Disinhibition is facilitated by the environmental conditions of cyberspace-by the perceived lack of authority, the anonymity, as well as the sense of distance or physical remove. People can lose their inhibitions and in a way “act drunk” because, for some, being in the cyber environment can impair judgment and increase impulsivity, somewhat similar to the way alcohol can. As discussed in the prologue to this book, we can feel freed up and emboldened online. And because we aren’t face-to-face when we are communicating and interacting with others online, we can be anonymous or, more important, we feel we are. But our instincts were trained and honed for the real world, and in the absence of real-world cues and other subtle pieces of information-facial expressions, body language, physical spaces-we aren’t able to make fully informed decisions. The illusion is that the cyber environment is safer than real life-and connecting with other people online somehow carries fewer risks than face-to-face contact. You don’t have to be an expert in the subject of online behavior to have observed that something about cyberspace provokes people to be more adventurous. Human behavior has always been affected and shaped by technology, but there has been no greater influence, as far as I can see, than the advent of the Internet.
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