Can Anonymity and Civility Go Together? The Ring of Gyges Says No
The question was recently put to us, can anonymity and civil conversation go together? Many of us want to safeguard our privacy online, and there can be good reason to do so, especially when sensitive subjects are being discussed. But it seems as though the protection of anonymity emboldens people to speak to one another in ways we wouldn’t in real life, making the Internet a pretty unhospitable environment for nuanced conversation.
Can this be fixed? According to the thought experiment The Ring of Gyges, the answer is no. In The Republic Plato puts forth the suggestion that man is not just by nature and, if he can get away with it with no consequences, will always act selfishly. He demonstrates this hypothesis through a parable about The Ring of Gyges, which makes its wearer invisible, allowing him to do whatever he pleases without getting caught. Studies of “The Gyges Effect” have shown it to be true that people tend to behave with less integrity when they believe no one is watching or they won’t get caught, even if they generally consider themselves to be upstanding citizens.
As social creatures, we value and safeguard our reputations, but the way we want to be seen doesn’t always extend to the way we behave in secret. How often have you cleaned your house right before guests came over because you wanted to appear tidier than you generally are? When we’re able to remain anonymous, and thus our reputation isn’t at stake, we’re freer to say whatever we feel like without weighing all the negative effects our words might have. This is probably one reason why comments and conversations on LinkedIn, with real pictures, names and resumes attached to each profile, are so different from comments under YouTube videos.
Does this mean all hope is lost for those hoping to maintain their online privacy? Not entirely. Instagram and Twitter have both been experiencing success with a simple prompt that lets users know their post contains potentially problematic language and may be removed. Another simple suggestion many people are advocating for is to slow things down. If there’s a delay between the time you write something and the time it posts, that small cool down period can allow you to reconsider an impulsive post. Interaction that includes voice also seems to humanize online interactions a bit more.
At droplet we’ve considered the possibility of color codes which indicate the “temperature” of a comment, and to somewhat fade rude comments that don’t contribute to the conversation. Some platforms are playing with ways to attach a reputation to your online profile, just as you have a reputation to safeguard in person.
At the end of the day, there’s probably no way to entirely overcome all of the issues surrounding anonymity on the Internet, and there may not be a completely effective replacement for the accountability we feel in real life, but it’s certainly worth implementing as many tools as we can to offset the struggles of the Gyges Effect.
What do you think? Can we have civil discourse online while remaining anonymous? Let us know your thoughts!
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