Philosophical dimensions of anonymity in group support systems: Ethical implications of social psychological consequences

摘要

With the aim of reducing the inefficiencies of group work, group support systems (GSS), also known as groupware, have been designed to facilitate interaction and foster collaboration and decision making within such groups. A key feature available in GSS is anonymous interaction of group members. This paper examines the ethical dimensions of two social psychological consequences of this anonymity that result from the lack of social cues—the absence of gender cues, with the attendant equalization of male–female participation, and deindividuation, with the attendant weakening of social norms, reduction of inner restraints, and loss of evaluation apprehension. Specifically, this paper suggests that the absence of gender cues within GSS-supported decision-making groups promotes the twin values of justice and autonomy, whereas deindividuation results in a “Ring of Gyges scenario” (K. A. Wallace, 1999), wherein anonymity confers immunity against the consequences of bad and disruptive behavior and thereby encourages such behavior. The paper considers the problem of miscommunication—which offsets the advantage of gender neutrality and which stems from the failure of text-based media to convey verbal nuances and emotional content—and provides practical solutions. Moreover, the paper proposes the adoption of Wallace's electronic “tagging” solution of traceable anonymity in order to avert, or reduce the incidence of, Ring of Gyges scenarios within GSS-supported groups in situations involving intentional or grossly negligent misconduct but not in cases of ordinary negligence. Additionally, the paper discusses liberty-limiting principles as justifications for the restrictions on free speech that are imposed by tagging.