Running Head: ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 1

Anonymity can increase Cyberbullying Behaviour in Social Media Platforms.

Nur Adina Ammyza bt Muhammad Yuswadi

1520132

Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

Sharifah Sa’idah bt Syed Nasir

1621216

Kulliyyah of Engineering

Miss Nurshidah Abdul Wahab

Section 7

International Islamic University Malaysia

14th August 2019

ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 2

The Internet can be perceived as a double-edged sword; on one hand, life has become

much easier as whatever information that one need is just a click away. Another perk of the

Internet is making communication a lot more convenient than it was before. However, the other

side of the sword is the complete opposite. The Internet undoubtedly has its own repercussions

with uncontrolled usage and access, especially with those who are tech-savvy and of the many

repercussions is hostile behaviors such as cyberbullying.

Many literatures have been written on the subject of cyberbullying but there is no single

definition to the term. This is because different researchers defined cyberbullying according to

their own context but generally an action can be considered as cyberbullying if it is done with the

intention to harm another party repetitively and there must exist a degree of power imbalance

between the parties involved (Nocentini, Calmaestra, Schultze-Krumbholz, Scheithauer, Ortega,

& Menesini, 2010; Vandebosch & Van Cleemput, 2008). However, one other element that

Nocentini et al. (2010) further discussed in the paper which is relatively new is anonymity.

According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, ‘anonymity’ is defined as “the state of

being anonymous” which brings us to the definition of ‘anonymous’. There are multiple

definitions of the particular word but the one that suits the context of this essay would be “not

named or identified” (Merriam-Webster online dictionary, n.d.).

With rapid evolution of the digital world, the online community saw the influx of

websites created with the original purpose of communicating turned into a hostile platform filled

with bullies. According to Whittaker and Kowalski (2015), the evolution of cyberbullying moved

from chat rooms to social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook aside from text

messaging which means as long as the platform exists, cyberbullies will exist as well. In addition
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 3

to this, it does not take a lot of effort for anyone to manipulate a social media profile as these

social media websites only need one’s email address, password, and whatever username they

may choose to use hence enabling anonymity in their online appearance.

Anonymity as a contributing element in cyberbullying activities has become a subject of

a debate with differences in opinions. For example, being anonymous online is a factor that may

increase one’s tendency to engage in possible cyberbullying activities (Barlett, Chew, & Gentile,

2016; Kang, Brown, & Ciesler, 2013). This situation can be further explained through decreased

sense of accountability and a feeling where one is confident of not getting caught which will be

discussed in details later in this essay. On the other hand, Lapidot-Lefler & Barak (2012) stated

that while anonymity is possibly a factor in increased cyberbullying behavior, anonymity alone is

not a strong factor instead increased cyberbullying or aggressive behavior displayed online can

be due to a combination of other factors together with anonymity. However, being anonymous

on social media can aggravate cyberbullying behavior as it incites disinhibition behaviour in

individuals, makes people less accountable and less responsible, and intensifies one’s sense of

self-invisibility.
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 4

The effects of online self-disinhibition towards being anonymous

Anonymity in social media can lead to increased cyberbullying activities as online users

experience ‘Online Disinhibition Effects’ i.e. a term coined by John Suler, a professor of

Psychology in his article ‘Online Disinhibition Effect’. According to Suler (2004), ‘online

disinhibition effect can be defined as a personality or identity showcased by an individual in

online world that is different from the real world. This means that an individual may possess

different behaviors and acts differently online, and in reality. When disinhibition happens to an

individual, the result includes a diminished sense of restrain or control in one’s self. This means

that a person may feel more ‘loosened up’ and this may lead to aggressive actions shown in the

online world. Disinhibition can be categorized into two which are benign disinhibition and toxic

disinhibition (Suler, 2004). Harmful behaviours are however a result of toxic disinhibition

displayed by online user.

In relation to anonymity, when a person is disinhibited in their online presence, many

choose to do it anonymously. Lapidot-Lefler and Barak (2012) highlighted that an important

element in anonymity is the state of being unidentified by leaving out all one’s real-world,

personal details when they go online which includes one’s real age, gender, occupation, and race.

