Ben Facey | Anonymity

At Face Value | Is it time to lift the shroud of anonymity covering the Internet?

By Ben Facey 02/02/16 12:13am

It might be surprising to hear, but I actually read The Daily Pennsylvanian, specifically the opinion section. Since I mostly read when I am bored in class, I read the articles online.

The good thing about reading online, though, is that I get to read the always-interesting comments on the articles my fellow columnists have written. If the topic is especially divisive and draws a lot of comments, inevitably someone will come to the defense of the author and say something along the lines of, “It’s so easy to criticize him/her when you’re anonymous. Attach your name to your comment if you are going to say things like that.”

This sentiment felt towards random commenters on DP articles is one that mirrors the feelings of many toward the internet as a whole. They say that anonymity has no place in the modern world and that it is a dangerous and disruptive precedent to have in our society.

The main argument against internet anonymity is that it allows people to say and do things they would never do without its shield. And you know what? These people are exactly right. The anonymous nature of the internet allows people to say and do things they wouldn’t do without the protection of anonymity, and this is exactly why it needs to stay.

Before discussing the positive features of the nameless nature of the web, I feel it’s first necessary to discuss its negatives.

First and aforementioned, it allows people to conduct hurtful, ad hominem attacks and commentary without putting their own identities on the line.

Secondly and more seriously, it allows dangerous individuals to prey on the young and weak. It allows a 40-year-old man to masquerade as a 14-year-old boy to prey on a 14-year-old girl.

Furthermore, it allows anonymous posters on 4chan to joke around while threatening the safety of college students, such as last semester’s incident that terrified Philadelphia students.

Anonymity allows a person to do and say things they wouldn’t do without its shadows. Oscar Wilde once said, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”

Anonymity is so terrifying and hard to swallow not only because of the actions it allows — and some could say even promotes — but also because it shows the depravity and anger hidden inside humanity.

On the other more positive hand, the anonymous nature of the internet allows for the opening of minds and new worlds.

Just as a 40-year-old man can pretend to be a 14-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy with few friends and social anxiety can become a hero in an online fantasy game and engage in genuine social interaction.

Just as 4chan users can threaten the safety and security of college students, the hacker group “Anonymous” can act out of what some perceive as vigilante justice and attempt to silence the voice of terrorist groups such as ISIS.

When the internet first started gaining traction, one of its most amazing, appealing and unique qualities was the ability for users to be completely anonymous. A person could be anyone they wanted on the internet. It was a frontier of endless possibilities where people could create themselves anew.

The anonymous nature of the internet allowed people to drop reality and the burdens of themselves — the stereotypes, the preconceptions, the person they put out for show everyday when they left the house –— and instead have real conversation and interaction amongst humans all on the equal footing of facelessness. Although the internet today is a far more updated version of what it once was, it still retains its user-to-user anonymity.

Anonymity allows people to be exactly who they want to be, exactly who they are on the inside. It allows people to be as dark, twisted, cruel and disturbing as they wish without repercussion, while allowing others to be as kind, open-minded, extroverted, knowledge-hungry and amazing as they wish without shallow stereotypes and conclusions getting in the way. The internet is the only place to experience the reality and depth of humanity, and it needs anonymity to stay that way.

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