360DigitalInfluence

9 Responses to “Is anonymous online commenting ethical?”

1. Carol Logan Newbill Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 3:52 pm

   I can think of several instances in which anonymous commenting is a good thing. What about political websites or blogs, particularly in authoritarian countries, where it may be physically dangerous for a person to comment something that doesn’t toe the party line.

   I can also see anonymous comments on something like a medical forum. For instance, I know someone who has a close relative with a terminal illness. This relative does not know the severity of the illness. If my acquaintance wants to look for information on the disease’s progression and end, s/he may not want anyone to know what s/he is searching for, so as not to alert the relative.

   That was convoluted, but I hope the intent was clear enough.

2. Anthony Veitch Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 4:08 pm

   ‘Name and address withheld’ is part of the culture of comment in print media. It is the disintermediation aspect of SM that no longer allows the writer to reveal his/her identity to the editor only whilst remaining anon to readers.

   Are we saying that social media is tasked with leading us to a world where knowledge of all other persons is ultimately, potentially, total? That is has an ideological function to do so?

   If not then we must allow expression at least under a pseudonym. There are an infinite number of situations where people may wish to express opinion that should be debated, whilst the subject matter could, for example, imperil their livelihood.

   After all, our vote is secret too.

3. Teresa Basich Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

   I’m not a fan of anonymous commenting, but I can see the value in certain instances, especially when it comes to individuals rather than companies.

   Often people are subject to work policies that don’t allow for as much free speech as they feel should be allowed. Sometimes we want to comment on a heavy or controversial subject without the hindrance of identification. While I hope we all feel comfortable enough to be even the most opinionated version of ourselves online, I know there are quite a few people out there who have to be concerned about where and when they speak up, and under which name. Even if they don’t *have* to be concerned, they are. Anonymous comments that move a discussion along in a polite, effective way are okay in my book (especially if the person commenting recognizes the awkwardness of anonymity but states justifiable reasons for posting anonymously).

   The unfortunate part of speaking under the cloak of anonymity is that many people use the anonymous platform to make inflammatory and defamatory statements. That’s where commenting anonymously is completely inappropriate.

   In the case of “Tweet from Above/Tweet from Below”, I can see the validity of sharing good information anonymously. What if a person wants to share a great initiative his or her company has started up but has been asked not to talk about it? Of course, non-disclosure is always an issue, but we’re talking about human nature here, and often human nature doesn’t want us to abide by the law. In an ideal world, the person in that situation would be intelligent enough to leave company, program and colleague names out of the tweet (maybe that should be a rule of the site? maybe it is?). On a more independent level, what if someone wants to share with the world that he (or she, I guess) is proposing to his girlfriend/boyfriend, but doesn’t want to ruin the surprise?

   I think this service needs to be most concerned about potential bullying, threats, defamation, and privacy breaches from the “Tweet from Below” side. Considering how easy it is to bully or defame others online, hopefully “Tweet from Above/Tweet from Below” won’t run into any issues. If it does, I’m sure we’ll hear about it!

4. Dan Holden Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

   I don’t know why this is an issue. A good number of twitter handles aren’t even authentic to begin with, especially celebrities but also everyday people. You can’t expect people to tow a line in this medium.

5. Is compensation for word of mouth a good idea? Or is it a public relations nightmare waiting to happen? « RedHeadMama Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 9:44 pm

   [...] implausible? Not really. Basically, these folks will be paying anonymous people who will be leaving anonymous comments with anonymous opinions. They might have read the book, or not. They could totally fake it and [...]

6. Caroline Hendra Says:
   September 30th, 2009 at 2:43 am

   Unfortunately, being identifiable - and thereby accountable - goes against the whole popularity of the online communities on the internet. The reason for why forums, commenting on the posts of another - and online dating - is so popular is because we can say what we really think and find others who do the same, without the necessary risk of revealing who we truly are.

   So sad we’ve got to a stage where we are so scared of everyone’s else’s judgement that we are afraid of following our instincts and standing up for our own opinion. Even when you are wrong, only by putting it out there do you find out the other side of the story.

7. Polprav Says:
   October 22nd, 2009 at 5:18 pm

   Hello from Russia!
   Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?

8. Alex28 Says:
   October 23rd, 2009 at 3:18 am

   There might be unanswered questions about global warming, but LA’s smog still looks like some kind of green swamp gas, and we are still seeing our lakes and rivers polluted at alarming rates. ,

9. Johnny Ancich Says:
   October 23rd, 2009 at 4:31 pm

   who cares.

   RT @pastexpiry