Online Disinhibition Research Articles

Possibilities of Psychological Intervention on Social Networks

Abstract Introduction: Nowadays we are looking for help and answers to our questions more and more often on the Internet. People use social networks to search for communities or groups whose members experience similar difficulties. These are often online groups that focus on psychological problems, domestic violence, etc. Members receive instant feedback and at the same time, due to the online disinhibition effect, they do not feel the fear, shame or worries they would feel in personal contact (Griffiths, 2005). The content of such self-help groups is not always helpful, but may rather induce pathological behaviour. However, the group administrator can influence the atmosphere in the group and its content itself (Niwa & Mandrusiak, 2012). Purpose: The purpose of this research was to find a space to perform professional psychological interventions inside online self-help groups on social networks. The concept of a field worker was used in this research. The field worker offers helping services to clients in an environment natural to them and where the worker can provide the client with emergency help during the crisis and prevent other clients from offering risk advices (Ambrózová, Vitálošová, & Labáth, 2006). Methods: We have conducted qualitative research using the method of content-frequency analysis. The sample for this study consisted of 10 closed online self-help groups focusing on topics such as depression, anxiety disorder, domestic violence, self-injurious and suicidal thoughts and tendencies, etc. For the purpose of this research we created an online group moderated by professionals, focusing on similar topics of mental disorders. Conclusions: The research results indicated that group members exchanged useful information (35.43%), described their current difficulties they were experiencing (32.33%), shared their own experiences (10.53%), and also published information on what had helped them manage the difficult feelings and situations they had been experiencing (6.39%). However, we also identified risky statements and threatening recommendations in posts and comments. Based on the results, we outlined the possibilities of online field worker interventions and described techniques of interventions that the professional can use for the benefit of group members.

Longitudinal relations between early online disinhibition and anonymity perceptions on later cyberbullying perpetration: A theoretical test on youth.

Longitudinal relations between early online disinhibition and anonymity perceptions on later cyberbullying perpetration: A theoretical test on youth.

Associations between Bystanders and Perpetrators of Online Hate: The Moderating Role of Toxic Online Disinhibition.

Hatred directed at members of groups due to their origin, race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation is not new, but it has taken on a new dimension in the online world. To date, very little is known about online hate among adolescents. It is also unknown how online disinhibition might influence the association between being bystanders and being perpetrators of online hate. Thus, the present study focused on examining the associations among being bystanders of online hate, being perpetrators of online hate, and the moderating role of toxic online disinhibition in the relationship between being bystanders and perpetrators of online hate. In total, 1480 students aged between 12 and 17 years old were included in this study. Results revealed positive associations between being online hate bystanders and perpetrators, regardless of whether adolescents had or had not been victims of online hate themselves. The results also showed an association between toxic online disinhibition and online hate perpetration. Further, toxic online disinhibition moderated the relationship between being bystanders of online hate and being perpetrators of online hate. Implications for prevention programs and future research are discussed.

Cyberbullying: An Unceasing Threat in Today's Digitalized World

Cyberbullying, the use of electronic communication to bully another person with intimidation or threatening messages, has become an ever-increasing public safety concern. Lifetime bullying incidences have doubled in the past 10 years. Although all youth are at risk, the risk is significantly higher for minority and disabled children, adolescent girls, and youth with poor interpersonal relationships and low self-esteem. Enhanced by modern technology, cyberbullies experience an online disinhibition effect due to distance from the victim. Risk factors for cyberbullying include substance use, being raised by authoritarian parenting style, and poor relationship bonds. Because one of the most significant protective factors against cyberbullying victimization is social support, interventions have focused on fostering supportive environments. This article reviews behaviors, epidemiology, characteristics of victims and perpetrators, impact on individuals, and prevention and interventions related to cyberbullying. [ Psychiatr Ann. 2018;48(9):408–415.]

