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Rob Carey
Post-doctoral fellow, University of Western Ontario
Rob completed a doctorate in 2003 at The Faculty of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario.
Research
Rob’s research in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies has four strands.
1. Towards a Conceptual and Behavioral Model of Anonymity on the Internet
This is a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with
18-30 participants, preparatory to a factor analysis (PARAFAC) intended
to identify the underlying conceptual dimensions of anonymity with a
particular emphasis on variables associated with anonymity, identity
and Internet behavior. Our ultimate objective is to create a conceptual
and behavioral model of Anonymity that is both amenable to further
empirical research and that reflects anonymity’s complex manifestations
in everyday computing environments. The project will offer an important
and significant contribution to the scholarship of computer-mediated
communication.
2. Literature Review/Meta-Analysis on the Behavioral Effects of Anonymity in Computer-Mediated Communication
Despite a preponderance of experimental research on the behavioral
effects of anonymity and computer-mediated communication, no one has
yet undertaken a systematic review of the literature. This paper will
provide a comprehensive review of behavioral effects attributed to
anonymity in the experimental literature arising from computer-mediated
communication and associated fields such as social psychology,
economics and sociology.
3. Conceptualizing Anonymity
Despite the importance of ‘anonymity’ to popular and academic
discussions of CMC, the term’s conceptual status and its importance as
a predictor of behavioral effects are far from clear. In this paper, we
offer a comprehensive review of the various ways anonymity has been
conceptualized by experimental researchers in the social sciences. We
also argue for the usefulness of a model based on Wallace’s notion of
anonymity as the noncoordinatability of traits in a given respect
(Wallace, 1999).
4. Framing Anonymity: How the Mass Media Configures Anonymity and Information Technology
Mass media coverage is obviously a crucial factor in shaping people’s
perceptions of issues surrounding information technology, privacy and
anonymity. This series of papers will systematically explore the means
by which traditional mass media in North America frame the concept of
anonymity in relation to information technology. Our qualitative
analysis will encompass the moral, political and psychological
implications of anonymity, and the mass media’s treatment of these
elements.
Research
.:id trail mix:.
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