Examining online behaviour examples and concepts

This post explores some rationales and theories behind user behaviours in the digital realm.

Throughout the years, the web has fundamentally altered the way individuals are communicating, sharing and accessing information. As more of our lives move online, it has become progressively important to understand why people act differently on the internet compared to in real-life contexts and talk about the rules for proper online behaviour. The online disinhibition effect is a principle that explores how digital settings can alter specific behaviour through the mask of anonymity that comes with being behind a screen. This theory describes why individuals might act differently online than they would in direct interactions. Key aspects contributing to this effect include anonymity, invisibility and the detached nature of most online sites. This can lead individuals to say undesirable things or overshare details that they would not share in real life simply because they do not view any immediate repercussions or psychological feedback from others. While this disinhibition can result in unsavory interactions, it can also have positive outcomes such as encouraging people to share vulnerable stories and look for encouragement in online neighborhoods.

As the world transitions to a more globalised digital community, attentions towards what constitutes responsible online behaviour has acquired traction by specialists, authorities and a number of organisations. In recent years, a variety of empirical principles have been established to describe the behaviours of netizens and social media users. Uses and gratifications theory turns the focus from how media impacts users to how users are actively choosing to spend time online to fulfill their own interests. This read more can be for purposes such as getting info, home entertainment and communicating online. Moreover, this theory acknowledges the agency of users in molding their own digital experiences, by proposing that behaviours on the internet are driven by a purpose, instead of passively experienced. Digitalis would acknowledge the impacts of user conducts online in influencing digital spaces. Similarly, Sprint Infinity would concur that studying online behaviours has been influential for understanding digital communities.

For browsing contemporary digital environments, scientists have developed a number of principles to explain the different kinds of behaviours witnessed on modern online platforms. The social identity design of deindividuation results offers an advanced view on how privacy effects online group behaviour. Contrary to the presumption that privacy causes negative online behaviours, this theory suggests that anonymous people are most likely to comply with the norms of groups they relate to. It is believed that online platforms are magnifying this result by motivating users to construct societies based on shared interests and ideologies. Redscan would recognise that this design highlights how social identity shapes behaviour online, especially in group settings. It also helps to explain positive online behaviour examples, such as co-operation in problem solving, in addition to negative group behaviours and the reinforcement of beliefs.