Effects of Priming on Online Discussion Behavior

Online disinhibition effect describes the phenomenon where people feel less restrained in an online environment. People are therefore more likely to express thoughts and opinions that they normally would not share in a face-to-face interaction (Suler, 2004). Online disinhibition effect could either be benign or toxic. Students and instructors in an online learning environment often experience toxic disinhibition in several forms, including arguments about grades, emotional outbursts, potential death threat to the instructor, personal attacks, swearing, and heated arguments using upper-case letters (Rose, 2014). Suler (2004) proposed six factors that contribute to the online disinhibition effect. These six factors include dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, and minimization of authority. Not all six factors proposed by Suler (2004) have received equal empirical evidence. Also, not all factors are relevant to online learning environments. This study therefore focused on the factor of invisibility and the lack of contextual cues as a result of invisibility. One of the ways to provide contextual cues in a situation that lacks face-to-face interaction is through the usage of color signaling. Color signaling refers to the usage of colored text to convey information (Elliot, 2015; Lemarié, Lorch, Eyrolle & Virbel, 2008). This study looked at the effects of red color signaling, because the color red has been associated with dominance and aggression (Elliot, Maier, Moller, Friedman & Meinhardt, 2007). It is also often associated with some type of warning sign, such as a stop light or a stop sign (Elliot, 2015). The implicit warning and danger conveyed by the color red has been shown to result in inhibited performance, such that participants who were exposed to the color red had lower performance on the subsequent achievement task (Elliot, Maier, Reidman & Meinhardt, 2007; Gnambs, Appel & Batinic, 2010). Similar effects have also been demonstrated in online gaming situations, where red priming messages lowered the amount of negative language usage (Maher, 2016). It is therefore likely that red priming message could also lower any potential toxic disinhibition in an online learning environment. The current study included two experiments that tested the effects of red priming message and black priming message on 1) participants’ expressed sentiment in their open- ended discussion posts, 2) participants’ self-rating of verbal aggressiveness, and 3) the total number of words generated in the open-ended responses. Past studies have shown that red color could inhibit task performance and reduce offensive language, but it is not clear how a red color priming message might affect discussion posts in a simulated online classroom. Similarly, black color has been shown not to inhibit behavior, but it is not clear how a priming message such as “exercise courtesy and professionalism” might affect participants’ behavior in an online discussion post. Results from the study indicated that red priming message caused participants to rate themselves as less verbally aggressive. This was likely due to increased attention to the priming message and the implicit warning conveyed by the color red. There was evidence that red priming message lowered the amount of negative sentiment expressed in the discussion posts. The results approached statistical significance, but it was not significant probably due to the low levels of negative sentiment expressed. Black priming message was found to be ineffective in lowering verbal aggression rating or negative sentiment expression. The findings from the current study have practical implications in the design of online courses. Instructors could use red priming messages as a strategy to promote a less verbally aggressive and negative online discussion environment.

Review: Social Media, Aggressive Social Networking, and Psychological Well-being in Adolescents and Young Adults

Despite the general expectation for positive effects of broader and more extensive social interactions on psychological conditions, existing studies of online social networking and psychological well-being have reported inconsistent, even contradictory, findings. This study joins recent scholarly efforts to resolve this stalemate by exploring intervening mechanisms existing between online social networking and psychological outcomes. First, this study reviews possible mediatory mechanisms between online social media use and psychological well-being. Further, it explores another potentially intervening factor concerning the group dynamics characteristics of virtual spaces: online aggressive networking. It is inferred that the dynamics specific to aggressive social networking stems from two characteristic, but previously neglected aspects: i) the inherently selective nature of social networking and ii) the following norms intensified by online disinhibition effects from less-regulated, non-face-to-face virtual environments.

“Sometimes It’s Easier to Type Things Than to Say Them”: Technology in BDSM Sexual Partner Communication

The present study sought to investigate how individuals in BDSM or kinky relationships leveraged communication technologies to maintain their sexual relationships. From an analysis of 321 open-ended survey responses from 162 participants, results indicated that technology was disinhibiting, particularly in negotiation, fantasy exchange, and channel selection, multimodality within checking in, planning, foreplay, and preferring face-to-face sexual communication and activity, relational maintenance, particularly within 24/7 hierarchical relationships and LDRs, as well as changes in sexual communication mediums with relational progress. These patterns emphasized that technology use, common in increasingly multimodal sexual relationships, provided a means for reductions in the perception of threat typically experienced in sexual communication by increased disinhibition. As one participant said, “Sometimes it’s easier to type things than to say them”. Findings are discussed in light of extensions to the online disinhibition effect in sexual minority relationships and sexual communication in increasingly multimodal relationships. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Editorial for Applied Practices: Perspectives from the Field Section within the Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools edited by Associate Professor Susan Colmar

