Yorker newspaper. At the time, it perfectly captured a key issue surrounding
emerging Internet technology, namely the ability to communicate with someone
online completely anonymously. However, with the emergence of social media
in the last decade, the resonance of this cartoon has faded. While anonymity is
still an important part of Internet culture, it is rapidly being replaced by a more
open mentality. In the social media world, having a clearly defined identity is not
only expected, but embraced. More often than not, you want the world to see
your Facebook page, you blog, your Twitter, or your Flickr account.
This ever-growing self-promoting approach to Internet use
has lead us - the 'Guerrilla Ghosts' - to recognise the importance of online
anonymity. As we continue to develop our website idea, our latest team
discussions have refined our target user group to 'naïve net
users'. This refers to people like ourselves - unsuspecting and uninformed
Internet users who are unaware of the risks associated with putting
themselves 'out there' on the World Wide Web. This not only means that we are
able relate to the needs of our user group, but it also means that we can
explore the issue in a way that doesn't over-complicate the matter, or make it
too technical. Sometimes simplicity is best. By deciding upon this crucial element
of our website, it has allowed us to more specifically plan the layout, design
and content of our site.
The home page, will be crucial in clearly outlining what our website is about - namely the issue of online anonymity, its attributes, and advice on why/how to become anonymous. This introductory page will be simple and clear so as to appeal to our target user group of uninformed Internet users who have never given much thought to online anonymity, and therefore do not have much knowledge on the issue. Just as importantly, the homepage will introduce the user to the mood and design of the website. One way in which we are aiming to differ from other websites dealing with the issue of online anonymity is by being unique and creative in our design. Existing sites on similar topics generally explore the issue fairly blandly through text, presenting the facts of the issue in a straightforward manner. An example of this is the website 'Ehow - How to be Anonymous Online'. Guerrilla Ghosts, however, want our website to be visually appealing as well as interactive. We will aim to create a dark, gritty and mysterious mood, which will be emphasised by the fact that we ourselves - the websites creators - will remain anonymous. Through this self-reflexivity we will be literally practicing what we preach. We will also build in tools and services such as Youtube, Flickr and Skype to ensure that our site is informative yet interactive. This is a way we believe we can draw people into an issue they have previously dismissed. I guess you could call it our guerrilla tactics haha!!
Our next page will be just as important as the homepage, outlining to users why
it is important to be anonymous online, thus justifying why they should continue
exploring our website. Shock tactics and statistics will be used to highlight our
argument, an example of which can be seen in the second reading for this
week, 'Beyond Google' Online Newsgathering: Research and Reporting for
Journalism by S. Quinn and S. Lamble. This article describes the resource of
the Internet Archive, commonly referred to as the WayBackMachine. This
archive stores different versions of a large number of web pages and historic
portal entry points dating from the mid-1990s, and can be used "to harvest a
plethora of information" ranging from background information on individuals
and companies, as well as details of things written or said in the past. The
WayBackMachine even has the ability to uncover how a person has changed
their personal facts over time, highlighting the thoroughness of this resource in
investigating individuals private details and history.
In ensuring we cover all aspects and angles of the issue, we will spend some time
investigating the risks of anonymity. At the same time, however, we will try to counter some of the negative connotations of online anonymity, such as its ability to allow individuals
to broadcast offensive, inflammatory, racist, derogatory material. As this weeks
first reading 'Google, Links and Popularity vs. Authority' by S. Finklestein
explains, Internet authorities (namely search engines such as Google) are
working towards limiting negative online content, stating "when an illegal site is
discovered, search engines like Google will remove such sites from their
indices in order to abide by the law", as will Google "place sites on certain
blacklists if they are illegal". There are thus some parameters in place to ensure
online anonymity is used productively. Similarly, as explored in the NY Times
article 'News Articles Rethink Anonymous Online Comments', many news
organisations now either review every comment before it goes online, review
comments after they are posted, or allow readers to flag objectionable comments
for removal.
Furthermore, this weeks first reading presents the very valid point that "some
responsibility for this (controversial online content) needs to rest on our own
shoulders …we have to prepare our kids for things they come across on the
Internet. This is part of the nature of an Internet world. The disadvantage is we
see more of it and our kids see more of it. The advantage is, we see more of it,
so we're able to respond to it." It seems that good always accompanies bad,
but one must weigh up whether the benefits of online anonymity outweigh its
problems. We believe it does!
Although not set in stone, some ideas for the remaining pages of our website
include
1. A 'How-To' Guide to Online Anonymity: We will incorporate interactive tips,
hints and advice to distinguish our website from other sites on the same topic.
For example, rather than simply using text to present step-by-step instructions
in ensuring anonymity, we will provide a video demonstration.
2. A Faceless Forum: Users will be able to ask questions, as well as discuss
and share their thoughts and experiences concerning online anonymity.
3. A profile/diary of an anonymous blogger.
4. The Future of Anonymity: An investigation into where anonymity is heading
5. The Final Reveal: We will reveal our identities and reflect on how our
investigation has changed our view and understanding of online anonymity.
We hope you like the sound of what we have planned! We are looking forward
to getting our website up and running, and hopefully encouraging you all to
become a bit more anonymous :)
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