In the digital age, we travel through the online world every day - browsing social media, browsing e-commerce platforms, participating in online discussions, and conducting distance learning... Behind these seemingly ordinary online behaviors, there are actually many interesting psychological laws hidden. The online psychology effect is an important area for studying the psychological mechanisms behind these online behaviors. It can help us understand why on the Internet we say things we dare not say and make choices we do not usually make. This article will explain the most common psychological effects in the online world in detail, and will reveal the psychological passwords of online behavior, so that you can understand your own and others' online behavior more clearly.
Online Disinhibition Effect
What is the online desuppression effect?
The online de-suppression effect refers to the psychological phenomenon in which people will show less restraint and concerns in the online environment than in real life, and will be easier to express their true thoughts or even make impulsive behaviors. Simply put, we may be more direct and bolder online, and even say things we will never say face to face.
Background source
This effect was proposed by psychologist John Suler. When he studied early online chat rooms and forum behavior, he found that many users' words and deeds on the Internet were very different from those in reality: usually mild people may argue fiercely in the comment area, while introverts can speak freely in anonymous forums. With the popularity of social media and instant messaging tools, this phenomenon has become more common.
Core Principle
The generation of online desuppression effect is mainly related to the four major characteristics of the network:
- Anonymity : Internet nicknames and virtual avatars make it difficult for others to identify their true identities, reducing the concerns of 'being accused of saying the wrong thing';
- Physical distance : Communicate through the screen, unable to see the other person's expressions and reactions, reducing direct perception of other people's emotions;
- Time delay : Text messages can be edited and sent, or replied at a time, reducing the pressure of instant response;
- Imagination space : During online communication, we will unconsciously fill the other person's image with imagination, which is easy to have the illusion of 'the other person is the same as me'.
Experimental basis
Sule once conducted an online chat room observation experiment: he asked participants to discuss separately using their real identity and anonymous identities, and found that the anonymous group's speech was more direct and even more critical language appeared; while the real identity group was more cautious and often used euphemistic words such as 'possible' and 'maybe'. Subsequent research also found that even if it is semi-anonymous (using nicknames but data can be found), the desuppression effect is more obvious than the actual communication.
Realistic application
- Active application : Psychological counseling platforms use anonymity to make users more willing to talk about privacy issues; public welfare forums encourage people to share vulnerable experiences through the de-suppression effect and gain support.
- Daily scenarios : Anonymous question boxes make students more daring to give suggestions to teachers; online anonymous surveys can collect more real consumer feedback.
Critical Analysis
The online de-suppression effect is a 'double-edged sword': it can break the social fear in reality, allow people to express their opinions freely, and promote ideological exchanges; but excessive de-suppression may also lead to problems such as online violence and malicious comments, because anonymity will reduce people's sense of responsibility. To avoid negative effects, we can pause for a few seconds before speaking and think “How would I say this if I said it face to face?”
Cyber-Asch Effect
What is the online herd effect?
The online herd effect refers to the psychological phenomenon in which people will unconsciously follow the views or behaviors of most people in the network environment. For example, if you see a comment with a high number of likes, you may choose to agree even if you have different ideas; if you see everyone is buying a certain product, you will not be able to help but join the rush to buy it.
Background source
It originates from the classic herd experiment by psychologist Solomon Asch: In reality, when most people deliberately give wrong answers, 75% follow the wrong answer at least once. In the Internet age, researchers have found that this herd mentality still exists in the virtual environment, and is even more obvious because information spreads faster and is therefore called the 'network herd effect.'
Core Principle
The core of the online herd effect is 'group pressure' and 'information dependence':
- Group pressure : The number of likes, comments, and reposts on the Internet will form a 'majority signal', making people feel that 'everyone is like this, and if I don't do this, I will be rejected';
- Information dependence : When facing unfamiliar information, people will default to 'most people's choices are more reliable', especially in e-commerce, film reviews and other fields. We often judge the quality of others through evaluations;
- Anonymity weakens responsibility : Internet anonymity makes people feel that 'even if it is wrong, it is not me alone', reducing the motivation for independent thinking.
Experimental basis
An e-commerce platform experiment showed that the researchers marked '1,000 people to buy' and '10 people to buy' for two identical products respectively. The number of orders for the products marked '1,000 people to buy' was 5 times that of the latter. Even if some participants said 'I think there is no difference between the two', they would still choose the one purchased by multiple people. Another social media experiment found that when a view is marked as a “popular comment,” new comments that agree with that view will increase by 30%.
Realistic application
- Commercial applications : E-commerce platforms showcase 'XX people are browsing' and 'a favorable review rate of 98%', using the herd effect to promote sales; social media's 'hot topics' recommend to guide users to participate in discussions.
- Educational scenario : The online learning platform displays 'XX students have completed their homework' to encourage other students to follow up; the publicity of public welfare activities '100,000 people have participated', attracting more people to join.
