How online inhibition fuels incivility through moral disengagement

Gumgum Gumelar 1 * , Herdiyan Maulana 1, Resekiani Mas Bakar 2, Erik 1
More Detail
1 Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Jakarta, INDONESIA
2 Universitas Negeri Makasar, Sulawesi Selatan, INDONESIA
* Corresponding Author
Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: e202448. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/15006
OPEN ACCESS   926 Views   331 Downloads   Published online: 27 Aug 2024
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of moral disengagement in the link between online disinhibition and cyber incivility, against the backdrop of digital technology’s profound impact on human communication and the emergence of online communities. This transformation has highlighted a range of behaviors, including the negative spectrum of cyber incivility, necessitating an exploration of its underlying dynamics. Utilizing a mediation analysis approach, the research examined the interplay among online disinhibition, moral disengagement, and cyber incivility. The participant consisted of 780 Indonesian students, with an average age of 20.3 years, who reported spending 4-7 hours daily on social media. The study was conducted via an online survey distributed to participants. Moral disengagement was assessed using a Moral Disengagement Scale, cyber incivility was measured with a purpose-built scale, and online disinhibition was evaluated using the Online Disinhibition Scale to measure levels of online disinhibition. Findings indicated a significant correlation among the variables, with a substantial portion of participants exhibiting moderate to high levels of online disinhibition, moral disengagement, and cyber incivility. Mediation analysis further revealed that online disinhibition mediated the relationship between moral disengagement and cyber incivility, suggesting that the lowering of inhibitions online facilitates the manifestation of uncivil behavior, influenced by moral disengagement. This study underscores the complex mechanisms driving cyber incivility, highlighting the crucial mediating role of online disinhibition between moral disengagement and cyber incivility. These insights contribute to the broader understanding of digital communication’s impact on behavior, emphasizing the need to address online disinhibition and moral disengagement to mitigate cyber incivility.
Keywords: online disinhibition, incivility, moral disengagement, digital world, cyber, digital

CITATION

Gumelar, G., Maulana, H., Mas Bakar, R., & Erik (2024). How online inhibition fuels incivility through moral disengagement. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 14(4), e202448. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/15006

