Anonymity and Self‐Disclosure on Weblogs

Bloggers are typically cautious about engaging in self‐disclosure because of concerns that what they post may have negative consequences. This article examines the relationship between anonymity (both visual and discursive) and self‐disclosure on weblogs through an online survey. The results suggest that increased visual anonymity is not associated with greater self‐disclosure, and the findings about the role of discursive anonymity are mixed. Bloggers whose target audience does not include people they know offline report a higher degree of anonymity than those whose audience does. Future studies need to explore the reasons why bloggers visually and discursively identify themselves in particular ways.