behavior.…”