Explicating the Online Disinhibition Effect

Lux, Alexandra (2025): Explicating the Online Disinhibition Effect. 75th Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association, Denver, Colorado, USA, 12.-16. Juni 2025.

Abstract

With increasing interest in examining individual’s behavior in computer-mediated contexts, the online disinhibition effect (ODE) has emerged as a prominent focus in media and communication research. However, research on the topic is characterized by conceptual issues pertaining to the ODE but it’s most popular assumed driver (i.e., anonymity) as well. Particularly, the difference of antecedents, the experience of disinhibition and the outcomes of disihibition are often not distinguished. Hence, this study aims to examine the ODE as a psychological process in the context of social networking sites (SNS) that vary with regard to the extend of anonymity they provide. Through applying multigroup structural equation modeling, we analyze data of a sample (N = 6,031; n1 = 1,003; n2 = 1,001; n3 = 1,009; n4 = 1,007; n5 = 1,006; n6 = 1,005) representative of German social media users with regard to age and gender (49.94% female, 0.40% diverse) of the age between 13 and 92 years old (M = 37.03). Interestingly, contrary to previous literature, we confirm a disinhibition effect for both toxic and benign outcomes in low-anonymity contexts. In high-anonymity contexts, however, toxic disinhibition is driven by factors other than the experience of disinhibition itself.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Speech)
• Keywords: Online Disinhibition; Anonymity; Social Network Sites; Darknet; Konferenz ICA 2025
• Faculties: Social Sciences > Department of Communications and Media (IfKW)
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 380 Commerce, communications and transportation
• Language: English