Amichai-Hamburger & Hayat (2013). “Internet and personality. - Article summary

Personality refers to those characteristics of the person that account for one’s consistent pattern of behaviour. Online anonymity refers to the perception of the user that one can surf the net without disclosing information that might lead other surfers to identify oneself.

Anonymous computer-mediated-communication provides a higher level of control over disclosures as it hides social cues and can limit social presence. The receivers attribute qualities to the senders which are not conveyed due to less disclosure and increased anonymity. This increases the degree of intimacy experienced between participants.

Disinhibition refers to the fact that when people perceive that they are anonymous, they disclose more information. Feelings of social integration and belonging to an online group also increase disclosure.

The anonymity of parts of the internet may be instrumental for those looking to explore aspects of their identity and gain feedback and validation. The degree of exposure (e.g. is physical appearance known) depends on the function of the internet that is used (e.g social networking sites). However, even in social networking sites, there is a large degree of control because of impression management. Impression management includes choosing which pictures to display.

The lack of clarity about the physical appearance of people may be fruitful for people who face negative effects because of their appearance (e.g. unattractive). People tend to feel less anxious online in social interactions with a high degree of anxiety (e.g. romantic encounter).

Being member of a group that shares goals and interests is a major way of enhancing self-esteem. The internet is often used to connect to core group members. A core group member refers to a person with whom the surfer relates based on their main identity categorization (e.g. nationality). The internet makes it more simple to find a group of others who are similar, which can be important for people who belong to a stigmatized group. The internet allows these people to join these groups without publicly revealing their identity.

People are almost constantly online and people may acquire their self-esteem from their membership of different groups, both online and offline. CMC is used for maintaining social networks and creating new ones. This removes limitations of geography and transportation. Online leisure activities fulfil the same functions as traditional leisure activities.

The internet allows some people to explore who they are and experiment with different aspects of their identity. Furthermore, it creates a highly supportive net environment which might help people reach their deepest level of individuality (i.e. true self). A very salient group identity may enhance feelings of belonging to a certain group even when the participant is anonymous.

Personality affects how users choose and interpret different activities that are offered online. User preference is influenced by personality traits. These traits include sensation seeking (1), locus of control (2), extroversion (3), openness (4), neuroticism (5), need for closure (6), need for cognition (7) and attachment (8).

It appears that on the internet, introverts do not act in accordance with their usual behaviour patterns but due to the perceived secure environment, conduct themselves in ways associated with extroverts in offline relationships. It is also possible that people who have highly developed social skills with translate these skills to online situations and make more friends online, whereas this is not the case for people with poor social skills.

Being anonymous allows people to recreate themselves and people who are identifiable online tend to duplicate their offline identity online. Many people with social inhibitions tend to compensate themselves on social networking sites.

A blog might be an ideal setting for people with social inhibitions because their involvement in the blog would allow them to feel totally protected and so enable them to recreate themselves and express themselves freely.

Real me relates to people’s ability to express their true selves. The Rogerian personality consists of the self-concept (1), the subjective perception of the self (2) and the true self (3). The self-concept refers to the phenomenological self. The ideal self refers to what people would like to be and does not necessarily align with the true self.

The unique atmosphere of the internet allows people to share self-relevant information in a way that they would be unwilling to in the offline world. The location of the real me (i.e. online or offline) determines where people will have more significant relationships. People who are socially anxious and lonely tend to be better at expressing themselves on the Internet than in offline relationships.

The internet provides an excellent solution for people who experience great difficulty in forming social contacts due to their introverted neurotic personalities because of anonymity (1), ability to conceal appearance (2), ability to control the degree of information revealed in the interaction (3) and the ease with which it is possible to find like-minded people (4).

The internet allows people with social inhibitions to experience significant empowerment. Internet addiction is characterized by excessive overuse of the internet which leads to a disruption in sleeping patterns, work productivity, daily routines and social life. Introversion and sensation seeking is related to internet addiction. Boredom, self-consciousness, loneliness and social anxiety is also related to heavy computer use.

Neuroticism and individual perception of social support offered by online social networks were significant predictors of excessive internet use.

People who do not suffer from social inhibitions integrate the offline and online worlds and move between them smoothly. The transfer from online to offline might be very challenging for socially inhibited people. People who find it easier to build online relationships will strive to move those significant relationships outside of the net to make them a social reality. For extremely socially anxious people, it might be useful to gradually increase the communication (e.g. chat to video and video to face-to-face contact).