Anonymity and Society

Overall, I think one of the underlying issues that our class has kind of yet to discuss, is that a lot of the issues we face from anonymity and online harassers is that it reflects the way our society is. I remember someone asking if the teacher thinks that our world has gotten more mean due to the Internet. I think it has, while also more honest (as I think someone said in class). I think prior to the freedom and anonymity that people, we keep the bad thoughts that all of us have in our heads. The Internet then gave a platform to spew their hidden thoughts which then made the Internet very mean. This normality of meanness on the Internet allows people more and more to rude or honest in person which makes the Internet worse, which creates a cycle.

I think, instead we need to value the importance of information and knowledge and eduction instead of entertainment.  We need to have informative and open-mindedness in the conversations on a regular basis. We need to value the intellects and the artists instead of the entertainment that we strive for.