This means that being unidentifiable does not necessarily mean that one has to change his

identity completely instead one is merely hiding all the details that might expose them to real-

world identification. The problem with this is that when a person becomes anonymous and is

able to separate his or her identity online and in the real world, one might feel as if all the norms

and rules of the real world is less applicable or rather, is not applicable at all for him or her and

may cause the person to exhibit toxic behaviors (Udris, 2014). These toxic behaviors may

include cyberbullying behaviors or if one is already engaged in such activities, these will
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 5

aggravate it even further. In addition to this, when a person is already anonymous, there is a

bigger possibility that he would constantly be engaging in cyberbullying activities over time as

discussed by Barlett, Gentile, & Chew (2016).

Not only that, a seemingly lack of eye contact in online interaction can also flame up

one’s disinhibition effect. Lapidot-Lefler and Barak carried out a survey to test whether the

presence of eye contact had any effect one’s display of aggressive behavior and concluded that

“…in relation to expressions of toxic disinhibition, lack of eye-contact leads participants to feel

less exposed and more anonymous and thus, more inclined to engage in flaming-related

behaviors” (2012, p.440). In this case, the authors defined flaming behavior as something that is

manifested negatively towards others in online interactions. The definition of flaming behavior

itself is in line with the elements of cyberbullying which is harmfulness intended towards another

party. What more with the absence of emotional context in interactions that is often given out

through eye-contact, one can expect a certain degree of aggressiveness exhibited by the

perpetrator. To conclude, the combination of anonymity and lack of eye-contact in online

interaction causes self-disinhibition which eventually leads to a potentially harmful

cyberbullying behavior.

Being anonymous online cause people to be irresponsible for their action

The subject of Cyber Bullying often revolves around the subject of anonymity. People

who choose to appear as anonymous on social media are less accountable for their actions online.

As Barlett, Chew, & Gentile (2016) believe, the behaviour of those anonymous online will not be

judged and punished if it was uncivilised. This encourages the people to be more aggressive
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 6

online as there is no law against them. This is supported by Arntfield (2015, p.372) as he said

“…there has been no substantive mechanism provided by either lawmakers or technology

providers for identifying, arresting, or prosecuting cyberbullies”.

In relation to the study, there was an attempt of reducing anonymous accounts in South

Korea by reinforcing a new policy where every account has to go through a verification process.

However, after 4 years the law was lifted as there were many complaints of identity thefts

(Pfanner, 2011 & Lee, 2011 as cited by Trytko, 2016). It is also believed that the law gives a

significant reason why people remain anonymous and uncivilised online. In addition to the lack

of law reinforcement on this issue, Arntfield (2015) also stated that there are a lot of

cyberbullying cases that remained unreported or were underreported. He further added that in

many states and countries, cyberbullying is not considered a crime unlike other cybercrime such

as hacking and phishing. There are also cases where it was reported but the victim was blamed

and was accused to willingly be treated in such ways by being online where people believe that

they have rights to express themselves freely.

By being anonymous on social media, hiding behind a screen avoiding confrontation, it

makes the anonymous person to have less empathy towards those they encountered online

(Mascotto, 2015). She also mentioned about how low level of empathy feeds the urge to

cyberbully. It is undeniable that a person felt more free and less restrained when being

anonymous online as they could create new identities that they desire regardless of their offline

status. Some researchers even stated that it is disrespectful to ask a person for their real-life

background (Trytko, 2016). However, Mascotto (2015) mentioned that this gives them more

power and makes them feel less responsible for their actions as they can do as they please.

Multiple research studies revealed that anonymity often develops greater feelings of harmfulness
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 7

by the cyber bullying victims (Dredge, Gleenson & Piedad, 2014; Sticca & Perren, 2013). The

fear and insecurity that grows from ‘being in the dark’ of not knowing the inclination and

orientation of the cyber bully – feeling uncertain of the what the bully can potentially do, as well

as being unable to either stand up for their rights or confront the cyber bully can eventually

exacerbate the victim’s feelings of helplessness and vulnerability. When an attacker – or a cyber

bully portrays any forms of bully anonymously, it simultaneously makes it intractable to punish

them or have the responsible party to be responsible of their actions and potential effects to the

victims of their attacks.

A study was done where a journalist examined stories of various types of issues that are

caused by anonymity (Trytko, 2016). It is found that a large percentage falls into the ‘crime’

category which are divided into several smaller categories where a significant percent falls into

the cyberbullying category. This proves that anonymity indeed contributes in cyberbullying.