In this issue of the journal I am pleased to present a paper for Applied Practices by Christine Bhat on the highly topical issue of proactively preventing cyberbullying and sexting. Importantly, these two areas of concern occur commonly in our schools, particularly in secondary contexts, making this paper timely and helpful for practitioners. For example, I found the legal implications and potential recourse material very interesting, and could see that psycho-educational approaches, such that young people were made aware of the wider ramifications of cyberbullying and sexting, would be invaluable. The notion, which was new to me, of digital citizenship, ensuring young people “engage positively, know their online world, and choose consciously” is impressive as these principles of positive engagement, knowledge and choice can apply across other areas pertinent to the students we work with. Bhat addresses and explores four key areas of proactive prevention: school climate, policy, training online disinhibition, and promoting positive use of technology. I would commend this paper to you all as a resource to guide your own dealings and discussions on these critical topics of cyberbullying and sexting.

The associations between cyberbullying and callous-unemotional traits among adolescents: The moderating effect of online disinhibition

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential moderating role of online disinhibition in the associations between adolescents' callous-unemotional traits (callousness, uncaring, unemotional) and anonymous and non-anonymous cyberbullying. To this end, 1047 (49.2% female) 7th and 8th graders completed questionnaires on their face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying, callous-unemotional traits, and online disinhibition. The findings revealed that increases in uncaring were more associated with self-reported non-anonymous and anonymous cyberbullying at higher levels of online disinhibition. The findings are discussed in the context of the characteristics associated with callous-unemotional traits, and how these characteristics increase adolescents' risk of cyberbullying perpetration. Recommendations are made for tailoring intervention programs to consider adolescents' personality traits.

Development of a measure of adolescents’ online prosocial behavior

ABSTRACTResearch on adolescents’ media use has focused predominantly on its negative aspects (risks) and far less on its positive side (opportunities). This is reflected in the lack of validated instruments to assess adolescents’ online prosocial behavior. To address this issue, we developed the Online Prosocial Behavior Scale (OPBS) to assess adolescents’ involvement in online prosocial behavior. Two subscales (performing and receiving online prosocial behavior) were constructed and their factor structure was evaluated and confirmed through parallel analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. The OPBS-subscales displayed good reliability and correlated positively with offline prosocial behavior and use of digital media, supporting the scale’s construct validity. Unexpectedly, the subscales also correlated positively with online antisocial behavior, which may be understood within the framework of the online disinhibition theory. The scale can be a useful tool for researchers and practitioners who need a global instrument to assess adolescents’ online prosocial behavior.

Does gender matter in cyberbullying perpetration? An empirical investigation

Cyberbullying is a highly prevalent online misbehavior that has recently received public attention due to its potentially devastating consequences. In response to the call to understand the mechanism leading to cyberbullying perpetration, this study draws on I3 theory to understand the decisions of young adults to engage in cyberbullying. Furthermore, it examines the influence of gender on various determinants of cyberbullying perpetration. The results of an online survey involving 208 university students reveal that both cyberbullying victimization and perceived online disinhibition enhance the intention to perpetrate cyberbullying, whereas self-control is a critical buffer that represses the propensity to cyberbully others. Our findings also show that the factors influencing cyberbullying differ in strength for male and female students. We believe that these findings not only provide a theoretical explanation of cyberbullying perpetration but also offer valuable insights for combatting cyberbullying among university students.

Proactive Cyberbullying and Sexting Prevention in Australia and the USA

Middle and high school students interact via powerful social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Social media platforms are sometimes misused, resulting in cyberbullying and sexting that could adversely affect many in the school community. School counsellors, school psychologists, and educators are uniquely positioned to proactively address cyberbullying and sexting in schools with targeted educational and preventative programming. Attention to four facets is recommended: school climate initiatives, policy development and implementation, training in empathy and decision making in the context of online disinhibition, and challenges to use technology positively. Resources for cyberbullying and sexting prevention in Australia and the United States are highlighted.

Towards an Ethical Framework for Publishing Twitter Data in Social Research: Taking into Account Users' Views, Online Context and Algorithmic Estimation.

New and emerging forms of data, including posts harvested from social media sites such as Twitter, have become part of the sociologist’s data diet. In particular, some researchers see an advantage in the perceived ‘public’ nature of Twitter posts, representing them in publications without seeking informed consent. While such practice may not be at odds with Twitter’s terms of service, we argue there is a need to interpret these through the lens of social science research methods that imply a more reflexive ethical approach than provided in ‘legal’ accounts of the permissible use of these data in research publications. To challenge some existing practice in Twitter-based research, this article brings to the fore: (1) views of Twitter users through analysis of online survey data; (2) the effect of context collapse and online disinhibition on the behaviours of users; and (3) the publication of identifiable sensitive classifications derived from algorithms.

