Anonymity Online

[friardchips]

I have a question do with online anonymity. I was recently thinking about closing my account because I find it tricky to keep away from posting and feel that it is making my thinking more convoluted participating on this forum. I don’t want to be banned as all my previous posts would read ‘banned’. I can’t have my account deleted leaving past posts, or get it deleted full stop. So those who find the forum addictive, are stuck! So I thought to myself, the other option is to open a new account with my real name, and abandon the old one. This way I will feel I’m starting over and so not want to get into it again - it is a psychological trick to play on my own brain.

And it brought me to this question: what do people feel about online anonymity - comfortable or not?

I have two sides of a coin to present. On the one hand I don’t want my writing to be something I did for anyone else but for God only - whether good or bad. If this is the case, then anonymity I think is maybe okay?! But the opposite side of things, is maybe it is best to be open about one’s views as nothing for God is really ever achieved by deceiving others and so is it better to not use a fake username?! I do appreciate that there are many reasons people don’t use their own names. Maybe it would make people more proud if they use their own names on the other hand maybe it would just be more honest. I do feel a bit guilty sometimes just posting on here as I feel maybe something is not right about it.

What do you think?

Thanks.

 

[epan]

I have a question do with online anonymity. I was recently thinking about closing my account because I find it tricky to keep away from posting and feel that it is making my thinking more convoluted participating on this forum. I don’t want to be banned as all my previous posts would read ‘banned’. I can’t have my account deleted leaving past posts, or get it deleted full stop. So those who find the forum addictive, are stuck! So I thought to myself, the other option is to open a new account with my real name, and abandon the old one. This way I will feel I’m starting over and so not want to get into it again - it is a psychological trick to play on my own brain.

And it brought me to this question: what do people feel about online anonymity - comfortable or not?

I have two sides of a coin to present. On the one hand I don’t want my writing to be something I did for anyone else but for God only - whether good or bad. If this is the case, then anonymity I think is maybe okay?! But the opposite side of things, is maybe it is best to be open about one’s views as nothing for God is really ever achieved by deceiving others and so is it better to not use a fake username?! I do appreciate that there are many reasons people don’t use their own names. Maybe it would make people more proud if they use their own names on the other hand maybe it would just be more honest. I do feel a bit guilty sometimes just posting on here as I feel maybe something is not right about it.

What do you think?

Thanks.

I think that you are doing a lot of mental gymnastics for naught.

In general, one should assume that nothing online is anonymous. Indeed, there is a new generation which has no idea what the word, “privacy”, means in the historic context.

Google, Yahoo, etc… earned about $140 billion in ad revenue last year. They do this by mining your personal data, and then selling specifically targeted ads. It is in their financial interest to invade your privacy. The US government (unlike the EU), has turned its back on all issues of online privacy, except for some feeble attempts to protect children. Indeed, recent congressional behavior would indicate that the US government is in favor of reducing individual privacy, in order to increase corporate donations.

As for CAF, you should keep a couple of things in mind. This is not a forum for the free exchange of ideas. If the ideas which you express deviate too much from the purpose of the site, then your online persona will be disciplined. Of course, this has no real world significance. If you don’t like the rules here, then you don’t need to play the game.

Since any bot can troll the public postings and profile data for details you choose to publish, then you should assume that nothing you post here is private. That is the nature of the Internet.

 

[Irishmom2]

Why would your posts read banned?

 

[friardchips]

Why would your posts read banned?

Hi! I just meant as a way out of the forum to ask to get banned, but if one gets oneself banned, then all previous posts would say banned on the top of them.

 

[Irishmom2]

All you need to do us stop posting.

If you did something to get banned, your posts still remain. I have seen lots of posted with banned under their name. If you want to bow out, just stop posting. You can opt out of notifications and you won’t know who posts or not on your threads.

 

[friardchips]

I think that you are doing a lot of mental gymnastics for naught.

In general, one should assume that nothing online is anonymous. Indeed, there is a new generation which has no idea what the word, “privacy”, means in the historic context.

Hi. Thanks for the response. Well, true, but not too worried about anonymity in that sense, we do give our personal details to the site in order to register, after all. It is more to do with feeling as if one is hiding behind a username. I state things on here that I’d put forward in the outside world so the posts are sincere but it is just the sense that one is still hiding behind a kind of online ego, as much as one is true to oneself, it feels inescapable. So as well as the sense of having to start again on here if using my real name and so also serving as a preventative measure to posting, it might also feel more sincere.

Google, Yahoo, etc… earned about $140 billion in ad revenue last year. They do this by mining your personal data, and then selling specifically targeted ads. It is in their financial interest to invade your privacy. The US government (unlike the EU), has turned its back on all issues of online privacy, except for some feeble attempts to protect children. Indeed, recent congressional behavior would indicate that the US government is in favor of reducing individual privacy, in order to increase corporate donations.

