Anonymity and the True You

One thing that both fascinates and horrifies me is the phenomenon of how easily people become total assholes when they are no longer under the constraints of society.

Take the internet, for example. We are virtual strangers on a digital frontier. Sitting in front of our computers, we have complete safety and anonymity; here you are truly free from the consequences of your actions.

Most people can easily become a bit of a jerk when they have a clear "enemy", such as while playing an online game against strangers, but aren't necessarily out to attack people otherwise. A few people, however, tend to revel in their freedom and go out of their way to be a jackass.

Often people claim to find humor in such behavior, termed trolling, and they do it because they find it funny or rewarding to get other people angry or upset. I have no clue what inspires such behavior, though I suspect it is linked to the "griefing" culture that has made me stay away from PVP servers.

I wonder what it is inside some people that makes them be so hateful when they are consequence-free. Regardless, after a few hours spent surfing the web, I often take a moment and marvel at how society is such a remarkably effective tool at curbing the baser aspects of human nature.

They say that you show your true self when nobody is looking.

Interesting.