REFERENCES

  • Bandura, A. (2016). Moral disengagement: How people do harm and live with themselves. Worth Publishers.
  • Bandura, A., Barbaranelli, C., Caprara, G. V., & Pastorelli, C. (1996). Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(2), Article 364. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.71.2.364
  • Barak, A., Boniel-Nissim, M., & Suler, J. (2008). Fostering empowerment in online support groups. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(5), 1867–1883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.02.004
  • Bareket-Bojmel, L., & Shahar, G. (2011). Emotional and interpersonal consequences of self-disclosure in a lived, online interaction. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 30(7), 732–759. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2011.30.7.732
  • Bartlett, J. E., Bartlett, M. E., & Reio, T. G. (1985). Workplace incivility: Worker and organizational antecedents and outcomes. Vickers.
  • Blau, G., & Andersson, L. (2005). Testing a measure of instigated workplace incivility. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78(4), 595–614. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317905X26822
  • Chan, M. (2018). Reluctance to talk about politics in face-to-face and Facebook settings: Examining the impact of fear of isolation, willingness to self-censor, and peer network characteristics. Mass Communication and Society, 21(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2017.1358819
  • Chesney, T., Coyne, I., Logan, B., & Madden, N. (2009). Griefing in virtual worlds: Causes, casualties and coping strategies. Information Systems Journal, 19(6), 525–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2575.2009.00330.x
  • Chowdhury, R. M., & Fernando, M. (2014). The relationships of empathy, moral identity and cynicism with consumers’ ethical beliefs: The mediating role of moral disengagement. Journal of Business Ethics, 124, 677–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1896-7
  • Chugh, D., Kern, M. C., Zhu, Z., & Lee, S. (2014). Withstanding moral disengagement: Attachment security as an ethical intervention. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 51, 88–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2013.11.005
  • Detert, J. R., Treviño, L. K., & Sweitzer, V. L. (2008). Moral disengagement in ethical decision making: A study of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 374–391. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.374
  • Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A. G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193146
  • Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312
  • Frischlich, L., Schatto-Eckrodt, T., Boberg, S., & Wintterlin, F. (2021). Roots of incivility: How personality, media use, and online experiences shape uncivil participation. Media and Communication, 9(1), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i1.3360
  • Green, T., Wilhelmsen, T., Wilmots, E., Dodd, B., & Quinn, S. (2016). Social anxiety, attributes of online communication and self-disclosure across private and public Facebook communication. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 206–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.066
  • Gubrium, A. (2009). Digital storytelling: An emergent method for health promotion research and practice. Health Promotion Practice, 10(2), 186–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839909332600
  • Haidt, J. (2013). Moral psychology for the twenty-first century. Journal of Moral Education, 42(3), 281–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2013.817327
  • Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., & Thiele, K. O. (2017). Mirror, mirror on the wall: A comparative evaluation of composite-based structural equation modeling methods. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45, 616–632. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-017-0517-x
  • Hansen, R. W. (2022). You’ve never been welcome here: Exploring the relationship between exclusivity and incivility in online forums. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 20(2), 139–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2022.2069180
  • Hauge, L. J., Skogstad, A., & Einarsen, S. (2010). The relative impact of workplace bullying as a social stressor at work. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51(5), 426–433. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2010.00813.x
  • Hymel, S., & Bonanno, R. A. (2014). Moral disengagement processes in bullying. Theory into Practice, 53(4), 278–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2014.947219
  • Ilies, R., Guo, C. Y., Lim, S., Yam, K. C., & Li, X. (2020). Happy but uncivil? Examining when and why positive affect leads to incivility. Journal of Business Ethics, 165(4), 595–614. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-04097-1
  • Joinson, A. N. (2007). Disinhibition and the Internet. In J. Gackenbach (Ed.), Psychology and the Internet (pp. 75–92). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012369425-6/50023-0
  • Kim, K. K., Lee, A. R., & Lee, U. K. (2019). Impact of anonymity on roles of personal and group identities in online communities. Information & Management, 56(1), 109–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2018.07.005
  • Kivimäki, M., Virtanen, M., Vartia, M., Elovainio, M., Vahtera, J., & Keltikangas-Järvinen, L. (2003). Workplace bullying and the risk of cardiovascular disease and depression. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 60(10), 779–783. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.60.10.779
  • Kosmidis, S., & Theocharis, Y. (2020). Can social media incivility induce enthusiasm? Evidence from survey experiments. Public Opinion Quarterly, 84(S1), 284–308. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfaa014
  • Lam, L. W. (2012). Impact of competitiveness on salespeople’s commitment and performance. Journal of Business Research, 65(9), 1328–1334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.10.026
  • Lapidot-Lefler, N., & Barak, A. (2012). Effects of anonymity, invisibility, and lack of eye-contact on toxic online disinhibition. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 434–443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.014
  • Lim, S., & Cortina, L. M. (2005). Interpersonal mistreatment in the workplace: The interface and impact of general incivility and sexual harassment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(3), 483–496. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.3.483
  • Lim, V. K., & Teo, T. S. (2009). Mind your e-manners: Impact of cyber incivility on employees’ work attitude and behavior. Information & Management, 46(8), 419–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2009.06.006
