So-called random crimes are happening one after another. Those who attack pedestrians with a weapon while wandering the streets are being caught, and some people who see this post murder warnings online, claiming they are following the trend. Last week, a total of 54 people, from their 30s to their teens, were arrested by police after posting murder warnings on online communities nationwide. Most of them are minors, and most of them say it was a joke. However, the expressions describing the perpetrator, such as "Sword Master" and "Short Man," and some political expressions that point out the motives for the crime appearing along with the real-time reporting of the incident and articles are quite terrible in the context of the screams of the victims and their families in reality. It is confirmed on. What are the ways to mitigate this phenomenon of collective anger expression generated and spread through online communities, and where can clues be found?

Sociologist Erving Goffman compared social life to a theatrical performance. He argued that individuals, depending on the stage they are performing on, that is, the specific physical environment and the audience observing and reacting to it, perform different roles and implement their social selves, classifying the stage into the following three types.

First, "on stage" is a public social context where there is a larger audience, including strangers. At this time, the individual's performance is adjusted to clear customs that are also shared with the audience. Also, due to the formation of the awareness that they are being observed, individuals adjust their behavior to avoid negative impressions. This includes commuting to and from work using public transportation or interacting with strangers during work. Second, "backstage" refers to a more private situation with a smaller audience of acquaintances or colleagues who work together. Here, too, the performance is ongoing, but the role being played is closer to what the individual believes is their true self. Third, "off stage" refers to a private space where there is no audience and no expectations of a role. Often, this is the context in which individuals relax and behave in preparation for future social performances.

Although Goffman's perspective was written for face-to-face interactions, it is useful in understanding how users in online communities blur the lines between reality and virtual identity and finding alternatives.

First, it is necessary to acknowledge the current state of changed social identity creation. Teenagers and young adults are accustomed to creating their own stage through social apps, modifying their roles and appearances, and monitoring and controlling their audience, on stage, backstage, and off stage. That is, there is no need to be bound by strict settings, roles, or boundaries between the stages in online spaces. We need to acknowledge that we are living in an environment where the boundaries between real and virtual actions are becoming increasingly blurred, such as live streaming and sharing daily lives with followers. Only then can we identify the points where change is needed, which are not visible from the current social gaze that sees things solely as individual responsibility and blames them.

Next, we need to consider structural changes within online communities that empower users to decide whether to disclose their personal information and make it verifiable. In anthropology, geography, and other fields, place is defined as a place where meaning is given to space. A 'place' where individuals can have meaningful interactions can be related to internal and external elements, but 'space' is limited to relationships with the objects within it.

In many cases, online communities remain in the role of "space" where only fragmented parts of individuals that they want to hide are shared and simple and shallow relationships are formed accordingly. Of course, it has its own meaning, but we are currently witnessing that it also needs to be a "place" that includes user information as the subject that allows the framework of behavior within the community. Real-name registration, which is often proposed as an alternative, faces many limitations in terms of applicability. Rather, online communities can propose a design that gives users the right to decide how much they will disclose about themselves and their environment, who will see it, and the scope of interaction with other users, allowing them to belong to various levels of communities.

It is not easy to fully reveal yourself online, connected to your real-world profile, but it is a world that can be a new axis of power that gains trust and opportunities. That is, it is time to have a system that empowers users' decisions to disclose themselves.

* This article is the original content of the named column published in the electronic newspaper on August 7, 2023.

References

Murder warnings surge... 54 arrested nationwide

The presentation of self in everyday life

Online Place and Person-Making: Matters of the Heart and Self-Expression

Culture, Power, Place: Explorations in Critical Anthropology⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