Εκφοβισμός και θυματοποίηση: Βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση ερευνητικών ευρημάτων από τον ελληνικό χώρο

The current review aims at providing an understanding of factors implicated in traditional and cyber-bullying/victimization (TB, TV, CB, CV). More specifically, the purpose of the present review is to critically analyze and synthesize empirical findings from Greek samples and organize them within the theoretical framework of General Aggression Model (GAM). According to the GAM, some person and situational factors based on pre-existing knowledge structures could lead to specific behavioral outcomes through cognitive, affective and arousal routes. The interplay among these routes reflecting the individual’s internal state may be associated with appraisal and decision- making processes which in turn may be linked to bullying or victimization experiences. Using the GAM as a theoretical framework, a synthetic review of past empirical research of person and situational factors related to TB/TV and CB/CV is presented. Socio-demographic (e.g., gender, age, academic achievement), personality factors (e.g., big five, psychopathic traits, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, sensation seeking, empathy), psychological states (e.g., depression), attachment style, online disinhibition, skills (e.g., social/internet), maladaptive behaviors (e.g., Specific Learning Difficulties), beliefs (e.g., low self-efficacy), and values/perceptions (e.g., moral disengagement), (i.e. person factors), as well as specific parenting styles/practices, low friendship quality, and perceived school climate (i.e. situational factors) are proposed as risk factors of such experiences. Furthermore, possible mechanisms and processes (i.e. present internal state; cognition, affect, arousal), which may serve as routes for both TB/TV and CB/CV experiences are described. In this vein, Hostile Attribution Bias, Theory of Mind, expectation of reward and expectation of victim suffering (i.e. social cognition) are suggested as paths through which specific individual or situational factors could lead to bullying and victimization. The present review also focuses on appraisal and decision-making processes, and specifically on coping strategies, through which individual and situational factors, as well as present internal states, could be linked to bullying and victimization. Moreover, some possible psychological and behavioral consequences (e.g., low self-esteem, internalizing and externalizing problems, aggressive behaviors) of experiencing TB/TV and CB/CV are suggested. Overall, the present review provides indications that some person and situational factors, which in many cases are common in both physical contexts and cyberspace, could be associated through specific processes to TB/TV and CB/CV. However, there are some differentiations among the factors linked with TB/TV and CB/CV suggesting that these phenomena, although partially related, may not be similar. The factors and processes, which could lead to aggression, seem also to be in line with the GAM. However, some empirical findings attest that a cluster of person, cognitive and emotional factors, as well as appraisal processes might interact (e.g., personality, social cognition and coping factors) to predict specific behavioral outcomes such as bullying and aggressive behaviors. These interactive relationships are not currently considered by the GAM. Thus, the present review provides further insights into the strengths and the limitations of the aforementioned theoretical framework. In this direction, it underlines the need for reconsidering past theory and integrating several theoretical models, in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors and mechanisms implicated in bullying and victimization experiences. Some possible explanations about the proposed linkages are provided, while limitations and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Ethical and legal perspectives on the medical practitioners use of social media

Use of social media has increased exponentially throughout the world. Social media provides a platform for building social and professional relationships that can be used by all, including healthcare professionals. Alongside the benefits of creating networks and spreading information wider and faster than is possible with traditional communication channels, however, it presents ethical and legal challenges. For health professionals, it poses a threat to confidentiality and privacy owed to patients, colleagues and employers. It is vital for health professionals to acknowledge that the same ethical and legal standards apply both online and offline, and that they are accountable to professional bodies and the law for their online activities. This article seeks to explore the ethical and legal pitfalls facing health professionals using social media platforms. Importantly, it seeks to create awareness about the cyberpsychology phenomenon called the 'online disinhibition effect', responsible for lowering restraint during online activities.

