Anonymity-A Right’s Abuse

“The world would be a better place without you.” These were the nine final words used by an anonymous account that ultimately led Megan Meier, a 13-year-old girl, to take her own life and create an unending suffering for her family. Although it may seem extreme to most people, comments like these are written every day to hundreds if not thousands on the internet that lead to disastrous outcomes with barely to no resolution. Cases like these always end with the same questions — Why were these situations not handled better, why are the people to blame not punished at all, and where is the justice behind any of this? Although these types of free speech comments have always been protected by the undertone of rights and politics, due to the anonymity that shields those who are responsible, obvious rights of the everyday people have become weapons of tragedy and abuse.

When one person listens to their favorite song at home with no one around, not only does this allow a sense of freedom to the listener but it creates a space of no limits. They can sing at the top of their lungs, dance with the silliest of moves, and record themselves with absolutely no pressure. However, if they were to be seen by thousands of people who were either close friends or random, most likely all action would come to a screeching halt. The song did not change nor did the listener. However, once the person’s identity is shown, all sense of responsibility kicks in and prohibits further action. This is the “anonymous shield” that is now creating an infringement on the rights of the people.

The masked villain behind the malicious comment feels protected and knows that even though millions of people can see his or her comment, their true identity can never be found out. Whether the comment may be a message of sexual harassment, hate crime, or racism, the writer, who is fully aware of the dangers at hand, feels protected and ultimately unstoppable due to the anonymous power that is being utilized. Rights are meant to protect the people and allow justice to take control. However, due to the nature of anonymous comments, the exact opposite is taking place and is now making its way up the ladder of world tragedies.

The value of rights has fallen. The value of free speech has fallen. The value of self-expression has fallen. The once small ember of a masked message has now ultimately led to the forest fire of twisted meanings and disasters. Anonymous comments have now become solely responsible for the numbness of today’s generation’s perception of speech and are now a huge threat to what the right of free speech was originally meant to be. Simply by removing the anonymous factor, not only can free speech live on to take its pure form but would lead to the implementation of rights with no threat.

To the reader now, take a quick second and read the comments under a post on any social media app that you use. If you notice any comment with an undertone of hate, irresponsible behavior, or more, most likely an anonymous account would be the source. Now, consider that behind that is a laughing stranger with no sense of guilt and that you will never be able to identify. Does that sound like a common right to you or are you now fully aware of the dangers at hand due to one simple factor that could get change all of this? Anonymous comments are simply the first steps to an ultimate violation of people’s rights.