I agree that if you have an opinion, even one which might not be politically correct you should be brave enough to stand behind it, on the other side, at times when you do others will make your life hell if they do not agree with you.

As an example why being anon is at times good, last year I stopped answering questions on Y! Answers because 1 person did not agree with my answer to a question they posed and used the fact I wasn’t anon to then send me abusive and vulgar emails, which got worse and worse because I ignored them, and ended up being so awful it was quite scary. I am glad I can hide behind a nickname and don’t have to worry this person might try and find out where I live and send this typeof filth to my home address.

On the other side, I wished I did not have to hide behind an alter ego (this name I use to write on forums) to feel safe on the net, but I also do not go on the internet to insult people.

Gracias por compartir sus experiencias y su sabiduría interior.

Bendiciones.

I think some people use anonymity because they also don’t want to be found on the internet by any of their co-workers etc., not just because they don’t want the one they’re insulting to find them.

The other problem is that there seems to now be an attack on freedom of speech – look at wikileaks and how those surrounding the organisation have to keep as much as possible secret because they are constantly under attack. The same has just happened in Tunisia.

Being anonimous is not good if you just want to smear someone, but possibly a vital tool in the digital age, which has given us so many opportunities for more freedom whilst at the same time providing those that want to restrict it, great ways of persecuting and restricting free speech and human rights.

If you are a famous author then maybe its different because you automatically have protection as well as countless supporters and your real name can add weight to your argument and point of view. Not everyone has that advantage nor that kind of protection.

On the other hand, when one speaks about important matters it is a fact of life that a person who stands out with his or her name in public normally carries a greater immediate authority than an anonymous person. In order to get support, friends and allies, it is generally best to be open and tell others who you are. In short, I believe that he who has many friends will be safer and will be listened to. Therefore I prefer to state my opinions under my full name.

Now, human as we are, we crave for socialization. We long for someone who could relate with what we go through in life or simply sympathize with us. We need some solace especially in the darkest moments of our lives, a shoulder to lean on, and a helping hand. We feel as though we’d crumble if we accepted the fact that we are truly alone in this complicated and incomprehensible old world. The internet somehow addresses this emotional and psychological trouble we often find ourselves in. This is why social networking sites are rampant nowadays. These sites bring together people of the same interests, perspectives, preferences and even problems. Usually we find ourselves confiding in strangers just to satisfy the “human longing” that we have for someone or anyone to see things through our eyes.

However, because most of the overwhelming problems we go through are undeniably difficult to understand, we tend to have mixed emotions on what we truly want to do. On one hand, we badly want to share our troubles with people who’d give us the time to do so. On the other hand, we feel hesitant knowing that we might only end up being judged or condemned by others. In times of difficulties most of us find our self-esteem to be rapidly declining. We tend to doubt what we are capable of and pull ourselves down. This is where anonymity comes in, through internet profiles, blogs and even chats.

So as not to put off people from getting to know us or our problems, we find it easier to gain their sympathy or trust by putting up Pseudonyms that would best describe how we feel, who or what we’re looking for or even what we’re going through. A sense of security through anonymity gives us the courage to lay out all our thoughts, fantasies, dreams, ambitions, opinions in the great complex world of cyberspace. A courage that we can’t seem to get a hold of in real life, when face to face with those we wish to impart it with. However, this undiscovered courage, this self-confidence that slumbers within us may and probably will be awaken once we see, through the help of technology, that there are so many out there that are going through the same scenarios as we are, who are facing the same heartaches and even paralyzed by the same fear. Hundreds and Thousands of faceless people who supports us, the same way we support them

Technology is continuously broadening its horizon and at the moment it has already boomed to a point where people can no longer survive without having technology at hand. It makes life easier, more efficient and as some would say more luxurious. Technology has been integrated deep into our lifestyles that it would be quite impossible to pull ourselves back. The internet is one among the many technologies introduced to us. It’s a portal that connects people from different parts of the world. It brings us to places we’ve never been without having to leave the comforts of our home.

Now, human as we are, we crave for socialization. We long for someone who could relate with what we go through in life or simply sympathize with us. We need some solace especially in the darkest moments of our lives, a shoulder to lean on, and a helping hand. We feel as though we’d crumble if we accepted the fact that we are truly alone in this complicated and incomprehensible old world. The internet somehow addresses this emotional and psychological trouble we often find ourselves in. This is why social networking sites are rampant nowadays. These sites bring together people of the same interests, perspectives, preferences and even problems. Usually we find ourselves confiding in strangers just to satisfy the “human longing” that we have for someone or anyone to see things through our eyes.

However, because most of the overwhelming problems we go through are undeniably difficult to understand, we tend to have mixed emotions on what we truly want to do. On one hand, we badly want to share our troubles with people who’d give us the time to do so. On the other hand, we feel hesitant knowing that we might only end up being judged or condemned by others. In times of difficulties most of us find our self-esteem to be rapidly declining. We tend to doubt what we are capable of and pull ourselves down. This is where anonymity comes in, through internet profiles, blogs and even chats.

So as not to put off people from getting to know us or our problems, we find it easier to gain their sympathy or trust by putting up Pseudonyms that would best describe how we feel, who or what we’re looking for or even what we’re going through. A sense of security through anonymity gives us the courage to lay out all our thoughts, fantasies, dreams, ambitions, opinions in the great complex world of cyberspace. A courage that we can’t seem to get a hold of in real life, when face to face with those we wish to impart it with. However, this undiscovered courage, this self-confidence that slumbers within us may and probably will be awaken once we see, through the help of technology, that there are so many out there that are going through the same scenarios as we are, who are facing the same heartaches and even paralyzed by the same fear. Hundreds and Thousands of faceless people who supports us, the same way we support the

I’m one such person who does not give my real name often. People wiser than me advise that I should not even share a shred of who I am or what I do on the internet. Someone could profile and physically hurt the rest of us.

Just that. Once I become more famous (haha!) I don’t think it will matter.

In the case of Mr. Jarvis and Mr. Arrington, people hide behind anonymity to be rude to them. Those are not opinions, but insults. There is no excuse for such cowardly acts.