User:Aajoseph12/sandbox

Online disinhibition effect
The online disinhibition effect is the lack of restraint one feels when communicating online in the cyberspace. The cyberspace refers to the online world of networks and people feel that this is a world that they can mentally 'step' into. This space provides the mental foundation for people to make connections and feel strong emotions and this allows the online disinhibition effect to take place. The manifestations of this effect could be in both positive and negative directions. Thus online disinhibition could be classified as benign disinhibition or toxic disinhibition.

Classifications
Benign online disinhibition describes a situation in which people get some benefit from the absence of restraint in cyberspace. One example of benign online disinhibition can be seen as self-disclosure. With the help of Internet anonymity, people could share personal feelings or disclose themselves in the way they are reluctant to do in real life. For instance, young people feel relieved when revealing untold secrets or personally embarrassing details in online chats. Such self-disclosures enable people to establish an intimate interpersonal relationship sooner and stronger when compared with real life face to face communication. The online disinhibition effect also provides chances to express themselves for people who are unwilling to communicate in the real world, like people who are introverted, shy, socially phobic and individuals with a stutter or impaired hearing.

The toxic online disinhibition is the tendency towards negative statements and inappropriate behaviors. These often contain hostile language, swearing, and even threats. Similar to the benign disinhibition, this is also because people feel the freedom to say what they want because of the loss of inhibition in the cyberspace.

However, the distinction between benign and toxic online disinhibition is not always clear. For example, a hostile word in the online chat may damage other's self-image, but on the other hand, if the word is genuine, perhaps it may help the person on the receiving end have a better understanding of themselves. Additionally, there might be certain instances where these two effects can co-exist simultaneously. A person can share a personal feeling and while that is a benign effect, it can also fall under the toxic effect if that feeling was anger or hate.

Influences
Factors like anonymity, invisibility, and asynchronicity have an influence on the online disinhibition effect.


 * Anonymity

Anonymity refers to the notion of being unidentifiable. Therefore, this can make a person feel safe online because one can feel like doing or saying anything is possible and will most likely not be reprimanded in real life.


 * Invisibility

Similar to anonymity, people tend to feel that they are invisible because their faces are behind their device and other people cannot see past that. This invisibility increases the online disinhibition effect because people feel courageous to say what they want without worrying how tother people perceive them.


 * Asynchronicity

Asynchronous communication is communication that is not happening in the current moment and it takes time for a response. Asynchronous communication affects online disinhibition because one can send a message out into the internet and not get an immediate reply, and log out. Therefore, one doesn't have to think about the implications of the sent message.

Consequences
The toxic online disinhibition plays a role in the act of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the act of making another person feel embarrassed, intimidated, or bad about themselves through the internet. The factor of anonymity leads to mean comments towards others but it doesn't cause cyberbullying. Asynchronous communication is another influencing factor because it allows one to say what they have to say and then log out like nothing happened, without facing any consequences outside of the Internet. Cyberbullying is a serious behavioral concern because it is associated with negative mental health effects such as depression, anxiety, and stress. This act affects both of the parties involved in cyberbullying and research is still examining the long term implications of this.