Critical Analysis
The online herd effect can help us quickly obtain information and integrate into the group, but excessive herd may lead to 'blind follow-up information' - such as blindly believing in false positive reviews to buy inferior products, or spreading rumors with wrong views. The response is: When you encounter popular information, first ask yourself, 'Do I really understand this?' 'Do you have different opinions?' and develop the habit of independently verifying information.
Echo Chamber Effect
What is the echo chamber effect?
The echo chamber effect refers to a psychological phenomenon in which people will constantly receive information similar to their own views in the Internet, just like in a closed 'echo chamber', their thoughts are repeatedly strengthened, but different views are difficult to enter the field of vision. For example, people who like a certain type of celebrity will see positive news about the celebrity; people who support a certain type of opinion will almost always see the same comments as their own ideas.
Background source
With the development of algorithm recommendation technology, the echo chamber effect has gradually attracted attention. In the early days, people needed to actively search for information, but now, short video and social media algorithms would automatically push similar information based on our browsing records and liked content, resulting in a narrower and narrower information range.
Core Principle
The echo chamber effect is composed of three links:
- Selective contact : People are born to like to read content that is consistent with their own ideas and will actively avoid different opinions;
- Algorithm enhancement : The platform continuously pushes similar content based on browsing data, forming a cycle of 'the more you like, the more you push it';
- Group Polarization : When people are surrounded by similar opinions, people feel that their ideas are more correct and even become more extreme.
Experimental basis
A research team at Stanford University tracked the information contact habits of 500 social media users and found that after 6 months of continuous use of the same platform, the proportion of users exposed to opposing views decreased by 45%; while users who often actively searched for different views decreased by only 10%. The experiment also showed that users in the echo chamber had significantly reduced acceptance of opposing views.
Realistic application
- Information acquisition : The news APP uses algorithms to push personalized content, allowing users to efficiently obtain information of interest; the learning platform pushes relevant courses based on user weaknesses to improve learning efficiency.
- Risk warning : Community managers will actively push diverse opinions to avoid group extremism; schools recommend different types of articles through mixed recommendations to cultivate students' critical thinking.
Critical Analysis
The echo chamber effect can improve the efficiency of information acquisition and allow us to quickly find groups of interest, but being in the echo chamber for a long time will lead to 'short vision' and 'deepening of bias', and even trigger group confrontation. The cracking method is very simple: regularly and actively search for information from different fields, pay attention to accounts with opposite views, and let yourself get in touch with a richer world.
Information Cocoon effect
What is the information cocoon effect?
The information cocoon effect refers to the psychological phenomenon of people who only contact the information they are interested in for a long time and are gradually 'wrapped' in homogeneous information, forming a closed information environment like a 'cocoon'. It is similar to the echo chamber effect, but emphasizes more on the active limitations of algorithmic technology on the range of information.
Background source
This concept was proposed by scholar Cass Sunstein. When he studied the dissemination of Internet information, he found that with the popularity of recommendation algorithms, people no longer need to work hard to screen information. The algorithm will 'precisely' push content in line with preferences, but this also makes people's information field narrower and narrower, just like being trapped in a 'cocoon' they woven.
Core Principle
The core of the information cocoon is 'algorithmatch' and 'user laziness':
- Algorithm preference matching : the platform builds an 'interest model' by analyzing user clicks, stays, collections and other data, and only pushes content in the model;
- User laziness : People are too lazy to take the initiative to explore unknown information and are more willing to accept 'door delivery' content, which leads to the algorithm further narrowing the scope of recommendations;
- Feedback loop : The more single the user sees, the more single the algorithm pushes, and eventually form a 'cocoon' closed loop.
Experimental basis
An experiment on short video platforms showed that two groups of users were asked to use the 'personalized recommendation' and 'random recommendation' modes respectively. After 30 days, users of the personalized recommendation group were more satisfied with the recommended content, but the knowledge points in different fields that could be said were 28% less than those in the random group; when content in unfamiliar fields was suddenly pushed, the speed of the personalized group was twice that of the random group.
Realistic application
- Algorithm optimization : Some platforms have added the 'diversity recommendation' function, and while pushing interest content, they add a small amount of unfamiliar information;
- Self-breakthrough : Educational APPs will deliberately push content with a slightly more difficult one to help users break the learning cocoon; workplace platforms will recommend information from different industries and broaden their career horizons.
Critical Analysis
Information cocoons can allow us to efficiently obtain content we like and save time, but being in the cocoon for a long time will lead to 'cognitive singularization', such as only looking at entertainment content and ignoring learning information, and only believing in one viewpoint and rejecting multiple thinking. The key to breaking the cocoon is: actively click on content that is 'not interested' and regularly turn off personalized recommendations, giving the algorithm and yourself an opportunity to 'expand your horizons'.
Online Altruism Effect
What is the online altruistic behavior effect?
The online altruistic behavior effect refers to the psychological phenomenon of people voluntarily and freely helping others in an online environment, such as answering questions on a Q&A platform, donating money on a public welfare platform, sharing useful resources in social groups, etc. These behaviors have no direct rewards, but are very common in the Internet.
