Are we braver in cyberspace? Social media anonymity enhances moral courage

Abstract

The literature has established accumulated evidence on the negative consequences of social media anonymity on behaviors online (e.g., cyber-aggression). Yet the potential benefits of social media anonymity have been largely overlooked, especially when it comes to prosociality. In four studies, we examined the facilitating effect of perceived social media anonymity on online moral courage. We first tested and confirmed the relation of perceived social media anonymity to online moral courage in a correlational study (Study 1) and an experimental study (Study 2). We then tested and revealed the mediating role of perceived risk and the moderating role of moral meaningfulness in the relation between perceived anonymity and moral courage (Study 3). We further used social media behavioral data to examine the association between social media anonymity and moral courage in an ecologically valid context (Study 4). Our findings enrich the research of moral psychology and social media studies by providing the first experimental evidence for the prosocial effect of social media anonymity. They further have important implications for website interface design, social activism, as well as intervention programs to promote constructive civil engagement online.