An Analysis of Tools for Online Anonymity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible explanations for the slow adoption and development of online anonymity technology. The ability to remain anonymous while engaging in different activities, online is increasingly sought after by consumers with privacy concerns. Currently, the only way to maintain online anonymity is through the use of technology. This paper reviews and analyzes the tools currently available to consumers to maintain online anonymity. There are only four tools available to consumers to ensure online anonymity: anonymous remailers, rewebbers, The Onion Router (Tor) and the Invisible Internet Project (I2P). These tools provide the protection needed for an Internet user to remain anonymous but suffer from a lack of usability and adoption. Design/methodology/approach The authors have selected a few specific online anonymity technologies based on the following criteria: the technology satisfies our full anonymity definition, the technology is currently available for public use and the technology has been academically researched. Findings Few anonymity technologies are available for public use that offer the ability for full online anonymity, and these technologies are difficult for the average computer user to operate. Further research is still needed to help determine what the average user wants to see in an anonymity technology as well as ways to help users integrate the technology into their commodity software (such as Web browsers). Future online anonymity technologies should enable the user to decide when, how and with whom their information is shared if it is shared at all with ease and simplicity. Originality/value The authors identify, explain and analyze publicly available online anonymity technologies in terms of their usability. The authors identified ways as to how online anonymity technology can be improved to increase public adoption. The authors make pertinent recommendations on how the design and development of online anonymity technology can be improved in the future

Self-disclosure and SNS Platforms: The Impact of SNS Transparency and Culture

Self-disclosure on social networking platforms has attracted attention in Information Systems (IS) research. While studies have connected individual beliefs such as perceived privacy, perceived benefits, and cost to SNS use, less research has examined how characteristics of the social media platform itself shape SNS use. This study extends the literature by examining how the interplay between SNS transparency and individual culture affect user\u27s self-disclosure of personal information as well as factors that shape users’ perceptions on SNS transparency. Drawing on Accountability Theory, Communication Privacy Management Theory, and Culture Theory, we build a comprehensive, integrative model that offers a more holistic view of self-disclosure and the impact of the contextual factors on self-disclosure behaviors. The proposed study will use factorial survey (Vance et al. 2013) to collect data. This study will conceptually develop and operationalize a new construct—SNS transparency—that could help the researchers to gain better understanding of SNS-based self-disclosure and offers insights into how to integrate transparency into social media platforms

Protecting Online Privacy

Online privacy has become one of the greatest concerns in the United States today. There are currently multiple stakeholders with interests in online privacy including the public, industry, and the United States government. This study examines the issues surrounding the protection of online privacy. Privacy laws in the United States are currently outdated and do little to protect online privacy. These laws are unlikely to be changed as both the government and industry have interests in keeping these privacy laws lax. To bridge the gap between the desired level of online privacy and what is provided legally users may turn to technological solutions

Delivering social support via online health messages: Testing the effects of stress and person-centeredness on emotional improvement, attitude and behavioral intention

This study investigated the effect of exposure to person-centered messages delivered in a mass-mediated context on individuals experiencing mild or moderate levels of stress. Person-centeredness describes “the extent to which messages explicitly acknowledge, elaborate, legitimize, and contextualize the distressed other’s feelings and perspective” (Burleson, 2003, p. 11). The study used a 3 (person-centeredness: low, moderate, high) x 2 (stress: mild, moderate) between-subjects experiment with emotional improvement, attitude toward the message, and behavioral intention as the outcome variables. Participants (N = 243) were randomly assigned to a mild (i.e., gaining three pounds) or moderate stress condition (i.e., being diagnosed with Type II diabetes because of rapid weight gain). After exposure to the stress condition, participants then read one of three versions of a health newsletter using language that represented low, moderate, or high levels of person-centeredness. Results showed that higher levels of person-centeredness led to significantly greater emotional improvement and significantly more positive attitudes toward the message, although there was no difference in behavioral intention between the person-centeredness conditions. There was also a main effect for stress, such that participants under the moderate level stress reported greater emotional improvement and more positive attitude toward the message than participants under the mild level of stress, regardless of the type of message they received. However, none of the stress x person-centeredness interactions was significant. This study provides a framework to operationalize and test the effects of person-centered messages delivered in a mass-mediated context. Understanding the effect of person-centeredness in mass-mediated communication also provides practical implications for designing media messages directed to individuals experiencing stress

