Anonymity on the Internet Essays - 1488 Words

Anonymity on the Internet Would you rather learn about someone via Internet interactions or face to face? I have noticed increased shadiness when it comes to identifying one’s self on the internet, whether it be on a dating site, in email, through posting on Blogger-type sites, or in instant messaging. There seems to be two different types of people out there, those who are suspicious and those that just don’t seem to care about who read their stuff. This is problematic in many ways. First off, there is the feeling of anonymity and that no one will really know who they are or what they are doing on the web, for example, adults that pose as teens to hopefully seduce a naà ¯ve boy or girl, or married/attached individuals that are†¦show more content†¦So many people use online dating sites to find a mate, but how can you know what other person is telling you is accurate? On the other end of the spectrum, many people, namely, another friend of mine, Georgia (name has been changed) who doesn’t care who sees what she posts on Blogger and LiveJournal and just pours herself out. Personally, I find this a bit unsettling, as I think some details should just be kept to ones self! Perhaps this is part of the demise of the private individual. Because I am suspicious of others, I would never find myself spilling hugely personal details about my life online, however, I can see how those people use the Internet as a sounding board, like a therapist of sorts, or a place to vent and unload emotional baggage. I highly doubt that this will lead to the falling out of the therapist profession, as a cold and non-responsive computer screen cannot replace real people. This seems to also lead to a double life thing, and this is perfectly dangerous. You’d never know John Doe who never cheats on his taxes or misses a Sunday congregation spends his afternoon chatting with pre-teen girls, as if he was a pre-teen boy, trying to get them to meet him at the McDonalds in the next city so he can rape and murder them. Scary! Nor would John Doe know that the innocent and naà ¯ve girl he is chatting with is a burly FBI agent just waiting in the wings to catch such aShow MoreRelatedOnline Anonymity On The Internet1880 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Anonymity refers to the state of being unknown to most people, while anonymity on the internet refers to any interaction a user has that protects their identity or personal information from being shared with others online. It is mentioned in a source that anonymity has both its pros and cons, and in some cases may appeal to certain people where it does not appeal to others (Anonymity on the Internet). The issue of online anonymity is becoming increasingly important and ubiquitousRead More Sensible Anonymity on the Internet Essay1558 Words   |  7 PagesSensible Anonymity on the Internet Abstract: This paper is an analysis of the anonymity of Internet users. Specifically, what are the benefits and disadvantages created by anonymity on the Internet, and how can the disadvantages be lessened without adversely affecting the benefits? The rapid growth of the Internet’s popularity is staggering. In 1990 few people outside the research community knew of it, and today it is estimated that there are more than 300 million Internet users worldwideRead More Internet Essay - Online Anonymity and Cyberspace Crime2064 Words   |  9 PagesOnline Anonymity and Cyberspace Crime The 90s internet boom gave rise to new ways of writing in through access to cyberspace. What used to be printed or handwritten on physical surfaces such as paper, cardboard, or bulletin boards has changed to 0s and 1s, bits and bytes of digitized information that can be displayed thru the projections of computer screens. Moreover, the internet has made the process of publishing ones works, writing letters, or chatting with one another much easier andRead MoreAnonymous Communication On The Internet1728 Words   |  7 PagesNow that the background of anonymity and pseudonymity has been discussed, the positive aspects of both can be evaluated. â€Å"Nearly 83 percent strongly or somewhat strongly agreed with the statement that anonymity ‘promotes a livelier, more passionate discussion’ and slightly more than 94 percent said anonymity allowed participants ‘to express ideas they might be afraid to express otherwise’† (Rosenberry 13). These statistics are enforced by the observation that, â€Å"†¦anonymous communication also createsRead MoreInternet : A Powerful Resource For Web Users Everywhere1340 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction to Online Anonymity Anonymity is a powerful resource for web-users everywhere. It is how content creators learn to make top quality content. It can be a way to confess your feelings for someone-without actually telling them. You can share secrets and not be ashamed. When it is used as a platform of limitless self-expression – it is truly a good thing. The internet is home for many of us. Just about every single American person accesses the internet in some form. One of the largest usesRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Fake Accounts1384 Words   |  6 PagesThe online anonymity issue that arose ever since the internet had the ability to create profiles has grown to a something much re than some face every day. Millions of â€Å"fake† accounts engulf us while feeding us untrustworthy texts without even knowing. These fake accounts have the most privileges when the secret of who the really are is never released. Having anonymity on social media gives users some sort of safety cape to be able to possi bly say whatever they feel. Some people take this tool andRead MoreAnonimity on the Web657 Words   |  3 PagesInternet is a network that can be used in many different ways and can be accessed from anywhere. Internet is being used in schools, ministries, hospitals, etc. When people use the internet, many of them choose to be anonymous. People choose to be anonymous to do everything they want without the risk of exposing their identity. This paper will list how being anonymous can be a double edged sword. Anonymity on the web is the way of hiding your identity in order to do anything freely without exposureRead MoreEthics And The Internet Essay1707 Words   |  7 PagesEthics and the Internet â€Å"Access to and use of the Internet is a privilege and should be treated as such by all users of this system (Internet Activities Board 1989).† If people would understand this statement and accept the truth of this statement, then the world would be a better place for everyone on the internet. There are an estimated 2.1 billion people that use the internet worldwide (Miniwatts Marketing Group 2011). The majority of people that use the internet are polite, civilized, and decentRead MoreSearch Engines : The Deep Web1539 Words   |  7 Pagesbeing searched – namely the Deep Web. Standard search engines are not indexing most of the information on the Web. Not only the Deep Web is a majority of Web content submerged within these sites, but it is also some of the best information on the Internet. Deep Web is a term used for World Wide Web content that is not part of the Surface Web (which is indexed by standard search engines). A recent publication have explored what th e Deep Web is and the implications of it for users as Web searchers.Read MoreNegatives Of Anonymity940 Words   |  4 PagesThe internet is everywhere! Today we are walking around with internet devices in our pockets, our smart phones. Have you ever been online on Facebook, YouTube, a blog, etc., and looked at the comments? While some of the comments can be heartfelt others can be negative. â€Å"You look like an ugly slob† â€Å"who cares about you†-from no name. These comments are a growing problem. I hope to increase the awareness of media users on the pros and cons of using anonymity online. While elaborating with Guardian