Many people might have experienced posting words or leaving comments on internet sites and relying on anonymity at least once. As a CBNU student, I feel that many people heavily turn to anonymity on message boards for various reasons: to express their dissatisfaction with the unfairness in CBNU, to ask whether the professor had called the attendance if they did not show up because of unavoidable circumstances, or to ask if their ideal man/woman, whom they had just found, has a lover. Most people seem very scared to reveal their actual names.
Of course, I am no exception. I have improved my introverted personality a lot after becoming a university student. However, I was timid when I was a child. I could not even order a drink if I went out to eat with my family. To me, an anonymous space helps me express my opinions freely without revealing my name. Also, it is good that I can answer the questions of others as often as I like. In addition, anonymity allows people to conceal that they are not diligent or ignorant. Anonymity itself is so good, but it is a double-edged sword.
These days, I¡¯m so scared to look at the comments under the internet articles. The people who commented with their nicknames, not their actual names, are like hyenas. I¡¯m not just saying that because their opinions are different from mine. I do not tend to push my opinion strongly. I listen to the opinions of others, make up for my shortcomings since my thoughts may be narrow and inaccurate to others and finally tell my opinions to others. Moreover, I like to hear opinions that are different from mine, so I often read the comments of people under the articles rather than the articles themselves. However, if I find people who comment rudely using anonymity without hesitation, I lose my words. I remember reading a comment that said, ¡°If you want to see Satan, look at the comments under the articles.¡± Even in the replies to that comment, I could see the hideous devils.
Recently, I posted words on a community site that CBNU students usually use with anonymity to ask students in the same class as me if they had a good midterm exam. Then, an anonymous person personally sent me a message saying roughly, ¡°Do you attend the College of (censored)?¡± I really feel bad when I see a rude message from an anonymous person.
I have interviewed people many times and heard the opinions of lots of interviewees since I started working as a reporter, and many interviewees requested anonymity because their opinions could be attacked. I think it is natural that many people rely on anonymity. Revealing their actual names seems natural, but it requires a lot of courage. I think that this process is a transition period for our country to develop further. It is just one step in becoming more mature citizens. However, I hope that the sharpness of anonymity will not become fiercer in the future.