The anonymity of the online world also allows people to lose some of
their own inhibitions. The shy person in real life may become one of
the most outspoken online. There is a feeling of freedom that comes
from being online. One of the things that most frightens many people in
social settings is the idea of having an audience watching and
listening, right there. Online, there is nobody right there. There is
only a keyboard and a monitor. There is no physical audience and while
there ultimately is an audience listening to
those words, this fact is not immediately apparent, making the process
of interaction quite different than in a face-to-face situation.