Deindividuation?

It's amusing how the internet can serve as an equalizing force, diluting the perceived authority of people. What I found so far is that the moves people make online are more daring than they would when in person. Like, say, interaction with an important person. People are never intrinsically important. Their importance is a construct, granted by the will of the people around them for various reasons. I think it good that there is something out there that will help reduce that perceived authority, allowing them to be viewed by their own merit rather than some aura that may not exist out of the context of their station.

I especially like it that online communications make people more self-reflective. In trying to clarify their statements online, they are less likely to blurt out things that they otherwise would in person. More importantly, a written record exists of their statements, so they are unable to wheedle their way out of what they said on site.

Of course, all this is contingent on the captive audience. Should they be unwilling or unable to pay full attention to the exchanges, it is very easy for participants to get lost in conversation. Worse yet, deindividuation may lead to less than acceptable communication patterns...