Photo courtesy of Clint Patterson via Unsplash
One of the more important, albeit underrated, aspects of society is the concept of consequences. Whether it be a slap on the wrist or four consecutive life sentences, a hearty consequence will serve as an effective deterrent for bad behavior. So, what happens when consequences are removed, and one can say and do whatever they want anonymously?
People being more unfiltered under the mask of anonymity is nothing new. In fact, in 1969, well before God’s vomit bin in the form of X, the Stanford Prison Experiment proved this. This study consisted of college students acting as fake prisoners or guards in a prison setting and evaluated the psychological impact the simulation had on both groups. What they found was that under the guise of anonymity, the guards verbally and physically abused the prisoners in a way that was far more ruthless than they were initially determined to be. While this experiment is flawed, what was discovered is that people act far more unfiltered when they are anonymous.
If you want a modern-day example, look no further than X (formerly known as Twitter). The fact that a person can create an account with no connection to their real-world self allows them to share their completely unhinged and undercooked thoughts with the public. I’ve seen it all, from numerous posts denying the Holocaust to a thread telling men to befriend children to a Jared the Subway Guy fan account … from 2019. There are countless of these posts and accounts that would get anybody else blacklisted, but under the guise of anonymity, it’s perfectly fine.
A more pressing example is the nightmares that are Instagram comments. What originally seemed like innocuous, edgy jokes have evolved into a cesspool of degeneracy, bad taste and deplorable comments, as if the goal is to offend everyone at once. Simple videos of a child giving facts are met with a plethora of comments calling them slurs and threatening their life.
I’m not going to be the comedy police and dictate whether this kind of behavior is funny or not because, admittedly, I’ve chuckled at an embarrassing number of these comments. Still, the constant edginess arms race not only facilitates a culture of bullying and harassment but also desensitizes us from these awful things.
The common defense to this concept is free speech. If it’s just words, people should be allowed to say anything, right? See, as much as I’m on board with the sentiment of free speech, I’m also a fan of accountability. When people make a claim endorsing racism or homophobia and then hide behind a blank user, it removes the chance for consequences and rightful backlash. Where we used to face consequences for harmful behavior, now people can often say whatever they want without accountability.
As someone who’s been exposed to the internet for my entire life, I’ve seen how people act when they have no consequences. People will say anything that comes to mind when they don’t have a reputation to uphold. Is this fixable? Probably not, as it’s just the nature of the internet – plus free speech is still a major factor. Still, remember that words can mean a lot, and what you say can greatly impact the person who reads it, even if it doesn’t affect you.
