… anonymity increases unethical behavior. Road rage bubbles up in the relative anonymity of one’s car. And in the online world, which can offer total anonymity, the effect is even more pronounced. People — even ordinary, good people — often change their behavior in radical ways.
“Trolling, defined as the act of posting inflammatory, derogatory, or provocative messages in public forums” [is a result of] "the online disinhibition effect."
…“Plato touched upon the subject of anonymity and morality in his parable of the ring of Gyges. That mythical ring gave its owner the power of invisibility, and Plato observed that even a habitually just man who possessed such a ring would become a thief, knowing that he couldn’t be caught. Morality, Plato argues, comes from full disclosure; without accountability for our actions we would all behave unjustly.”
…“Instead of waiting around for human nature to change, let’s start to rein in bad behavior by promoting accountability…Ask your users to report trolls and call them out for polluting the conversation.” (Julie Zhuo is a product design manager at Facebook.)
The full op-ed piece is from the NYT.
No comments:
Post a Comment