[Opinion] Anonymity

“I just wanted to write something that would move the minds of people,” said an arrested university lecturer regretting what he did. He was taken into custody a few days ago after posting the article “Out of Fatigue,” in which he lied that all riot police in the unit he belonged to decided to disobey the order of suppressing rallies. This is the weird power of anonymity - to disarm the ethics of a learned man with sufficient education. The protection guaranteed by anonymity allows one to become bold enough to post writings and words that he or she would never do if not anonymous.

American social psychologist Scott Fraser conducted a test on two cars, parking one on a crowded roadside and the other on an area rarely visited. He made it appear that the drivers left for a while and observed what happened. The car on the crowded roadside saw no change, but the one on the empty road was gone in 26 hours without a part left. This test shows that people are likely to forego reason and dignity and engage in anti-social behavior when anonymity is guaranteed.

Anonymity has its virtue when related to freedom of expression. It is not rare for people to express their opinions under pseudonyms in situations where freedom of speech is banned, such as under a dictatorship or a heavily oppressed religious society. Authors like Lee Yuk-sa and Kim Yeong-rang used pen names during Japan’s rule of the Korean Peninsula. Other examples are also found abroad with the authors George Orwell, Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe, giants of literature who all used pen names. Some even argue that William Shakespeare was a pseudonym. Many philosophers also published writings under pseudonyms.

Nobel-prize winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk recently told Korean writer Yi Mun-yol, “Anonymity in some ways protects those seeking to tell the truth.” What he said is right in principle, but it cannot be applied to Korea’s Internet culture, which is abundant with false information, denunciations and witchhunts. Just as an individual feels liberated in a multitude, the thought that one’s identity is hidden from others is driving cyberspace into anomy. When Web users crack down on posts decrying and hurting others and instead write responsible articles, freedom of speech and the Internet can co-exist. Otherwise, the only answer is to remove the layer of anonymity and disclose real names.