Online you or offline you?

[Solis]

Good morning, thir.

The topic is interesting but the research, I fear, is incredibly boring (even to other researchers). Disinhibition can be good, called "benign disinhibition," and it tends to be studied in settings like on-line support groups for the survivors of cancer or domestic abuse. Researchers look at how quickly and how extensively participants open themselves up there, compared with their experience in in-person group therapy. Disinhibition can be bad, normally just labeled "aggression," and it tends to be studied in online discussion groups, chatrooms and Facebook. A lot of this comes up in older discussions of "flame wars" and newer ones of cyberbullying.

Most of what's easily available online either just summarizes Suler's essay, is not very good (there's a bad Wikipedia article on the topic) or is really technical. Adam Joinson wrote a pretty readable book chapter that actually looks at the individual threads of the research ("Disinhibition and the Internet" in a book entitled Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal implications (2007). I could probably track down a .pdf of that if you're really curious.

S.

[thir]

Good morning, thir.
The topic is interesting but the research, I fear, is incredibly boring (even to other researchers). Disinhibition can be good, called "benign disinhibition," and it tends to be studied in settings like on-line support groups for the survivors of cancer or domestic abuse. Researchers look at how quickly and how extensively participants open themselves up there, compared with their experience in in-person group therapy. Disinhibition can be bad, normally just labeled "aggression," and it tends to be studied in online discussion groups, chatrooms and Facebook. A lot of this comes up in older discussions of "flame wars" and newer ones of cyberbullying.

I see. What might also be interesting is if you could compare less intense situations with online ones.

Most of what's easily available online either just summarizes Suler's essay, is not very good (there's a bad Wikipedia article on the topic) or is really technical. Adam Joinson wrote a pretty readable book chapter that actually looks at the individual threads of the research ("Disinhibition and the Internet" in a book entitled Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal implications (2007). I could probably track down a .pdf of that if you're really curious.

S.

If not a lot of trouble, I am curious.