There are also numerous writers who believes that people who choose to be anonymous in social

media are capable of being aggressive and uncivilised online more than an identified user. This is

due to the lack of law reinforcement on this issue which was discussed in this essay earlier. In a

nutshell, being anonymous causes a person to be irresponsible for his or her action.

The invisibility effect by being anonymous leads to cyberbullying

Anonymity promotes invisibility which most likely affects one’s behaviour. It allows

people to be invisible online where they can act in ways that they choose to without being

judged. According to Mascotto (2015), anonymous gives that person ‘invisibility’, which offers

them freedom in expressing themselves online. Being anonymous helps remove the social

pressure people encounter in these modern days. However, some felt too free that they acted in
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 8

ways that they should have not. This ‘invisible blanket’ allows them to be more fearless and

gives them the power to do things they would not typically do outside the virtual world,

especially in such negative fashion. As claimed by Barlett, Chew, & Gentile (2016, p.173), “… if

one attacks someone online by sending a damning instant message, the anonymity afforded the

aggressor online allows cyberbully to distance their self from their actions”. This primarily

suggests that empathy plays a vital role in contributing to those feelings. As supported by

previous studies, low empathy absentmindedly invites the possibility of bullying; this includes

the cyber world (Mascotto, 2015). When face-to-face interaction is absent, the potential effects

of one’s action would not be physically noticeable in which eventually reduces the feeling of

empathy to one another.

Apart from that, the invisibility creates a shield for the aggressor to the supposing

consequences of their negative behaviour. These people feel entitled to their actions as they hide

behind a screen. Based on an empirical study by Bryce & Fraser (2013), the aggressor, especially

among adolescents, embraces the power invisibility it offers, where they tend to feel freer to their

actions and words without being judged to how the wide audience of the virtual world perceive

them as, due to the hidden identity. Given the confidence from behind the screen, the researchers

emphasized that the anonymous cyber bullies have greater confident to spread negativity than

otherwise, as compared to offline circumstances. This gives them the satisfaction of behaving

how they normally would not do. On that note, being anonymous in social media gives them a

sort of protection that gives them the power to act negatively online.

As a religion that promotes peace and compassion as its way of life, Islam acknowledges

the importance of protecting mankind from harm. The act of cyberbullying itself can be

categorized as among harmful things that a Muslim should never inflict upon his or her other
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 9

Muslim brothers and sisters. According to Che Hasniza Che Noh & Asyraf Hj Ab Rahman

(2013), cyberbullying is considered as an act of ‘Zulm’ which means injustice. The injustice or

the oppressive nature of cyberbullying negates one of the objectives of the Islamic Law i.e. the

protection of life. Instead of harming other Muslim brothers and sisters, a Muslim should have

enough responsibility in his heart to protect his or her brothers and sisters of faith from any

danger, as what Prophet Muhammad s.a.w has stated in one of his hadith i.e. “The Muslim is one

from whose tongue and hands other Muslims are safe” (Riyad-us Salihin, n.d, p.211).

To conclude, being anonymous in the online world can in fact aggravate cyberbullying.

This can be proven through self-disinhibition behavior, reduced accountability and responsibility

when using online platforms, as well as increased sense of invisibility in one’s online presence.

Despite the convenience of online platforms in making communication easier for us, it cannot be

denied that some people might misuse it in a bad way that can inflict damages to other users.

When a person starts to show self-disinhibition symptoms such as dissociating his or her real

world presence with his or her online presence, the potential for that person to act on harmful

intentions will increase. On top of this, a person with anonymous presence often feels like no one

will be able to prosecute him or her, which in turn makes a person become irresponsible for

whatever online actions that he or she might do, due to the unavailability of one’s real identity.

Last but not least, with anonymity, one is often invisible which can be considered as a ‘shield’ or

‘blanket’ that protects them from being identified, in addition to increased freedom and liberty

to say and do anything online, which often includes harmful things and words that can be

considered as cyberbullying.
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 10

Despite the seriousness of the issue, there are certain things that we can do in order to

reduce, or possibly curb this behaviour. The nature of the internet and some social media

platforms allow a certain degree of anonymity to be enjoyed by users in order to protect them

from the danger of the internet. However, users must instill empathy and accountability on their

actions and words. Our empathetic side will help in stopping us from acting upon our harmful

intentions against other people. In addition to that, we suggest that social media platforms

enhance their policy in monitoring any potential cyberbullying behaviour, including monitoring

suspicious anonymous accounts e.g. identifying their tweets/comments pattern, and friends list

that can potentially lead to cyberbullying. Last but not least, government should come out with a

legislation that can specify criminalization framework in order to come up with suitable

punishments for cyberbullies.These steps may look easy but they are still important in order to

help reduce toxic activities with regards to anonymity and making the internet, especially social

media platforms, a safer place for everyone.

ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 11

References

Arntfield, M. (2015). Toward a cybervictimology: Cyberbllying , routine activities theory, and

the anti-sociality of social media. Canadian Journal of Communication, 40(3), 371-388.

Retrieved from Google Scholar.

Barlett, C. P., Chew, C., & Gentile, D. A. (2016). Predicting cyberbullying from anonymity.

Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 5(2), 171-180. DOI:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000055.

Bryce, J., & Fraser, J. (2013). "It's common sense that it's wrong": Young people's perceptions

and experiences of cyberbullying. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking,

16(11), 783-787. DOI:10.1089/cyber.2012.0275. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237094576_It's_Common_Sense_That_It's_Wr

ong_Young_People's_Perceptions_and_Experiences_of_Cyberbullying.

Che Noh, Che Hasniza & Ab Rahman, Asyraf Hj. (2013). Cyber bullying: A general islamic

outlook and response. Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences. 7(3). 215-220.

Dredge, R., Gleeson, J. M., & de la Piedad, G., X. (2014). Risk factors associated with impact

severity of Cyber Bullying victimization: A qualitative study of adolescent online social

networking. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 17(5), 287- 291.

DOI:10.1089/cyber.2013.0541. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260680949_Risk_Factors_Associated_with_Im

pact_Severity_of_Cyberbullying_Victimization_A_Qualitative_Study_of_Adolescent_O

nline_Social_Networking.
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 12

Elizabeth W., & Robin M. K. (2015) Cyberbullying via social media, Journal of School

Violence,14:1, 11-29, DOI: 10.1080/15388220.2014.949377

Kang, R., Brown, S., Kiesler, S. (2013). Why do people seek anonymity on the Internet?

Informing policy and design. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems -

Proceedings. 2657-2666. 10.1145/2470654.2481368.

Lapidot-Lefler, N., & Barak, A. (2012). Effects of anonymity, invisibility, and lack of eye-

contact on toxic online disinhibition. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 434-443.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.014

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (n.d.). Definition of anonymous. Retrieved from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anonymous

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (n.d.). Definition of anonymity. Retrieved from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anonymity

Mascotto, B. (2015). Exploring the impact of anonymity on cyberbullying in adolescents: An

integrative literature review. (BScN University of Ottawa). Retrieved from Google

Scholar. .

Nocentini, A., Calmaestra, J., Schultze-Krumbholz, A., Scheithauer, H., Ortega-Ruiz, R., &

Menesini, E. (2010). Cyberbullying: Labels, Behaviours and Definition in Three

European Countries. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling. 20. 129-142.

10.1375/ajgc.20.2.129.

Sticca, F., & Perren, S. (2013). Is Cyber Bullying worse than traditional bullying? Examining the

differential roles of medium, publicity, and anonymity for the perceived severity of
ANONYMITY CAN INCREASE CYBERBULLYING 13

bullying. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(5), 739-750. DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9867-3.

Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. Cyberpsychology & Behavior : The Impact of

the Internet, Multimedia and Virtual Reality on Behavior and Society. 7. 321-6.

10.1089/1094931041291295.

Trytko, K. (2016). The politics of anonymity. Poland’s media discourse on anonymous

communication online. (Nottingham Trent University). Retreived from CORE.

Riyad as-Salihin (n.d.). Hadith 211. Retrieved from https://sunnah.com/riyadussaliheen/1/211

Udris, R. (2014). Cyberbullying among high school students in Japan: development and

validation of the Online Disinhibition Scale. Computers in Human Behavior. 41. 253–

261. 10.1016/j.chb.2014.09.036.

Vandebosch, H., & Cleemput, K. (2008). Defining Cyberbullying: A Qualitative Research into

the Perceptions of Youngsters. Cyberpsychology & Behavior : The Impact of the Internet,

Multimedia and Virtual Reality on Behavior and Society. 11. 499-503.

10.1089/cpb.2007.0042.