About Anonymity on the Internet

One of the reasons that the internet has become so popular is the fact that there is the promise of anonymity, which means that people can post their opinions, thoughts, and ideas without any fear of recourse. Although some agencies are getting better at identifying those that may actually cause harm, there is a still a great deal of danger that is also posed by anonymity in Internet due to the fact that anyone can say anything. However, at the same time there are some benefits to it as well which makes the topic worth investigating.

First off, one of the benefits of anonymity is the fact that you can post reviews of products, items, and other similar purchases without fear of recourse if you truly are displeased. Instead of being worried that someone will find out, you can honestly say what you think which leads to much more reliable customer feedback discussions. However, at the same time, this is also a danger because there are those who simply like to be hurtful which means that some reviews and feedback should not be trusted as there are ulterior motives involved.

The same could be said of anonymity in Internet within the online world of newspapers and news commentary. Now there is freedom of the press in a way that there never has been before, with people writing anything they like because they can post it online and gain readers. Along the same line, people can read a topic, debate, or news article and make any comment that they like about it instantly allowing more people to voice their opinions on a matter than ever before. This can lead to some unhealthy discourse however as once again given the fact that identities are hidden some people use this valid source of expression to abuse others.

It is not uncommon to find just as many hurtful comments under a news article as positive comments or reasonable comments. Even news stories that contain news of a death quickly become volatile with people commenting inappropriately. For instance, Yahoo recently published an article about a skydiver that died when his chute failed to open, and among the condolences were plenty of people that wrote they deserved to die for choosing to sky dive in the first place. Obviously, for the family of this man the comments would be extremely painful to read, but since people do not have to leave a name they feel perfectly comfortable stating things that before they would filter out.

It is impossible to stop this from occurring given the fact that the very premise of the internet is freedom of speech, however, it seems that a higher moral code should be adopted online in order to protect the freedom of speech that it provides without offering those without a conscious the right to abuse it. After all, everyone is entitled to freedom, but not when their comments infringe on the happiness of others which is also a freedom that everyone should be entitled to.