One of the alluring things about a platform like Steemit-- where it is quite hard to track exactly who you are so you can be anonymous-- is that it can serve as a place where many feel comfortable self-disclosing.
Another feature of Steemit is its ostensible lack of censorship... which means one tends to be able to speak freely here, unlike other social platforms that are filled with rules.
The World Wide Web as Therapist?
Calendula blossom
The idea of the Internet-- and specifically communities and groups-- serving a cathartic and therapeutic need for people isn't exactly new.
I remember in the very early days of AOL-- mid-1990's-- a lot of people (who might not otherwise seek help from a mental health professional) started using psychology and relationship-related groups as ways to work through their inner turmoil and issues.
I'll be the first to admit that I've been onboard that boat, myself... feeling uncertainty about my "validity" as a person following the end of a 13-year marriage, and subsequently feeling clueless about how to go about "dating," which I hadn't even thought about (at the time) since my early days in college.
There's little doubt-- at least in my mind-- that there can be some definite benefits to this type of informal "peer counseling," as long as you don't go overboard and start using it as a substitute for (a) seeing a mental health professional when you have a serious issue and (b) thinking for yourself, instead letting "the group" determine your direction as a way to not be accountable for your own choices.
TMI-- Things We'd NEVER Say to Someone, Face-to-Face
Although this post is mostly about a general question, Steemit is sort of unique because there seems to be another level to the anonymity here.
Russian Sage in bloom
On the other hand, every single word you put out there gets committed to the blockchain. Even if you change your mind and go back to edit it later.
So that begs the question: "when does this perceived freedom actually become an invitation to TMI-- disclosing Too Much Information?"
We've already established that people (in general) feel free to say things online they would never say to someone face to face... even their spouse or their therapist. And that holds true for both self-disclosure and for the way we may choose to interact with others.
But does this also open the door to simply "behaving badly," or even criminally?
Let's face it, such things as cyberbullying are a very real issue. As are child pornography, human sex trafficking, intellectual theft, psychopathy and other issues most of us are only peripherally aware of in our daily lives.
Act... or Look Away? Limits and Boundaries
Although my original post started off mostly exploring "inappropriate personal sharing," these additional considerations beg the further question:
It's a "spiky" issue, to be sure!
Does the underlying idea of being a "censorship free" platform somehow also imply that we are to "look away" when something morally and ethically reprehensible comes before us? Metaphorically speaking, if we came across "Hannibal Lecter" posting videos to DTube showing himself dining on human brains... are we expected to just "mute" him, if we don't like it... and somehow pretend "we're OK" with dozens of people being murdered as a result of our "looking the other way" in the name of "free expression?"
Is that what true "freedom" IS? A free-for-all of pschopathic and extreme behavior?
Recently, this is being "tested" a bit, here on Steemit. A couple of days ago 
What do YOU think? Where do we set our limits and boundaries-- if at ALL? Furthermore-- in spite of what we might ideologically believe ("on paper"), is it even possible to build a thriving community without certain standards, upheld by the community as a whole? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170822 09:24 PDT