Mask of Technology: How the Perceived Anonymity of Technology Affects Ethical Decisions

Anonymity can act as a mask to hide one’s identity and actions, either outright or by creating a fake identity to hide behind. Masks create the illusion of being completely hidden and safe, which allows people to act in a manner that reflects their true feelings with less regard to repercussions their actions could incur. People act differently when in public versus in the privacy of their own homes. This is a microcosm of the effects of anonymity that occur everyday in people’s lives. Modern communication is far-reaching, instantaneous, and global. With every technological communication advantage gained, the ability and effects of people’s masked, anonymous actions increase equally, in ease of access and area of influence. However, the ability to be anonymous is not a recent development, and in order to place the proper context on anonymity in the choices that are made, the psychological experiments by Stanley Milgram should be observed.