Background source
Early Internet research once believed that anonymity makes people more selfish, but later found that the Internet has spawned a lot of altruistic behavior. Psychologists have found that the Internet breaks geographical restrictions and reduces the cost of 'helping others', while altruistic behavior can bring psychological satisfaction. This phenomenon is summarized as the effect of online altruistic behavior.
Core Principle
The emergence of online altruistic behaviors stems from three psychological motivations:
- Social identity : help others get likes and thanks, and enhance their sense of identity among online groups;
- Empathy : When you see others seeking help, you are prone to empathy that 'if it is me, I need help,' which drives helping others;
- Cost reduction : Online helping people does not require face-to-face communication, nor does it require too much time and money (such as forwarding help information), which lowers the threshold for helping people.
Experimental basis
A study on knowledge question and answer platforms showed that users who get the 'Best Answer' tag will increase the frequency of subsequent answers by 60%; while users who receive clear thank-you messages will last three months longer than those who do not receive thanks. Another experiment found that online altruistic behavior in anonymity has not decreased, but instead the motivation for 'pure helping others' is more stable.
Realistic application
- Public welfare field : Crowdfunding platforms use the altruistic effect to allow ordinary people to help others through small donations; online volunteer platforms encourage continuous services by displaying 'number of help'.
- Knowledge dissemination : The encyclopedia platform encourages users to edit content free of charge and strengthen altruistic behavior through the 'contribution value' system; learn the behavior of 'big bosses sharing information' in the group to promote the spread of knowledge.
Critical Analysis
Online altruistic behavior is a warm force in the online world. It promotes mutual assistance and sharing, but there is also a 'pseudo-altruistic' phenomenon, such as someone who helps others and then brings goods, or spreads false help-seeking information to use the kindness of others. We can maintain goodwill when helping others, but we also need to simply verify the authenticity of the information so that altruistic behavior can truly help those in need.
Online Burnout Effect
What is the Internet burnout effect?
The Internet burnout effect refers to the phenomenon of psychological fatigue, decreased interest and reduced efficiency after long-term excessive use of the Internet. For example, after watching social media for a few hours every day, you will feel inexplicably irritated; after working online for a long time, you will find it difficult to concentrate and you may not even want to reply to messages.
Background source
As 'always online' becomes the norm, the problem of online burnout is becoming increasingly prominent. When studying remote office and social media use, psychologists found that network use is not 'zero cost', and factors such as information overload, social stress, screen fatigue, etc. will accumulate into psychological burden. This phenomenon is named the Internet burnout effect.
Core Principle
The core of online burnout is “over-consuming cognitive resources” and “fuzzy boundaries”:
- Cognitive resource consumption : network information is fragmented and updated quickly, and the brain needs to constantly switch attention to processing information, resulting in cognitive fatigue;
- Social pressure : Online social networking needs to maintain personality and reply to messages, worrying about 'don't like it and being alienated', which will create invisible pressure;
- Blurry boundaries : work and life are both carried out on the Internet, and there is no clear 'offline' time, leaving the brain in a 'standby' state for a long time.
Experimental basis
A study of college students showed that students who use social media for more than 4 hours a day have three times more burnout symptoms (such as depression and distraction) than students who use multiple social platforms at the same time; while those who use multiple social platforms at the same time have a burnout feeling of 45% higher than those of users on a single platform. Another experiment found that after setting the 'no phone time', the participants' psychological fatigue would significantly reduce within 1 week.
Realistic application
- Digital Health : The mobile phone system has launched 'screen usage time statistics' and 'focus mode' to help users control the usage time;
- Workplace management : Many companies implement the 'offline time' system, prohibiting non-working hours from sending work messages, and reducing employee burnout;
- Personal Habits : 'Digital Minimalism' advocates reducing unnecessary APPs, regularly disconnecting the Internet, and restoring psychological energy.
Critical Analysis
The Internet is an important tool for life and work, but burnout caused by excessive use can affect physical and mental health. The network burnout effect reminds us: network usage requires 'straining and relaxation', not to use it for a longer time, the more you gain. By setting usage boundaries and actively resting offline, we can maintain our mental vitality while enjoying the convenience of the Internet.
Summarize
The online psychology effect is like a 'navigation system' hidden behind the screen, quietly affecting our online behavior: from boldness or caution when speaking, to choice tendencies when shopping; from the scope of information acquisition, to helping or tiredness... Understanding these effects is not to 'counter' the Internet, but to understand one's behavioral patterns more clearly.
Whether it is the freedom of expression brought about by the online de-suppression effect or the limitations of vision brought about by the echo chamber effect, each effect has its own two sides. The key lies in whether we can control the Internet with rationality - enjoy its convenience and warmth, while avoiding excessive influence. I hope this article can help you understand the psychological logic behind online behavior, so that every click, every comment, and every online time will be more in line with your real needs and expectations. In the digital age, be the master of the Internet, not the traveler led by the Internet.
Continue to pay attention to the series of articles in 'Complete Psychological Effects' and explore more secret weapons of psychology in depth.
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