ABSTRACT
Research examining anonymous communication has a rich history spanning several academic fields and numerous decades. Despite this broad and longstanding interest, few attempts have been made to summarize the body of scholarship on anonymous communication. This chapter reviews research on anonyms communication from journalism, organization studies, economics, information systems, psychology, social psychology, computer-mediated communication, and education—tracing the findings related to three process (i.e., participation, influence, and feedback) and outcome (i.e., trust, performance, and identification) variables. The findings reflect the diversity of ways in which anonymity is conceptualized and operationalized across fields. Although the results related to several of the variables are mixed, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that anonymity facilitates participation and undermines trust.
