One thing I dislike and like at the same time about the web is being anonymous. While I am always honest about my identity when I make comments or write on the web, I can understand why some people choose to be anonymous. My profile is open and I am able to be tracked to my place of employment and even contacted directly. I was contacted by a vegan South African due to my blogs on ethical farming here on Thought Leader and we have had a decent discussion behind the scenes after an initial terse email. It also led me to write the last farming blog of the triad.
Many people choose to remain anonymous on the web. I understand that one may choose to use a false identity (but perhaps a more honest one) as a way of discussing deeply personal issues such as mental illness, sexuality or personal conflict. The web can offer a wonderful resource to do so. There are excellent depression and mental health websites that allow the often voiceless to open up and say what is on their mind. People can speak frankly without fear of embarrassment or repercussions. There are gay chat groups that allow closeted men a chance to express secret desires, and so on. Whatever one wishes to discuss there is probably an online forum to do so.
Yet, most people on the web choose to be anonymous in order to say hurtful, hateful things that they would never utter in public. Some of these are the internet trolls: a double meaning of trolling in the form of fishing where a line is cast and one waits to see what hits it and that of the undesirable and dumb mythical beast that lives under a bridge. It is used online to refer to those who write for a reaction more than a specific point and for those that utter hateful comments to upset or intimidate.
On Thought Leader there are some people who write comments under fake names and take extreme positions to make a point or just to insult people. I also know of commentators here who lie about their race and pretend to be some other group as if that makes their position for or against something like affirmative action stronger. Identity politics get used instead of reason to push an ideological or political position.
Some of the regular commentators that post remarks and rants from behind fake names write as often as the official bloggers do and sometimes the comments’ section is far more substantive than the blog it is supposed to be about. There are of course some commentators that appear to use real names, although I think some of these are fake as well as they seem to be untraceable via Google (etc) or other internet forums. I hate to mention names as it would give them satisfaction, but they do post as often as the official bloggers do. Some argue that anonymity is important in a democratic society, yet seem to use their anonymity to justify xenophobia, violence, extreme nationalism and to spout hatred.
Being anonymous also does not hide as much as people think. As someone who reads and writes a lot I often find it easy to identify at least something about the writers. I can often place a ball-park figure of age and education level, often gender as well as whether they are a first-language speaker of English.
I can also often guess who is writing multiple comments under different names. It is somewhat surprising how many people do use multiple names. Sometimes this is done as they use a name to express a point or subject position and not done to deceive, but often it is to hide who they are as they prop up their ideas with fake support for bad ideas.
Elsewhere on the internet people have secret blogs that are used for rants and private wonderings that they perhaps could not write openly about due to shyness, modesty or just a desire to be unknown. It can be enjoyable to write anonymously and there are times I would love to be able to comment freely without having to worry that the words may haunt me later.
I am also reminded of the oft repeated joke of someone up all night debating because someone is wrong on the internet. Look at YouTube videos that are filled with asinine remarks, hate speech, bigotry and chauvinism of all sorts. But of course the internet is a funny forum of free speech that is not subject to peer review or editors restraint. Of course there are the grammar trolls who seek out bad grammar instead of anything to do with the actual blog.
I also enjoy when the flippant remarks made trigger a side-fight that carries on the wrong forum. Such as the pro-gun lobby debate on a blog about Ukweshwama. The changing of the topic is a favourite task for the ill-informed at times. If you cannot comment on what is before you, change the topic. I often see attacks against bloggers based on things they have not discussed such as when someone claims that I do not care about people because I wrote a blog about dogs.
So for the regular commentators on Thought Leader I would like to ask why the fake names and identity? What are the various reasons for your anonymity?
Good post. Thanks Michael.
For a time on principle I used my real name, but as I regularly blog against powerful vested interests who take on multiple fake names themselves (PR company personnel) it become very stressful “taking on the world” and being abused by morons who are paid to lie and be as abusive and devisive as possible.
Its the appropriateness of my comment that is important, not who I am.
I regularly use multiple names to get in several comments on one post from different angles, as unraveling spin and propaganda is not as easy as glibly posting it.
Poorly researched and written articles merely regurgitating steriotype thinking and belief take a lot of nuanced argument to counter especially when you are dealing with vested interests determined to maintain the steriotypes and pulling to to pieces from every angle.
In a more honest world I would gladly resort to using my real name.
PS. Glad to see you back, hopefully a lot more blogs from you in the pipeline.
I usually put down my full name, but the first time I commented on Thought Leader, I suddenly discovered that my brother (same surname) had commented on the same blog. We live in different provinces, and I thought it looked odd to have the same surname so I used only my first name. After that, it was filled in automatically and I just didn’t bother to change it.