Examining the antecedents of online disinhibition

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to integrate psychological dimension, social dimension, and environmental dimension – six internet psychological characteristics (dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, and minimization of status and authority), deindividuation, social influence (subjective norm and descriptive norm), and containment theory (inner containment and outer containment) – to propose an innovative model which can make up for deficiencies in previous studies of the toxic online disinhibition effect.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of 530 valid responses collected from an online survey questionnaire, partial least squares technology was used to examine the research model.FindingsThe result shows that dissociative anonymity has a significant impact on deindividuation and toxic disinhibition. In addition, asynchronicity and dissociative imagination have a direct effect on toxic disinhibition. Besides, in social influence, the authors found that subjective norm is a stronger predictor of toxic disinhibition than descriptive norm. Moreover, in containment theory, the result shows that inner containment can effectively reduce toxic disinhibition but not outer containment.Originality/valueThis study can provide academics and practical side empirical evidence as to what factor would cause toxic disinhibition and provides an innovative view regarding the relationship between social influence and containment theory on toxic disinhibition.

ODE to...Digital Humility [Last Word

Addresses issues dealing with online disinhibition effect, or ODE, and examines its impact on social behavior, human contact, and person-person communication. For years, researchers have purported that individuals often act out more frequently, impulsively, or intensely in online mediums compared to face-to-face mediums. This is the ODE effect. Yet, the toxic aspects of ODE, such as rudeness, aggression, animosity, and disrespect appear to be increasing in social networking sites (SNS); users express resignation and frustration over angry and disrespectful tone and content. As an antidote, we would be wise to consider a bedrock of the aforementioned Judeo-Christian tradition: humility. If we sift our behaviors in the digital realm through the filter of humility, our digital humility would open wide the sluices for respect to flow. Humility births civility. With digital humility, we contemplate our effect on others when we post, send, or click. We courageously self-reflect to assess if our online presence could be less boastful and more unpretentious. We think more about others, and less about ourselves.

CURVES AND LINES IN STATISTICS – THE IMPLICATIONS OF CURVILINEAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIABLES IN A RESEARCH ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE FREEDOM OF SPEECH ON VICTIM EMPATHY IN CYBERBULLYING INCIDENTS

In 2004, Suler referred to the online disinhibition effect, arguing that online environments unleash aspects of individual’s personality that normally would have been kept under guard, thus the online hate speech flourishes. Another recent finding gives arguments for the actual detached voyeurs’ generation, underlying that by observing on screen, terrible things happening to other people, we develop our own experience towards the victim, but at an emotional distance. The more we observe terrifying events happening to other people, the more they reinforce our sense of denial and detachment, thus resulting a lack of victim empathy. Our research team has developed the project Keeping youth safe from Cyberbullying, ID 2016-3-TR01- KA205-036619 aiming to deeper understand the dynamics of different cyberbullying aspects in online environments among youth, by creating an online questionnaire composed by single item research questions related to core concepts and perceptions about cyberbullying motives and effects. Our focus is in analyzing the effects of online freedom of speech agreement on victim empathy in cyberbullying incidents, seen as two core concepts in bystanders’ mindset, in 140 high school students. Results show that when modelling effects of online freedom of speech agreement on victim empathy, the curvilinear model (13%) is more consistent that the linear model (9%), even if both models show statistical significance. Psychological and methodological conclusions and implications are discussed.

Cyberbullying

The current study examines cyberbullying and victimization among African American college students who spend large amounts of time on the Internet and using their smartphones. In a survey of 321 African American college students, the most common venues for victimization occurred through text messages, phone calls, and social networking sites. Posting indiscreet images and sharing personal information with a large number of Facebook friends were positively associated with the victimization. Cyberbullying perpetration, as measured by Cyberbullying Questionnaire (CBQ), revealed a significant gender difference, with male students exhibiting higher prevalence. In a multiple regression analysis, the phenomenon of online disinhibition—a lessening of inhibitions during online interactions that would otherwise be present in face-to-face interactions—emerged as the strongest predictor of cyberbullying perpetration. Recommendations for future research include studying the negative impact of cyberbullying among African American adults, particularly in the workplace.

Psychological and Social Factors as Predictors of Online and Offline Deviant Behavior among Japanese Adolescents

ABSTRACTThe rise of cyberspace and technological advancement has created new opportunities for deviant behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate online and offline deviant behavior in a sample of high school students, as well as compare a number of theoretical frameworks for predicting deviance. Employing structural equation modeling, the findings of the study indicated that one’s normative beliefs or psychological factors are more important than social factors when it comes to deviant behavior. Attitudes toward violence, low self-control, and peer attachment were positively associated with offline deviance, while parental attachment and neighborhood attachment had negative associations. For online deviance, toxic online disinhibition and attitudes toward violence were positive predictors, while parental attachment had a negative association.