Editing Anonymity (section)

==Psychological effects==
Anonymity may reduce the accountability one perceives to have for their actions, and removes the impact these actions might otherwise have on their reputation. This can have dramatic effects, both useful and harmful to various parties involved. Thus, it may be used for psychological tactics involving any respective party to purport or support or discredit any sort of activity or belief.

In conversational settings, anonymity may allow people to reveal personal history and feelings without fear of later embarrassment. Electronic conversational media can provide physical isolation, in addition to anonymity.  This prevents physical retaliation for remarks, and prevents negative or [[taboo]] behavior or discussion from tarnishing the reputation of the speaker. This can be beneficial when discussing very private matters, or taboo subjects or expressing views or revealing facts that may put someone in physical, financial, or legal danger (such as [[law|illegal]] activity, or unpopular, or outlawed political views).

In work settings, the three most common forms of anonymous communication are traditional suggestion boxes, written feedback, and [[Caller ID]] blocking. Additionally, the appropriateness of anonymous organizational communication varies depending on the use, with organizational surveys or assessments typically perceived as highly appropriate and firing perceived as highly inappropriate. Anonymity use and appropriateness have also been found to be significantly related to the quality of relationships with key others at work.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Scott|first=Craig R.|title=Anonymous Communication in Organizations: Assessing Use and Appropriateness|journal=Management Communication Quarterly|year=2005|volume=19|issue=2|page=157|doi=10.1177/0893318905279191|doi-access=free}}</ref>
[[File:Anonymous Scientology 1 by David Shankbone.JPG|thumb|left|Protesters of the group [[Anonymous (hacker group)|Anonymous]] outside a [[Scientology]] center on February 10, 2008. Three of the protesters can be seen wearing [[Guy Fawkes mask|Guy Fawkes masks]]]]

With few perceived negative consequences, anonymous or semi-anonymous forums often provide a soapbox for disruptive conversational behavior. The term "[[Internet troll|troll]]" is sometimes used to refer to those who engage in such disruptive behavior.

Relative anonymity is often enjoyed in large crowds. Different people have different psychological and philosophical reactions to this development, especially as a modern phenomenon. This anonymity is an important factor in [[crowd psychology]], and behavior in situations such as a [[riot]]. This perceived anonymity can be compromised by technologies such as [[photography]]. [[Groupthink]] behavior and [[conformity]] are also considered to be an established effect of internet anonymity.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Tsikerdekis|first1=Michail|title=The effects of perceived anonymity and anonymity states on conformity and groupthink in online communities: A Wikipedia study|journal=Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology|date=8 March 2013|volume=64|issue=5|pages=1001–1015|doi=10.1002/asi.22795|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Anonymity also permits highly trained professionals such as [[judge]]s to freely express themselves regarding the strategies they employ to perform their jobs objectively.<ref name="Australian Judges ">{{cite news | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-29/judges-admit-to-emotion-in-court-but-say-they-avoid-bias/7885508 | title=Print Email Facebook Twitter More Judges admit to emotion in court but say they avoid bias in judgments | publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=2016-09-28 | access-date=2016-09-28 | author=Carbonell, Rachel | newspaper=ABC News | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160929142903/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-29/judges-admit-to-emotion-in-court-but-say-they-avoid-bias/7885508 | archive-date=2016-09-29 }}</ref>