Online disinhibition effect is a term used by psychologists to refer to the tendancy by some who hide behind online anonymity to be nasty without fear of repercussions. <\/p>\n
In the early days of my blog, there was a piece called “4 degrees of impersonal communications”<\/a> in which I wrote:<\/p>\n people say things in emails that they would never say to someone over the phone. And, over the phone (especially in a voice message), we seem willing to speak in ways that one would never consider saying face-to-face.<\/p>\n I will add that people say things in anonymous comments on blogs that add a further dimension. Perhaps it is a sign of the indifference associated with mass anonymity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n