The Need for Anonymity

Sadly, there was a murder involving a message forum and the video game, Advanced Wars. While we don’t know much in the details, it is apparent that the need for anonymity on the Internet is prudent. You don’t give out your name on the Internet. Don’t volunteer your picture. Don’t tell people where you live. Even when people send me something, I never have them send it to the direct address. It goes somewhere else, like to a relative.

Is such anonymity over the top? Well, no. The Internet is a public medium. You wouldn’t tell people where you live on the radio so why do it on the Internet? What is worse is that the Internet remembers. When you google your name, you should get some interesting hits as to how much about you is made public. Future employers could easily just google your name and find whatever about you. I am amazed that anyone can complain about privacy when so many give out so much information for free. Have you seen those online *teenage* diaries? They think they are writing for their friends but don’t realize the entire world can see it… and thoughts they wish were private.

It is going to be interesting when decades from now a politician, running for office, will have the Internet *remember* all his fanatic posts at a gaming message forum or something equally as crazy.

It has been interesting watching the younger Internet generation. There is such a desire for fame from many people. This fame is misplaced. The last thing you ever want is fame. You want money, yes, but fame? No. I know many Hollywood people do deliberate things, as if in a script, just to get fame. The Hollywood person would call up the reporter and then be *shocked* that they would appear. It is such a crock. But the desire to be adored by everyone is really a character weakness. Everyone slows down past a star but also everyone slows down past a car wreck. It is not uncommon to see stars or politicians ‘melt down’.

Fame is imprisoning. You don’t want to live a life where you walk out of your house and have reporters hiding in the bushes following you. Most people who are famous wish they never were.