Are we doing enough to protect ourselves against the risks that online anonymity can pose to our faith and well-being?

John Schnobrich

“How Does Anonymity Affect Behavior.” This is a great and thorough article, and I’ll be referencing this article throughout mine. I recommend reading it as well.

I looked into this because I saw a post with a simple question about something in the Bible.

I got the impression they were a new Christian, and the question was simple. They were asking about Noah and something to the effect of if we thought he took eggs onto the ark in some cases to save space.

An honest question and a good one to create some fun, light-hearted, and encouraging conversation. But, not surprisingly, their question received cruel, sarcastic, and degrading responses from other Christians, with a mix of some positive and encouraging responses in there. I’d rank it as a 60/40 situation in terms of the responses I read through.

That is what got me curious about anonymity.

How it gets abused, used as a weapon, and especially how it affects us in our personal lives that then carries over into our screen time lives.

“The shield of anonymity can embolden individuals to engage in harmful behaviors online, such as harassment or deliberately provocative actions. Without the fear of personal consequences, some users feel free to express extreme views or target others with hurtful comments. This behavior can have severe psychological impacts on victims and can poison online communities.”

“Deindividuation theory suggests that anonymity can lead to a loss of individual identity and self-awareness.”“This can result in decreased adherence to social norms and increased likelihood of engaging in behaviors that would typically be inhibited.”

This is a serious problem, one we cannot ignore, especially as Christians.

That’s what I want us to examine and consider with our online interactions. Are our actions online in line with God?

How can a Christian go from thinking they have a “superiority” to be rude or mean online, then turn around and be a “wonderful” Christian parent having a conversation with their child, or serving in a church with a smile on their face and the Lord’s name coming out of their mouth?

It’s not possible; it bleeds and carries over into day-to-day life. You can’t be cruel online and be a “good” Christian in person. It absolutely does not work that way.

“In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:28

It is time to sit and pray on this.

Are your actions Godly, or are you part of the 60% I saw in those comments?

Our words carry significant weight and are judged by God and others who see our actions online.

“When actions cannot be traced back to individuals, there may be a decreased sense of responsibility for one’s behavior and its consequences.”

How we act and present ourselves online is vitally important to God, how we are seen as a whole by society, and has a serious impact on our behavior.

We cannot control other people, but we very much can control ourselves and purposely, actively step away from the risks involved with anonymity and not become “full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

© Jane Isley

First published in Biblical Christian Worldview on Medium.

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