So-called random crimes are occurring one after another. Individuals who have been caught wandering the streets with weapons and attacking passersby, and someone who saw this and posted a murder threat, claiming to have followed the trend. Last week, a total of 54 people, ranging from their 30s to their teens, were arrested by the police across the country after posting murder threats through online communities. Many of them were minors, and most claimed it was a prank. However, the expressions used to describe the perpetrators, such as 'Sword Master' and 'Short Male,' which accompany real-time reports and articles of the incident, and certain political expressions that point out the motive for the crime, are confirmed in a context that is intertwined with the screams of victims and their families in the terrifying reality, rather than simply being dismissed as internet memes. What are the ways to mitigate this phenomenon of collective anger expression that is generated and spread through online communities, and where can we find clues?
Sociologist Erving Goffman likened social life to a theatrical performance. He argued that individuals enact different roles and embody social selves depending on the stage they perform on, i.e., the specific physical environment, and the audience that observes and reacts to it. He categorized the stages into three types.
First, the 'onstage' refers to a public social context with a larger audience, including strangers. In this case, an individual's performance is adjusted according to clear conventions that are also shared with the audience. Furthermore, the awareness of being observed leads individuals to adjust their behavior to avoid negative impressions. Commuting to and from work using public transportation or interacting with strangers during work falls under this category. Second, the 'backstage' refers to a more private setting with a smaller audience composed of acquaintances, such as close friends or colleagues. While a performance is still ongoing here, the role being played is closer to what the individual believes to be their true self. Third, the 'offstage' refers to a private space where there is no audience and no expectations of a role. It often represents a context where individuals relax and behave freely in preparation for future social performances.
Although this perspective of Goffman was written for face-to-face interactions, it is useful for understanding how users blur the boundaries between real and virtual identities in online communities and finding alternatives.
First, it is necessary to acknowledge the current state of changing social identity creation. Adolescents and young adults have become accustomed to creating their own stages on social apps, on, behind, and offstage, modifying their roles and appearances, and monitoring and controlling their audience. In other words, in online spaces, there is no need to be bound by strict settings, roles, or boundaries between each stage. We must acknowledge that they live in an environment where the boundaries between real and virtual actions are becoming increasingly blurred, such as live streaming and everyday live sharing with followers. Only then can we identify areas that require change that are not visible from the precarious current social perspective of viewing things solely through the lens of individual responsibility and criticism.
Next, we need to consider structural changes within online communities that grant users the right to decide whether to disclose their personal information and make it verifiable. In anthropology, geography, and other fields, a place is defined as a space imbued with meaning. A 'place' where individuals can engage in meaningful interactions can be related to internal and external elements, whereas a 'space' is limited to relationships with only the objects within it.
In many cases, online communities remain in the role of a 'space' where only fragmented parts of individuals that they want to hide are shared and simple, shallow relationships are formed accordingly. While this in itself may have value, we are currently witnessing the need for it to also become a 'place' that includes user information as the entity that allows the framework for conduct within the community. Real-name systems, which were frequently suggested as an alternative, face numerous limitations in terms of feasibility. Instead, we can propose designing platforms that grant users the right to choose how much of themselves and their environment to reveal, who can see it, and the scope of their interactions with other users, allowing them to be part of various levels of communities.
It's not easy to fully reveal oneself online connected with one's real-world profile, but it's also a world where it can become a new axis of power that gains trust and opportunities. In other words, it's time for systems that empower users' decisions on how to reveal themselves.
*This article is the original content published in the named column of the Electronic Times on August 7, 2023.
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