Outline for First Draft

Argument: People should be allowed to post anonymous comments on online news articles.

-Intro
Attention Grabber: 'Huffington Post' to ban anonymous comments
Thesis:  People should be allowed to post anonymous comments on online news articles.

-1st Body: LIMITS THE IDEAS AND OPINIONS THAT THE PEOPLE CAN HAVE WHEN ANONYMOUS 
-“People who might have something useful to say are less willing to participate in boards where the tomatoes are being thrown.”, William Grueskin, dean of academic affairs at Columbia’s journalism school.
-The advantage of being able to hear diverse ideas/opinions online will disappear
-I often get more out of the comments, sorry reporter, than I do out of the original article. It would be great to be able to sort through the noise to get to the best comments, but I don't think the best comments are necessarily associated with readers who provide their full name.


-2nd Body: Can preserve privacy or safety
-Many people turn to the anonymity of the Internet for meaningful dialogue about sensitive topics, such as politics or impropriety in the workplace, that prove difficult to discuss face to face, Sarah Sobieraj, a media expert and sociology professor at Tufts University in suburban Boston.
- Forcing them to reveal their real names will impose the usual restrictions on so-called free speech, by exposing them to the effect of the real-existing power differentials in society. Post something your bosses don't like, and you're liable to suffer.
-In a world where employers can search online for anything controversial and people may physically attack someone who said something online that they did not like, being able to comment anonymously is more important than ever.


-3rd Body: 
-People should be held  accountable for offensive things that they write. 
-If I won't say it to your face, I will not say it online, or anywhere else. It's a matter of personal integrity and respect for others.
<<Counterargument>>
-You don't have to be posting something offensive for others to be offended.
-The Wall Street Journal requires real names. Nonetheless, the Wall Street Journal comment pages are full of the most abusive, insulting  comments
-Some people post under fake names anyway, so you don't even know if the names are real.


-Conclusion:
Online news sites should allow anonymous comments.
Memorable Thing: You don't want people to be able to find you through your real name on Google after reading what they think was offensive on an online article.

-News Sites Rethink Anonymous Online Comments-RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/technology/12comments.html?_r=0

Articulation (August the 25th)

Debate.org: 

Should people be allowed to post on the Internet anonymously?

http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-people-be-allowed-to-post-on-the-internet-anonymously

1) My argument 
I want to argue about the validity of people posting anonymous comments or sending anonymous messages online. People sometimes think that no one should be anonymous on the internet, but they don't acknowledge the risks otherwise. Too much censorship online can bring on catastrophic risks.

2) How I found my argument
My initial question was, "Why do people send hate online?". It then progressed to sending anonymous hate, and whether people should be allowed to do so. I agreed at first that people should not be allowed to send stuff anonymously to others. However, after some research, I found that the risks of not being anonymous can bring  more critical results. The largest problem of having anonymous hate would be hate. But the problems tied to not being anonymous can start from politics to religion, and other sensitive topics that can put the lives of thousands at risk at once. 

3) New research questions 
1. I have a lot of information about the opposite side, because I researched that part for two hours.
2. Going to search for more opinions and specific studies and statistics that can help prove my stance.
3. I also want to know what current policies certain sites have on their commenting and messaging.

4) Connections to the Harvard Sampler 

Will answer after reading Harvard Sampler more thoroughly. 

Research>>CHANGE (August the 25th)

Huffington Post to ban anonymous comments 

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/22/tech/web/huffington-post-anonymous-comments/

Since its launch in 2005, the Huffington Post has garnered 260 million comments from its online community of readers, according to the spokesperson.

The site's current comment policy is clearly stated online, with guidelines for users that include "Be yourself, only yourself, and just one of yourself" as well as "If your comments consistently or intentionally make this community a less civil and enjoyable place to be, you and your comments will be excluded from it."

--comments of this article

David Sussman • a year ago

This is why I post under my real name, my real photo (handsome devil, I know!). I hold myself accountable. If I write something sexist, racist, or homophobic, I could get into trouble, as I should. Too bad very few posters here in the CNN comments section have the same integrity.

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  Queen Elizabeth  David Sussman • a year ago

  You don't have to be posting something offensive for others to be offended. Perhaps my employer or uncle Pete don't share the same political views that I do. Perhaps discovering that through an online platform may cause discord. There are all sorts of reasons why people would want to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and opinions anonymously that don't involve them being a cyberbully.

  Anyone who is in full support of having to identify themselves by name should simply type their first and last name into Google, followed by the word address and see the kind of trouble they are opening themselves up to

PS999  Queen Elizabeth • a year ago

What if I posted under a real name, not MY real name - say - Pam Kardashian...is it enough to make Huffpo happy? It is still not me, even if my language is civil and I am being really nice! How can Huffpo verify?
There is a real fear of posters being harassed and bullied online for posting a good comment that some idi0tt out there may not agree! No one wants to simply become a victim even if they never posted anything objectionable. There is always someone who can Google your real name, get your street address and harass you just for fun! We live in a country where people get shot just because boys were bored!
Thanks...I will stick to remaining anonymous. Or else, I will boycott Disqus/CNN if they ever wanted our real names!

