Suler, J. (2004) ‘The online disinhibition effect’, CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(3), pp. 321–326. doi:10.1089/1094931041291295.
A phenomenon whereby individuals feel it is appropriate to say or do things that they wouldn’t do in “real-life” because cyberspace grants them anonymity and protection: thus encouraging more impulsive behaviour
He also notes six dimensions that interact with one another to create this effect: dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, and minimization of authority
The Disinhibition Effect in Online Therapy • Counselling Tutor
Types of Disinhibition: Dissociative Imagination-
Emily Finch: People see cyberspace as a game in which standard rules of everyday interaction don’t apply.
The impact of loneliness on the six dimensions of online disinhibition
Further on Dissociative Imagination:
Individuals believe their online “persona” live in a fictional world that physically separates them from the demands and responsibilities of the real world (Wu et al 2017)
Examining the antecedents of online disinhibition
Perceived lack of authority (i.e. within a game and lack of moderation in games) leads to rude behaviour and trolling (Raine et. al 2017)