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DavidKellamFirstEssay 4 - 01 Jun 2017 - Main.DavidKellam
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Return to the West | | | For nearly a century, behavioral modification resulting from observation has been a topic of social psychological debate. The Hawthorne Effect has become the colloquial caption of this phenomenon. Initially centered on industrial workplace productivity, and later on human behavior during research, Hawthorne studies have evolved in purpose and meaning. The theme of the Hawthorne studies, however, has remained; the human subconscious can cause alteration of conscious behavior in response to an awareness of surveillance. The modern psychological explanation of the Hawthorne Effect’s mechanism is that awareness of observation engenders beliefs about spectator expectations. Subconscious conformity and social considerations then cause behavioral modification in line with these expectations. | |
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< | Viewing online behavior in a Hawthorne context may provide a platform upon which some of the atmospherics of the conversation can be better evaluated, and the findings of such research will likely provide reciprocal insight on the dangers of online surveillance. Freud believed that that civilization provides protection by imposing heavy dictates which subconsciously “obtain mastery over the individual’s dangerous desire[s]” by “setting up an agency within him to watch over it.” Today, this “mastery” over our free will is manifest in a modern, online Hawthorne Effect. | >
> | Viewing online behavior through this context may provide a platform upon which some of the atmospherics of the Hawthorne conversation can be better evaluated, and the findings of such research will likely provide reciprocal insight on the dangers of online surveillance. Freud believed that civilization provides protection by imposing heavy dictates which subconsciously “obtain mastery over the individual’s dangerous desire[s]” by “setting up an agency within him to watch over it.” Today, this “mastery” over our free will is manifest in a modern, online Hawthorne Effect. | | | The Momentum of Conformity | | | If a Hawthorne Effect truly is present in our online interactions, then a possible restraint on the inevitable growth of technological influence is anonymity. When we are anonymous, we are more comfortable obtaining alternative information and can share opinions without the conscious or subconscious pressure of conformity to our would-be spectators. Without this pressure, we can cultivate our beliefs with far less outside influence, leaving room for personal experiences to shape the way that we relate to the world. | |
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< | There are several possible routes to online anonymity: implementation of encrypted nodes, broader participation in anonymizing networks, and judicial limitations on corporate data sharing and government access to name a few. However, any movement to encourage such change must necessarily consist of people who have lived in a time of perceived online anonymity and remember a state of privacy to which we could return. | >
> | There are several possible routes to online anonymity: implementation of encrypted nodes, broader participation in anonymizing networks, and judicial limitations on corporate data sharing and government access to name a few. However, any movement to encourage such change must necessarily consist of people who have lived in a time of perceived online anonymity and remember a state of privacy to which we could return. | | | Conclusion |
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