"People Are Either Too Fake or Too Real": Opportunities and Challenges in Tie-Based Anonymity

In recent years, several mobile applications allowed individuals to anonymously share information with friends and contacts, without any persistent identity marker. The functions of these "tie-based" anonymity services may be notably different than other social media services. We use semi-structured interviews to qualitatively examine motivations, practices and perceptions in two tie-based anonymity apps: Secret (now defunct, in the US) and Mimi (in China). Among the findings, we show that: (1) while users are more comfortable in self-disclosure, they still have specific practices and strategies to avoid or allow identification; (2) attempts for deidentification of others are prevalent and often elaborate; and (3) participants come to expect both negativity and support in response to posts. Our findings highlight unique opportunities and potential benefits for tie-based anonymity apps, including serving disclosure needs and social probing. Still, challenges for making such applications successful, for example the prevalence of negativity and bullying, are substantial.