Fair question. Reading between the lines of other’s comments I do realise that a lot of people find anonymity annoying. I think it very much depends on the intent behind the anonymity. I do it because my intention in being here is not to advertise myself as “a brain” but to give my opinion on subjects that desperately need a lot of input before they will be anywhere near resolved in this country. Just an opinion from one of the faceless “masses” whom “everyone who matters” so love having opinions about and making decisions for. There is a large tendency to generalise around names and cultures, also a tendency to play the ball, not the man, which is counterproductive. Anonymity is not dishonest but a devise to bring people back to honesty, to concentrate on what people do/say rather than who people are. It further serves the selfless purpose of making ideas free since an anonymous person can hardly claim the credit for an idea and no-one else can patent it either. If one do not stand to gain and one cannot be attacked subjectively is it not much easier to give honest input to a problem? Why not stop guessing the identity subjectively and concentrate on the thoughts offered objectively?
Some of us also don’t have a bluelight squad to protect us from those who dislike our honesty. I love the moniker John Everyman. Jedermann? Just one of the masses, see? A democrat.
of course that phrase should have read: “play the man, not the ball”
Me again…, I mean the real me this time:
On more than one occasion I have also debated against other readers who are very intolerant of my views and very manipulative in their responses, and obviously using multiple personalities (names and aliases) to further their cause. I have found it useful to do the same, so out of say seven comments, 3 came from me and 3 from him and one from another reader. All 7 had different names. Then its a battle of attrition, who can wear who down.
Im the real deal Micheal.
I believe being rude and obnoxious about someone’s blog is a tactic used by spin doctors representing vested interests to try and kill off alternative ideas and thought on the one hand, and by people who are not too bright to boost their ego’s on the other, they believe they sound sophisticated and intellignet in the comments section, but alas empty barrels make the most noise.
Michael, what a fantastic post! To the extent I have been moved to leave a comment online, the first time I have done so on Thought Leader. I have a blog, and use my real name online (the main reason is that I am blonde and will never be able to keep track of multiple identities …) However, I am wary of leaving comments on sites like this simply because of the extent of the viciousness of some elements of the Internet community. It really is a wild electronic frontier, and rather than expose oneself, I keep to my own little corner and let the pixels drift by me. It is so ironic and sad though that one of the greatest communication tools probably since the printing press itself showcases just how small-minded and mean-spirited our species can be.
I wonder if any research has been done on the psychological impact of having multiple online identities? Maybe I am just old-fashioned, but I find this aspect of the Internet the most alarming. I doubt that over the long-term such fragmentation can be healthy.
Benjamin Franklin started it.
@Gerhard Hope
I think far more harm is done to the honest person who is brave enough to write a blog like Michael by abusive anonamous commentators, than to those of us who sit in anonanimity and sprout forth our pearls wisdom.
However I have done my bit (patting chest). I am abusive towards spin doctors on the net because that is what they deserve, the vermin!!!! They will write anything for money, and by standing up against this riff raff using multiple names if necessary I give honest writers the space to express themselves without getting 9 out of 10 abusive comments to their post.
It must be terribly disheartening for an author’s well researched piece to be pulled apart by ignorant climate change denialists who are nothing more than oil industry whores, the same goes for the nuclear industry, biotech industry, pharmaceutical industry, gun lobby, pro-Israel lobby, Republican Party etc. etc
I feel that I gain the most value if I am forced to live by what I say. This is encouraged by using my real name. Sometimes I regret what I have said in the past, but then what is life without regrets. I only hope that I will not find myself in trouble with the laws of the future, should they change.
@Gerhard – I could not say it better: “It is so ironic and sad though that one of the greatest communication tools probably since the printing press itself showcases just how small-minded and mean-spirited our species can be”.
I sometimes do despair when I see the pettiness and meanness expressed online.
Good topic. The pettiness & meanness was always there, but was suppressed by well-meaning editors. Non-liberal elements have finally found a way of getting heard. There is a heck of a lot of censoring going on on the TL blogs, so you only get to see the amount of pettiness that is let through.. I cut my internet teeth on USENET in the ’90s, always used my full name. There were a few breath-takingly vicious verbal assaults, so I stopped. People can libel one’s family in incredibly hurtful ways and you can do NOTHING about it! I had about 6 aliases for the various fora that I frequented, which was indeed difficult to keep track of, but it was fun. USENET is now fading fast as it is pure text, youngsters prefer videos like u-tube it seems.