  • Lowry, P. B., Zhang, J., Wang, C., & Siponen, M. (2016). Why do adults engage in cyberbullying on social media? An integration of online disinhibition and deindividuation effects with the social structure and social learning model. Information Systems Research, 27(4), 962–986. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2016.0671
  • Machin, M. A., & Jeffries, C. H. (2013). The impact of workplace incivility on the satisfaction of basic needs: The role of past experience. In Proceedings of the 48th Australian Psychological Society Annual Conference (APS 2013). University of Southern Queensland.
  • Maftei, A., Holman, A. C., & Merlici, I. A. (2022). Using fake news as means of cyber-bullying: The link with compulsive internet use and online moral disengagement. Computers in Human Behavior, 127, Article 107032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107032
  • Masullo Chen, G., Muddiman, A., Wilner, T., Pariser, E., & Stroud, N. J. (2019). We should not get rid of incivility online. Social Media and Society, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119862641
  • Morgan, H. (2020). Best practices for implementing remote learning during a pandemic. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 93(3), 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1751480
  • Muir, S. R., Roberts, L. D., Sheridan, L., & Coleman, A. R. (2023). Examining the role of moral, emotional, behavioural, and personality factors in predicting online shaming. PLoS ONE, 18(3), Article e0279750. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279750
  • Porath, C. L., Gerbasi, A., & Schorch, S. L. (2015). The effects of civility on advice, leadership, and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(5), 1527–1541. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000016
  • Quine, L. (2001). Workplace bullying in nurses. Journal of Health Psychology, 6(1), 73–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910530100600106
  • Samnani, A. K., Salamon, S. D., & Singh, P. (2014). Negative affect and counterproductive workplace behavior: The moderating role of moral disengagement and gender. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(2), 235–244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1635-0
  • Saunders, P. L., & Chester, A. (2008). Shyness and the Internet: Social problem or panacea? Computers in Human Behavior, 24(6), 2649–2658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.03.005
  • Scott, R. A., Stuart, J., & Barber, B. L. (2022). What predicts online disinhibition? Examining perceptions of protection and control online and the moderating role of social anxiety. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25(5), 294–300. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0250
  • Seto, A. (2017). The structure of an online community. In A. Seto (Ed.), Netizenship, activism and online community transformation in Indonesia (pp. 37–78). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5397-9_2
  • Sharma, I., Jain, K., & Singh, G. (2020). Effect of online political incivility on partisan attitude: Role of issue involvement, moral identity and incivility accountability. Online Information Review, 44(7), 1421–1441. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-03-2020-0084
  • Shulman, S., Davila, J., & Shachar-Shapira, L. (2011). Assessing romantic competence among older adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 34(3), 397–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.08.002
  • Smith, A., & Duggan, M., 2018. Crossing the line: What counts as online harassment? https://policycommons.net/artifacts/617512/crossing-the-line/1598321/
  • Stuart, J., & Scott, R. (2021). The measure of online disinhibition (MOD): Assessing perceptions of reductions in restraint in the online environment. Computers in Human Behavior, 114, Article 106534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106534
  • Suler, J. (2005). The online disinhibition effect. International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, 2(2), 184–188. https://doi.org/10.1002/aps.42
  • Tan, C. S. L. (2023). All by myself: Examining social media’s effect on social withdrawal and the mediating roles of moral disengagement and cyberaggression. European Journal of Marketing, 58(2), 659–684. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-12-2022-0932
  • Udris, R. (2014). Cyberbullying among high school students in Japan: Development and validation of the online disinhibition scale. Computers in Human Behavior, 41, 253–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.09.036
  • van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199970773.001.0001
  • Vickers, M. H. (2006). Writing what’s relevant: Workplace incivility in public administration-A wolf in sheep’s clothing. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 28(1), 69–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/10841806.2006.11029525
  • Volkova, S., & Bachrach, Y. (2015). On predicting sociodemographic traits and emotions from communications in social networks and their implications to online self-disclosure. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(12), 726–736. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0609
  • Wachs, S., Bilz, L., Niproschke, S., & Schubarth, W. (2019). Bullying intervention in schools: A multilevel analysis of teachers’ success in handling bullying from the students’ perspective. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 39(5), 642–668. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431618780423
  • Wang, P., McCarthy, B., & Kapetanaki, A. B. (2021). To be ethical or to be good? The impact of ‘good provider’ and moral norms on food waste decisions in two countries. Global Environmental Change, 69, Article 102300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102300
  • Wang, X., Wang, W., Qiao, Y., Gao, L., Yang, J., & Wang, P. (2022). Parental phubbing and adolescents’ cyberbullying perpetration: A moderated mediation model of moral disengagement and online disinhibition. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(7–8), NP5344-NP5366. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520961877
  • Wright, A. L., Zammuto, R. F., & Liesch, P. W. (2017). Maintaining the values of a profession: Institutional work and moral emotions in the emergency department. Academy of Management Journal, 60(1), 200–237. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0870
  • Wright, M. F., Harper, B. D., & Wachs, S. (2019). The associations between cyberbullying and callous-unemotional traits among adolescents: The moderating effect of online disinhibition. Personality and Individual Differences, 140, 41–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.04.001
  • Wu, B., Xiao, Y., Zhou, L., Li, F., & Liu, M. (2023). Why individuals with psychopathy and moral disengagement are more likely to engage in online trolling? The online disinhibition effect. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 45, 322–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-023-10028-w