An Examination of Automobile Online Brand Communities (AOBCs) in the U.S. and South Korea: Linkages among Motivation, Experience, and Satisfaction

This study explores automobile online brand communities in the different cultural contexts between South Korea and the United States. The core assumption is that members of automobile online brand communities in different cultures have different motivation orientations to visit their online communities and have different community experiences. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions were utilized as embedded cultural circumstances in examining relationships between different motivation orientations and community experiences. Two steps of qualitative and quantitative research methods were adopted to determine the relationships among community members’ motivation orientations, community experiences, and satisfaction. The study found that Korean automobile online brand community (KAOBC) members have stronger social, business, and communication motivations than American automobile online brand community (AAOBC) members. These community members’ motivations also influenced their community experiences. Both social network motivations and communication motivations are crucial predictors for four community experiences: Community loyalty, trust, membership identity, and word of mouth (WOM). Community members who have a stronger social networking and/or communication motivation are more likely to have a higher level of community loyalty, trust, membership identity, and WOM. Finally, community experiences were the most important indicators of the satisfaction of online community members among nationality, demographic factors, and motivation orientations

Examining the Pseudonymity of Sports Message Boards and the Subsequent Effects on Levels of Self-Disclosure, Expressing Extreme Opinions, Emotional Flaming, and Fandom

This study examined how not revealing one\u27s identity (i.e., being pseudonymous) on sports message boards affects levels of self-disclosure, expression of extreme opinions, frequency of emotional flaming, and levels of fandom. Quantitative scales were developed to measure self-disclosure, expressing extreme opinions, emotional flaming, and fandom. After participants read two competing sports message board scenarios (one including a positive message and the other a negative message), they responded to the survey questions

The Technological Factors of Reddit: Communication and Identity on Relational Networks

The relational network reddit is one of the most popular and visited websites on a global and national (United States) level. Communication on reddit lends itself to intergroup communication in that reddit users engage with audiences from ingroup, outgroup, and mixed audience compositions. Reddit’s voting system allows for negative and positive feedback to enhance or impede on one’s message. I examine how these technological factors influence a number of communicative and identity processes: (a) identity salience, (b), identity gaps, (c) group and interpersonal evaluation, and (d) accommodative language. Drawn out of intergroup contact literature and theories about group processes and technology, I hypothesize and question how each technological factor maps onto each of the aforementioned outcomes. By analyzing each technological factor, I am able to understand how audience composition, valence of content, and nature of feedback have varying impacts on communication. I created an online experimental interface that simulated reddit’s user interface and technological affordances. A total of 316 participants entered into the online discussion board and contributed a comment to an ongoing discussion about their thoughts and beliefs on 4th of July. Two time segments were used in the study, revealing a 3 (audience composition: ingroup, outgroup, mixed) X 2 (valence of content: hostile, neutral) X 2 (feedback: negative, positive) between-groups design. Results revealed that audience composition influenced the enacted-communal identity gap in that users had a lower enacted-identity gap with ingroup and mixed audiences compared to outgroup audiences. Similarly, the enacted-communal identity gap, interpersonal evaluation, and group evaluation measures were dependent on the valence of the conversation. However, identity salience and the personal-enacted identity gap did not fluctuate based on any of the technological factors. Accommodative language was higher in ingroup conditions and when the valence was neutral. Time 2 results revealed that negative feedback influenced a perception of change in the enacted-communal identity gap and in the group evaluation measures. These results add to existing knowledge on the influence of reddit’s primary technological factors on group and identity processes and is informing of how social recommendations can change a user’s perception of their message. Advisor: Jordan Soli

Two sides to every tweet: Exploring the framing, predictors, and associated consequences of online shaming

Online shaming, whereby individuals call out real or perceived wrongdoings online, has become an ever-increasing, global form of social policing. Despite the negative consequences associated with this phenomenon, most existing discussion and debate is anecdotal and media-based, with current understandings largely non-empirical, theoretical, and overall scarce. The overarching aim of this thesis was to explore the framing, predictors, and associated consequences of online shaming, which was achieved via a mixed-methods research project comprising four studies