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Anonymity, Facebook, social media, digital identity, privacy, online behavior 1. Introduction Since its launch in 2004, Facebook has championed a “real-name” culture, arguing that authentic identities foster accountability, trust, and safer online communities. However, a growing counter-trend has emerged: the proliferation of anonymous or pseudonymous profiles. These accounts—often bearing fictional names, generic images, or thematic handles—operate within Facebook’s ecosystem despite official policies against impersonation. This paper asks: What drives individuals to create anonymous Facebook profiles? How do they use these identities differently from their real-name accounts? And what are the broader social consequences? fb anonymous profile
Content analysis revealed that anonymous Facebook groups often develop internal norms, such as tagging posts with “#serious” to discourage trolling. However, 20% of observed comment threads contained personal attacks, compared to 4% in comparable real-name groups. 5.1 The Anonymity Paradox The findings support the “online disinhibition effect” (Suler, 2004) but add a nuanced layer: users do not behave uniformly across contexts. Most participants engaged in what we term strategic disinhibition —consciously choosing when and where to reveal their anonymous identity. This suggests a sophisticated understanding of Facebook’s affordances. And what are the broader social consequences
Three dominant themes emerged: