Public, Private and Anonymous

The idea of a public has changed drastically over the years as technological advances have increased our ability to communicate to a vast audience without being physically present. While telephones and mail have long removed the need for face to face communication, the invention and proliferation of the Internet has brought anonymous discourse to a new level. This has led to the advent of large anonymous message boards and content browsing sites such as reddit and 4chan which, despite having few to no members of known identity, have grown huge public audiences with their own popular opinions and perspectives.

            This anonymity allows the members to produce content without serious concern for how they will be perceived by the public towards which their discourse is directed. While certainly their purpose in posting communications is to insight a certain set of reactions depending on the topic, they are able to take more risks, as they need not fear criticism or unwanted reactions on their actual identity. This in a way creates a different kind of privacy that allows for interaction with many different people that does not include many of the drawbacks of producing a work for a public setting.

 While anonymous discourse communities do protect the users from attack on their personal reputation, it also prevents one from getting credit for inspiring and useful contributions and takes away from the ethos and tone of the piece.  For example, had Chris Kluwe’s letter been submitted anonymously it would likely have been largely ignored or assumed to be written by just another gay marriage activist. By overtly communicating that he is the author of this piece, Kluwe’s letter is not only given more attention, but it also affects Kluwe’s reputation and persona while giving him credit for a well written response.

            The additional freedom of communicating anonymously through public Internet forums creates opportunities for people to take on different personas and say things, which they would normally not want to say to people in real life. While this can be as minor as expressing an unpopular opinion, it has also created Internet trolling and bullying because the anonymity prevents bad consequences for the user. While there are dangerous side effects of anonymity, proper education about Internet use and online security can mitigate the risks.

This freedom is not all bad though because the diversity of viewpoints this propagates in Internet communities creates increasingly intricate and insightful content and discussion. Experts, celebrities, and regular members can come together to create some very informative posts which vividly explain complicated and nebulous topics in ways that anyone can understand.

Overall, I think the increase in anonymous communication and the creation of wholly anonymous communities adds a third element to this dichotomy of public vs. private spheres. It draws the line in the middle between these two and takes some positive and negative aspects from both, creating a unique space. This space has led to innovative discourse communities and loads of unique content that may not have been realized without the rise of the Internet. In this way anonymous communication will continue to shape our society and pop culture in