People are Either too Fake or too Real": Opportunities and Challenges in Tie-based Anonymity"
summary
Semi-structured interviews of Secret and Mimi users reveal that tie-based anonymity increases intimate self-disclosure and peer support but also fuels soft-hacking practices (contact deletion, screenshot triangulation) that frequently de-anonymize posters; identity management drops overall yet users deploy identity steganography to hide in plain sight. Findings quantify behavioral patterns qualitatively across two apps, note the need for a critical mass to preserve anonymity, document pervasive negativity/bullying, and propose design fixes like platform-integrated ephemeral anonymity and graduated de-anonymization after repeated flags.
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