Learning DiversityOnline Culture and the Appeal of Anonymity in Education
It goes without saying that social networking has redefined the ways in which we interact with each other and our socio-expectations regarding modern discourses surrounding the concept of communication. However, I have become curious lately about the ways in which online education can possibly surpass classroom learning, and furthermore, how the idea of anonymity can somehow enhance student-centered learning.
I was inspired by reading Triple Canopy‘s excellent issue fifteen: Negative Infinity, specifically, David Auerbach’s article, “Anonymity as Culture: Case Studies.” In it, he describes various instances of online users interacting with each other anonymously, which grants them the freedom to engage in dialogues that are truly unique to the culture and patois that they’ve created. Auerbach calls this community A-Culture and though some of the case studies that he illustrates seem reprehensible or considerably far-fetched, it inspired me to think about how students engage themselves in this type of culture and what kind of effect it has upon how they learn, if at all.
In resorting to Google to help me answer my questions (how modern), I happened upon this article by Mark Kassop (Ten Ways Online Education Matches, or Surpasses, Face-to-Face Learning) and I tried to read it resistantly, considering all of Kassop’s arguments but imagining the student as Anonymous. Clearly, doing so brings up a number of problems: mainly, how would the student get graded, form a relationship with the instructor, etc. With that said, it also allows for an interesting conceit; by stripping away the pretensions and inhibitions of the student, the student would be able to engage in learning mainly for the sake of learning and could theoretically allow for a community that values the exploration of ideas.
This would probably never work. Based on my exploration of anonymous online culture and the negative connotations most often associated with it I don’t think that users would engage in it like an idealistic teacher such as me would hope for. If anyone reading this knows of an online community where this type of engagement happens (and actually works), I would love to know about it.
One Comment on “Online Culture and the Appeal of Anonymity in Education”
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This question Sara has raised reminds me of a recent conversation with a friend about the nature of human exchanges. Some psychologists assert that a considerable amount of effort in most interactions is expended on social posturing; asserting dominance, trying to be humorous, attempting to show off one’s knowledge, etc. Hardly ever is a conversation simply a sincere exchange of ideas and information between people who are interested in learning or challenging their own ideas. At its best these (very human) social considerations can enhance a discussion by making them entertaining and challenging in a friendly, productive way. Unfortunately, it can also devolve into bullying, bragging, and an attempt to dominate with bluster rather than brains. It seems that anonymity could theoretically work in both ways; toward alleviating the penchant to bring social considerations into the discussion, or toward making it easier to act out without face-to-face repercussions. My guess is that the social and emotional aspects of any conversation are key to making it vibrant. I think that skillful teachers can often use the social dynamic in a real-life classroom to bolster engagement while steering the conversation in productive ways. Online anonymity may lead to a stripping away of inhibitions, but I doubt pretensions would follow. Freedom to engage in a unique, created culture will only be as valuable as that created culture allows for.