Christmas really is a magical time of year. I love how the holiday makes everyone more willing to give. During Christmastime, many people engage in anonymous service. For example, many of us have donated cans to Project Shepherd or donated money to other service projects. Others of us may have participated in toy drives, clothing drives, or other similar community or school run programs. My personal favorite Christmas service tradition is leaving cookies or gifts on a family's doorstep, ding-dong-ditch style, and watching as the recipient receives their anonymous gifts. Whatever the act of service, however, it is the anonymity of the act that makes it extra special. Service of any kind, of course, is a good thing; however, when people flaunt their accomplishments like a badge on their chest, their service loses some of its meaning. It's refreshing when instead of serving for praise or attention, people give because they love making others happy.
I started thinking about how this relates to online anonymity. Oftentimes, Internet users have their own opportunities to give secret service. People can send anonymous thank you emails or other messages to their friends and families. Authors have the choice to use pseudonyms in order to conceal their identities while still letting their words impact the world. Websites are available that allow people to send anonymous gifts through the mail or quietly give money to charity. And in a more general sense, anonymous Internet users gift the world with their knowledge through their blogs, articles, posts, comments, tweets, and messages.
I like thinking about anonymity in this way, as a gift to humankind. Of course, online anonymity doesn't always result in gifts. There are people who daily abuse anonymity by using it to defame and hurt others, and these individuals, who we call trolls, often wreck havoc on their victims' lives. The benefits of anonymity are thus often forgotten in the ongoing debate regarding trolls. This is where a more nuanced view of online anonymity is required in order to balance the arguments for and against anonymity. Most of us can agree that online anonymity can be both good and bad, depending on the situation. What we need to decide next is the hows of anonymity. How can we let good people continue to benefit from online anonymity while also preventing trolls from running rampant through our forums?
We've read several articles that have given us ideas of how we can achieve this balance. Which ideas have resonated with you guys the most, and what other ideas do you have regarding the subject?
I loved everything about this post, it made my heart melt. I agree that anonymity can be good or bad. The question of how we can stop trolls from harassing us, is a really good question. I wonder how that could be done, because I think its hard to change the opinions of others who think so negatively on the world. So, I think our best bet is to not let their negative comments get to us.
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