The effects of perceived anonymity and anonymity states on conformity and groupthink in online communities: A Wikipedia study

TSIKERDEKIS, Michail. The effects of perceived anonymity and anonymity states on conformity and groupthink in online communities: A Wikipedia study. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. HOBOKEN: WILEY-BLACKWELL, 2013, vol. 64, No 5, p. 1001-1015. ISSN 1532-2882. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22795.

Basic information

Original name

The effects of perceived anonymity and anonymity states on conformity and groupthink in online communities: A Wikipedia study

Authors

TSIKERDEKIS, Michail (300 Greece, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, HOBOKEN, WILEY-BLACKWELL, 2013, 1532-2882

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Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Article in a journal

Field of Study

50000 5. Social Sciences

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

Impact factor

Impact factor: 2.230

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14330/13:00080211

Organization unit

Faculty of Informatics

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22795

UT WoS

000325930600010

Keywords in English

COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION; GROUP DECISION-MAKING; GROUP SUPPORT SYSTEMS; SOCIAL-INFLUENCE; DEINDIVIDUATION; TASK; VARIABLES; CULTURE; IMPACT; MODEL

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Abstract

In the original language

Groupthink behavior is always a risk in online groups and group decision support systems (GDSS), especially when not all potential alternatives for problem resolution are considered. It becomes a reality when individuals simply conform to the majority opinion and hesitate to suggest their own solutions to a problem. Anonymity has long been established to have an effect on conformity, but no previous research has explored the effects of different anonymity states in relation to an individual's likelihood to conform. Through a survey of randomly chosen participants from the English-language Wikipedia community, I explored the effects of anonymity on the likelihood of conforming to group opinion. In addition, I differentiated between actual states of anonymity and individuals' perceptions of anonymity. His findings indicate that although people perceive anonymity differently depending on their anonymity state, different states of anonymity do not have a strong effect on the likelihood of conforming to group opinion. Based on this evidence, I make recommendations for software engineers who have a direct hand in the design of online community platforms.