Anonymous commenting vs. revealing who we are

Since I've been actively blogging for over six years, I've seen the best and worst of people when they're able to leave anonymous comments on blog posts -- a practice I've always allowed.

It bothers me when someone hides behind a made up name -- "slugface99"-- spewing venomous insults, idiotic falsities, and profane rants into an otherwise mostly courteous blog conversation.

It warms my heart when someone reveals an intimacy about themselves -- a deep fear, longing, forbidden lust, or whatever -- that would have been impossible to share with a real name attached to it.

In a previous post I took TypePad, which hosts my blog, to task for failing to recognize sufficiently that people choose to connect on the Internet in various ways.

Some see the web mostly as a means to fashion social networks. They belong to Twitter, My Space, and Facebook. They want to have their identity recognized by those with whom they come in contact -- friends, work associates, strangers.

The push to establish profiles that carry across various web sites and networks (such as Open ID) assumes that people want to have a consistent identity in cyberspace.

Many, though, are wary of revealing too much about themselves. Like the characters on Lost, one of my favorite TV shows, they revel in the potential of being able to recreate themselves by casting aside their previous history.

So, good Libran that I am, my attitude is: let's have it both ways. Personally, I always use my real name, "Brian," when I leave a comment on a blog post or discussion group. But I understand why others don't want to.

Yesterday, columnist Mark Morford opined that anonymous commenting is destroying meaningful online dialogue.

But the coherent voices are, by and large, increasingly drowned out by the nasty, the puerile, the inane, to the point where, unless you're in the mood to have your positive mood ruined and your belief in the inherent goodness of humanity stomped like a rainbow flag in the Mormon church, there's almost no point in trying to sift through it anymore. The relentless nastiness is, quite literally, sickening.

Sure, sometimes. However, there's also a lot to like about being able to express your views anonymously, as "How Important are Nameless and Faceless comments?" points out (focus of this article is on the workplace).

Posting anonymous comments supports candid dialogue, protects individual opinions, and can increase the number of comments.

I've had terrific conversations with people I've just met, and would never see again. I could say things that I wouldn't reveal to friends or family with whom I have a history and a future.

Raw honesty is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in everyday life. Each of us puts on a persona that masks, to either a large or small degree, who we are when we're not busy pretending to be who we're not.

Too much of a good thing, though, becomes a bad thing. Occasionally I urge commenters on my blogs to speak to each other as if they were sitting together in a coffeehouse.

Even if other people didn't know who you were, you'd still treat them courteously -- just as you'd expect to be treated. You wouldn't scream, swear, or stomp off in a huff.

You'd share a moment with some fellow human beings, recognizing that expressing differing opinions doesn't require a Nuke Em! mentality.

Today I called Sid "crazy" in a comment I left on my blog post about evolution. But I would have said the same thing if I was face to face with him, and he'd claimed that God created humans just as they are, instantly -- no natural selection required.

Speak online as you'd talk to someone in person. To my mind, that's just about the only communication rule needed on the Internet.

Comments

[Rain]

I compromise on it by using a name for the internet but staying consistent with it from my blog to any comments I make anywhere else. Sometimes I am tempted to use my real name; but I was in chat rooms at one time and learned that you can end up with stalkers. Since I only want people turning up at my door, who I invited, I have concerns about the safety of using my real name; but at the same time I write nothing that isn't true or that I am not proud of writing; so I would like to use my real name. I do give out my real name and meet people eventually if I form a friendship online and decide they are to be trusted. It is though a balancing act about how much information to give out.

On my blog, the ones without their own blogs are the most likely to be really nasty; but like you, I do allow anonymous because some have worthwhile things to say which would be a shame to lose for the few who are nasty.

When I read the comments at newspaper sites though I wonder what kind of people they are for some of the awful things they say. I should say when I used to read those comments. I quit because I'm not a masochist.

[Brian]

Just came across this Daily Kos post, "What's in a name? The virtue of pseudonyms."
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/15/154922/252/789/697892

It comes to pretty much the same conclusion as I did:

"I don't want to deny myself and others the opportunity to hear voices that would otherwise be silenced if we required "real names." Besides, how do we know the "real name" tell us what we think they do?"

[David McDonald]

I'd say 90% of the comments I've gotten on my blog are from "Anonymous". I think it comes from fear. People don't want to be responsible for what they say or think. They're afraid of the repercussions they might have to face. The way I see it is "tell the truth, and you won't have to worry about whatever you say".

[George Anonymuncule Seldes]

David, that's a fine sentiment and it certainly is good policy when dealing with people you know in the world.

However, if you've ever worked for government, you may be well aware that there are many times when telling the truth means worrying a lot about what you have said and who will take umbrage that you said it, and whether someone will connect that post to you and then to your boss or some legislator who would prefer that some other view be true.

Oregon is an extremely small state, and the political set is even smaller. The internet is forever. Because of that, without a pseudonym, I can't post on a whole range of topics. Therefore, I use a pen name. I took my psuedonym from a great journalist whose motto resembled your sentiment about truth, only his was "Tell the Truth and Run."