Online behaviour
Some people we work with say they behaved in a way online that they wouldn’t have done in the offline world.
The panopticon
The panopticon is a design of building meaning that one person can see all those in the building.
It is important to think about how we behave when we feel we might be being observed, compared to how we behave when we think no one is watching.
This is the same with online behaviour and how people can feel like they are anonymous and not being watched by others when they are online. This can result in people feeling detached from their online behaviour, as if it is not part of their true self.
How does this relate to you? How was your online behaviour different from your offline behaviour? Think about how you behave on social media, what you might look at online, who you might talk to, and how you might talk to them.
There will also be ways you behave online that are the same as offline, and it is important to think about these too. This shows that the online and offline world are not completely separate.
For example, did you look for sexual material online but not offline? Did you communicate with people online that you did not or would not offline? Did you communicate in the same way with others online and offline, for example in your use of language and your level of politeness?
Exercise 2: My online and offline behaviour
Think about:
- Why did you behave differently online than you did offline?
- Did your online behaviour have an impact on your offline behaviour? How?
- Would you like your behaviour online to also happen offline? Why?
- How does considering this help you manage your future online behaviour?
