RT @pastexpiry

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.

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!

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.

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.