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  Yank in France • 2 months ago

  I am less than happy with Huffington Post's ban on anonymous posters because such an approach limits what people are willing to say in public and limits public debate to what the mainstream media and elites want us to think! 
  We ALL lose when people are cowed into submission for fear of reprisals from employers, clients, landlords or even tenants. 
  When I expressed early opposition to Bush's push for the Iraq War in late 2002, I received online threats to my life from self-described "patriots". 
  When I express any criticism of Isrrael, I am bombarded with charges of anti-semitism, despite having written thousands of posts opposing all forms of bigotry, be it against Jews, Muslims, blacks, whites, homosexuals, etc. 
  Under those conditions, why would I want my name, photo, professional details and other personal information available to ALL??
  Ariana Huffington's decision to require that all posts be run through Facebook is a massive defeat for free expression and a huge victory for mainstream thinking. With news that the ISIS has just taken Iraq's second largest city, I would think that this would be precisely the time to encourage contrarian views instead of quashing them!

   

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I'm not changing my  whole essay topic. I'm just simply changing my stance. After some research, I have come to the conclusion that people in fact should be allowed to be anonymous on the internet. 

1. I came to know that one is allowed to chose on tumblr whether they want an 'ask anonymously' button or not. If they don't want anonymous questions, they don't have to get them. I am not in any way justifying anonymous hate. It's just that apart from the 'hate' and 'trolls', there's nothing really wrong with anonymous messages. 

2. Suddenly I realized how dangerous real names on the internet are. Google can take you everywhere.

Research Proposal 1 (August the 18th)

What is my current topic?
Cyberspace. I want it to be on internet hate. People hating on celebrities, bloggers, twitterers,, etc.
An example would be maybe tumblr hate. I'm on tumblr all the time so I notice that some of the blogs that I follow receive hate from others. 
What are my guiding questions?
Why do people send internet hate anonymously?
What kind of people send anon. internet hate?
What kind of people receive anon. internet hate?
How do people deal with anon. internet hate? >>examples


What are my current thoughts?
People usually send internet hate anonymously. It seems like the people who receive internet hate don't take it personally, but honestly, I would take it personally if it were me.

Lindsay Bottos makes art out of her tumblr hate
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonvingiano/this-tumblr-user-shows-her-horrific-anonymous-messages-in-a
http://lindsaybottos.tumblr.com/
http://www.lindsaybottos.com/anonymous

Anonymous Hate on Tumblr
http://www.mibba.com/Blogs/Read/553284/Anonymous-Hate-on-Tumblr/

 Sometimes the replies to twitter shock me. It's never fair to be mean to someone, let alone to someone you haven't even met. You can't just get to them like that anonymously. It seems very cowardly. Maybe it's because twitter and tumblr are really open societies.. people cuss a lot more often than they do in real life, no parents to watch over them..nobody will know..UNTIL THEY GO TO THE COPS OF COURSE 

General Discussion: I hate Anonymous
http://www.giantbomb.com/forums/general-discussion-30/i-hate-anonymous-492157/

Change.org Petition
http://www.change.org/petitions/tumblr-com-put-an-end-to-anonymous-hate-on-tumblr-com

Hate-Help-Hotline
http://hate-help-hotline.tumblr.com/

Anon Hate Simulation Video
http://evfxonline.com/2014/03/07/weird-video-simulates-the-anon-hate-experience/


What is the opposition?
People should be able to say whatever they want, and if they wish, anonymously
Tumblr is anonymous anyways, even without the anon  button

In defense of Anon. Hate
http://stillhidden.tumblr.com/post/33927919747/in-defense-of-anonymous-hatred





Photos from: http://tntruong.tumblr.com/post/5502622045/how-to-find-out-the-ip-address-of-somebody-sending-you

http://david-tennants-little-fangirl.tumblr.com/post/34630267384/i-bet-nine-sends-daleks-anon-hate-messages

http://askoddthepurplecat.tumblr.com/post/30797033580/dear-god-please-forgive-this-ignorant-human

Research Question (August the 11th)

2014/08/11
The Harvard Sampler

2. The Internet and Hieronymus Bosch: Fear, Protection, and Liberty in Cyberspace

cyberspace..since I spend a lot of time online, I suppose I know most about and am most interested in cyberspace among these four topics.

Who's Hieronymus Bosch though??!
http://www.hieronymus-bosch.org/
Hieronymus Bosch, born Jeroen Anthonissen van Aken (c. 1450 - August 9, 1516) was an Early Netherlandish painter of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Many of his works depict sin and human moral failings.
Bosch used images of demons, half-human animals and machines to evoke fear and confusion to portray the evil of man.His works contain complex, highly original, imaginative, and dense use of symbolic figures and iconography, some of which was obscure even in his own time. (From Wikipedia)
The Garden of Earthly Delights
i've read about this painting before..

So internet and sin/moral failings. Fear. Protection. Liberty.

1. Fear: Fear of what?
 Personal information going into the wrong hands: Psycopaths, Stalkers, Mothers, Big Brothers,    School Nemesises>>and something bad happening to you because of something you did online

2. Protection: Protection from what?
Protection from the wrong hands. Protection for yourself. Not letting people you don't want to know who you are. Hiding identity.

3. Liberty: Liberty to what?
Freedom of Press?? Liberty to post whatever you want. But some people want liberty and protection. Even when their liberty fails to protect others. I don't think that's fair.