4chan founder: Zuckerberg is “totally wrong” about online identity | VentureBeat
Poole argued that anonymity allows users to reveal themselves in a “completely unvarnished, unfiltered, raw way.” One of the things that’s lost when you carry the same identity everywhere is “the innocence of youth.” (“Innocence” isn’t the first word that would come to mind when I think of 4chan, but okay, I’ll go with him here.) In other words, when everyone knows everything you’ve done online, you’re a lot more worried about screwing up, and you’re less willing to experiment. Poole compared this to being a kid, moving to a new neighborhood, and having the opportunity to start over. On the Internet, you don’t get that opportunity.
“The cost of failure is really high when you’re contributing as yourself,” Poole said.
That’s an interesting argument, one I had not thought of. At MinnPost.com (where I work) we require you to register to comment with your real name. We also moderate all comments which helps cut down on the character attacks (and more), but I believe that people think twice if they have to personally own a comment.
Poole’s statement doesn’t change my mind about that, but makes me think there could also be specific environments online to spur anonymous creativity and brainstorming. I’m unsure if there is a space for that on MinnPost.com, but I’m thinking about it. Could one website have different participation requirements depending on the arena? Like: Comments on articles: Use real names; Open anonymous discussions on how a specific policy should change. Hmmmmm….