Who said that? a look at anonymity
Laura Howell
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Opinion
Anonymity: (adjective.) not identified by name.
Anonymity: the reason why web sites like Texts From Last Night, Post Secret, My Life Is Average and various other sites are so popular.
Anonymity: when nobody knows who said it, there is a certain allusion that anyone can say or post whatever he or she wants.
Anonymity: entertains me when I'm looking for a distraction from what I really should be doing with my life.
For some reason, I am under the impression that when suffering from writers block, TFLN, MLIA or Post Secret will present me with the inspiration and answers to my blank state of mind.
I have tried this for months on end, and I have never had an epiphany until now. Granted, this may be the first and only epiphany reached from such web sites, but I'll take what I can get.
The sites got me thinking about how comfortable anonymity makes people feel. Is this really a good thing?
To play devil's advocate-and to make this column long enough to fill space-yes and no.
On one hand, there have been numerous stories where a confession of a secret has greatly benefited someone.
Post Secret, postsecret.blogspot.com, is probably the most popular outlet for this. The website is updated every Sunday with new secrets, and many more secrets are received by mail daily.
The content of the secrets varies from one extreme to another. And, if you're like me, you may find that you relate to a few of the secrets that have appeared on the site. Post Secret also publishes books filled with the secrets as well.
But there are negatives as well. Many of the secrets on Post Secret tell of abusers that have never been caught, suicidal people that have yet to be helped and other tragic themes.
I find nothing wrong with the submission of these stories, but I can't help but hope that these people find the help that they need to overcome their pasts.
It's upsetting to see all the corruption in the world that people hold inside themselves as secrets.
Anonymity: the reason why web sites like Texts From Last Night, Post Secret, My Life Is Average and various other sites are so popular.
Anonymity: when nobody knows who said it, there is a certain allusion that anyone can say or post whatever he or she wants.
Anonymity: entertains me when I'm looking for a distraction from what I really should be doing with my life.
For some reason, I am under the impression that when suffering from writers block, TFLN, MLIA or Post Secret will present me with the inspiration and answers to my blank state of mind.
I have tried this for months on end, and I have never had an epiphany until now. Granted, this may be the first and only epiphany reached from such web sites, but I'll take what I can get.
The sites got me thinking about how comfortable anonymity makes people feel. Is this really a good thing?
To play devil's advocate-and to make this column long enough to fill space-yes and no.
On one hand, there have been numerous stories where a confession of a secret has greatly benefited someone.
Post Secret, postsecret.blogspot.com, is probably the most popular outlet for this. The website is updated every Sunday with new secrets, and many more secrets are received by mail daily.
The content of the secrets varies from one extreme to another. And, if you're like me, you may find that you relate to a few of the secrets that have appeared on the site. Post Secret also publishes books filled with the secrets as well.
But there are negatives as well. Many of the secrets on Post Secret tell of abusers that have never been caught, suicidal people that have yet to be helped and other tragic themes.
I find nothing wrong with the submission of these stories, but I can't help but hope that these people find the help that they need to overcome their pasts.
It's upsetting to see all the corruption in the world that people hold inside themselves as secrets.
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