The Case For & Against Blogging Anonymously: For The Sake Of Sensationalism Or Proper Debate?
June 4, 2008 – 12:42 pm | by Daryl TayYesterday Gerard asked me to do a survey, where I saw this question:
It got me thinking about our favourite anonymous bloggers in Singapore, ie The(new)mediaslut, Thenewsocialite and WorkWhore.
Hisham has speculated that NewSocialite is Brian or myself, well it’s not me because
1) I believe in transparency and trust
2) I don’t make terrible grammatical errors
Why do they blog anonymously? I can think of two main reasons why people choose to blog anonymously:
1) It allows them to say things they would otherwise keep silent about (within good reason)
2) Posting as themselves would get them into trouble due to confidentiality issues
I think WorkWhore falls within #1. He/she brings up issues going on in the local blogosphere and runs commentary. If he/she were to post as him/herself, perhaps he/she could not speak as freely as he/she wishes. Also, there’s the added benefit of not taking sides publicly.
Why do MediaSlut and NewSocialite blog anonymously? As far as I can tell there’s nothing confidential. In fact NewSocialite doesn’t do much besides regurgitate what other people have blogged about. Does that warrant anonymity?
Claudia says she suspects NewSocialite is someone we’re familiar with (ie someone already active in the local blogosphere instead of a lurker or newcomer). I tend to agree. Unless there’s a good reason that I fail to see, I must say I’ll probably be very disappointed when the identity is revealed and his/her credibility will plunge.
What do you (especially the local community) think of these anonymous bloggers? Are they contributing to the community? Or just exploiting their anonymous positions to sensationalise blog postings? Comment below.
ps: If you’re a blogger, why not do the survey too? It’s real quick and you’ll be helping someone out!
Tags: anonymous blogging, new media slut, new socialite, why blog anonymously, work whore
9 Responses to “The Case For & Against Blogging Anonymously: For The Sake Of Sensationalism Or Proper Debate?”
By brian on Jun 4, 2008 | Reply
well, being annonymous takes some credibility away from you unless you back what you say with STRONG FACTUAL evidence. but the same is said for credible bloggers. but without it, they just stay as gossip and hear-say.
if you get slut-ed or socialite-d, don’t bother responding unless you see your own reputation being dragged into the mud by such forces.
i personally don’t like the way they sensationalise their headlines with words like “salvo” war-speak is sooooooo tabloid and 90s. but hey, they are entitled to their readers too -) but it’ll take more than that to bring our reps down. if anything, i think we’ll be the ones that drag our own names down instead of someone annonymous writiting sensationalistic stories.
also, they’ve claimed to be a tabloid, so we don’t have to take them too seriously -)
By Ridz on Jun 4, 2008 | Reply
I think not all blogs/bloggers have to contribute to the community(at least not in the serious way). And even then, every blog contributes to a different part of the community - some to fact, some to fiction, some to entertainment, etc…that’s why we have tabloids in the traditional sense - there is a demand.
We’re in an age where the discernment of fact and fiction increasingly lies more on the shoulders of the reader than the publisher. It’s either that, or we start regulating the internet. I prefer the former.
By the(new)mediaslut on Jun 4, 2008 | Reply
the(new)mediaslut is more than a single amoeba online so going anonymous is the best way to get rid of egos.
And you are right, some of the sluts need to be anonymous because it allow them to delve more in to the details of the issue at hand.
Unfortunately, when addressing an issue, some may see it as a personal attack rather than a suggestion for improvement.
As such, the sluts have agreed to go anonymous.
However, the sluts have agreed not to make any personal attacks, abusive or racial remarks in all posts, past, present and future.
By The BlabberingMe on Jun 4, 2008 | Reply
As much as blogs act as communication mediums, they can also be an electronic diary. I second Ridz’s opinions that not all bloggers write to contribute to the community.
In a world where everyone disagrees with each other, bloggers blog anonymously for self protection in real life. At the very least, these bloggers not writing for fame or prestige. Ultimately, there are few who know their real identity.
At the end of the day, anonymous or not, any blogger is still liable for what is published on the blog.
We can go on all day, but the simple truth is that anonymous bloggers are here to stay (:
By Daryl Tay on Jun 5, 2008 | Reply
@brian: or not seriously at all
@Ridz: I’m not against anonymity. Like I said, some people have their reasons and that’s fine. I’m just wondering about the reasons and motives of these blogs.
@TNMS: mmhmm.
@The Blabbering Me: Self protection? Maybe exercising restraint would be a better method?
By Kin Sin on Jun 6, 2008 | Reply
More reasons for blogging anonymous : build a seemingly independent platform to (1) fire other bloggers (2) defend yourself (your non-anonymous blog) when attacked.
Basically by creating an anonymous blog, you have another ‘weapon’ to stir shit in the community that you are in.
And if you’ve created trouble in the community, you can use this anonymous blog to defend yourself as a ‘3rd-party’.
So if the above 2 reasons are true, just see who are the bloggers under fire (more recently) to have a guess who the blogger might be.