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The Digital Mask as Identity, Anonymity, and Behavior in the Online World

The Digital Mask as Identity, Anonymity, and Behavior in the Online World
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Author(s): Sarwat Sultan (Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan)and Frasat Kanwal (Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan)
Copyright: 2026
Pages: 16
Source title: Examining Social Psychology in Virtual Environments
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Ruqia Safdar Bajwa (Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan), Sarwat Sultan (Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan)and Asma Yunus (University of Sargodha, Pakistan)
DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3373-5896-3.ch003

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Abstract

The mask is one of humanity's oldest cultural artifacts, long used in ritual, theater, and carnival to mediate transformation, concealment, and revelation. In the digital age, the mask has migrated into virtual environments, where avatars, pseudonyms, curated profiles, and anonymous forums function as digital masks. Unlike traditional masks, digital ones are persistent, searchable, and networked, leaving traces that endure well beyond their intended context. The digital mask offers a powerful lens for understanding identity, anonymity, and behavior online. It is not simply deception but a necessary element of digital life. Masks can liberate or constrain, protect or endanger, depending on the social and technological context. The challenge for individuals and communities is to design technologies, norms, and policies that preserve the protective and creative capacities of digital masks while mitigating their destructive potential. The essential question is not whether we will wear masks in digital life, but under what conditions, for whose benefit, and at whose expense.

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