PL
The first objective of this paper is to describe anonymity as a condition in which the existential aspect plays a central role. The second aim is to determine the characteristics of anonymous environment of new media, which can be beneficial for personal development. Anonymity is presented as a gradable and multidimensional phenomenon. It is closely related to existence, self-awareness, freedom, responsibility, intimacy and trust. The most important subjective factors that determine the development in anonymous environments are a high level of private self-awareness and internalized norms. Social elements include clear rules, a reference to the world of values and the availability of the selected elements of identity such as the name and a photograph of the face. Anonymous environments facilitate honesty. Self-disclosure may be either reflective or compulsive. The confessions motivated by anxiety are usually accompanied by urgency and the random selection of recipients. The temporal factor and the conscious choice of interviewees constitute assessment criteria of a potential for personal growth in an anonymous environment. By facilitating creation of an image, new media often favour the growth of narcissism, rather than a development of self-awareness. The media can support the development process if they are part of a wider educational system. Thus, we can say that the first thesis was partly confirmed and the second thesis was entirely confirmed in the light of the reasoning presented above.