This paragraph has taken the thread on a far more interesting route than intended so all good. Money, a LOT of money, yes, and it is also about manipulation of data and control. Information leads to having the upper hand, i.e:- western so-called democracy. However, maybe not too healthy to ponder upon such things for longer than absolutely necessary.

As for CAF, you should keep a couple of things in mind. This is not a forum for the free exchange of ideas. If the ideas which you express deviate too much from the purpose of the site, then your online persona will be disciplined.

I have to say that this is not what I have experienced so far from the site. It is called Catholic Answers and yet often strays into wild ideas about what Christianity means, from many posters. Plus, a discussion or debate will never get off the ground if everyone has the same opinion - there would be no debate. Maybe it is not the answers themselves that are all important but rather, amongst seemingly often differences of opinion or angles on topics, it is the standard of goodwill in which discussions take place. Maybe this is the Catholic Answer.

Of course, this has no real world significance. If you don’t like the rules here, then you don’t need to play the game.

I don’t know about that. Before I joined there would be the scenario where I would by hoping to find an answer to a serious question regarding faith and this forum would come up as one of the main sites in answer to the Google query. Not realising it was a blogging forum I once took what was said to heart thinking this was an authority on Christian matters and was pretty devastated by what I had read. It was sometime afterwards that I went and checked and saw the forum has many diversions from what is authoritative teaching. So my point being that this forum does come into the real world. It can affect people because it appears in search engines. For people who are not Christians but maybe searching for answers does beg the question whether either people could do with always giving their real names or that it is a site with only answers and no debate (only answers from theologians, IOW).

Since any bot can troll the public postings and profile data for details you choose to publish, then you should assume that nothing you post here is private. That is the nature of the Internet.

Not too worried about data-profiling as my life is not that exciting! And transparency is a good thing in most ways. However, I do think that people who spread themselves all over social networking sites are ridiculously naïve. As you said, ‘the nature of the internet’.

 

[friardchips]

All you need to do us stop posting.

If you did something to get banned, your posts still remain. I have seen lots of posted with banned under their name. If you want to bow out, just stop posting. You can opt out of notifications and you won’t know who posts or not on your threads.

The opt out does seem to be the only way. I will do this. Thank you!

 

[oldgraymare2]

Friardchips, if you decide to leave, I will be very sorry to see you go.

I just wanted to let you know that, as I have enjoyed reading your posts, and very much so.

If I recall correctly when signing up here, we are advised that we should use a nickname when posting, for the sake of our own privacy.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you all of the best.

God bless you!

 

[pianistclare]

I think that you are doing a lot of mental gymnastics for naught.

In general, one should assume that nothing online is anonymous. Indeed, there is a new generation which has no idea what the word, “privacy”, means in the historic context.

Google, Yahoo, etc… earned about $140 billion in ad revenue last year. They do this by mining your personal data, and then selling specifically targeted ads. It is in their financial interest to invade your privacy. The US government (unlike the EU), has turned its back on all issues of online privacy, except for some feeble attempts to protect children. Indeed, recent congressional behavior would indicate that the US government is in favor of reducing individual privacy, in order to increase corporate donations.

As for CAF, you should keep a couple of things in mind. This is not a forum for the free exchange of ideas. If the ideas which you express deviate too much from the purpose of the site, then your online persona will be disciplined. Of course, this has no real world significance. If you don’t like the rules here, then you don’t need to play the game.

Since any bot can troll the public postings and profile data for details you choose to publish, then you should assume that nothing you post here is private. That is the nature of the Internet.

A wise man once said:
“People wouldn’t worry so much about what people thought of them, if only they realized how seldom they do”.
I agree with Irishmom2: just stop posting. Put a post-it on your screen that reads :
Say a Hail Mary."

 

[epan]

I have to say that this is not what I have experienced so far from the site. It is called Catholic Answers and yet often strays into wild ideas about what Christianity means, from many posters. Plus, a discussion or debate will never get off the ground if everyone has the same opinion - there would be no debate. Maybe it is not the answers themselves that are all important but rather, amongst seemingly often differences of opinion or angles on topics, it is the standard of goodwill in which discussions take place. Maybe this is the Catholic Answer.

Thanks for the detailed response. On this particular point, if you were persistent in advocating an exigetical reading of the bible, and a detailed comparison to Catholic teaching, you would find yourself banned.

There are a number of areas which are very sensitive to approach on CAF.

 

[friardchips]

Friardchips, if you decide to leave, I will be very sorry to see you go.

I just wanted to let you know that, as I have enjoyed reading your posts, and very much so.

If I recall correctly when signing up here, we are advised that we should use a nickname when posting, for the sake of our own privacy.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you all of the best.

God bless you!

Thank you for this kind post! It is really sweet of you to share this with me. And encouraging.

From what I’ve now read one cannot just delete an account, but nevertheless, a few months away from here is needed, as it is time consuming, and one begins to put this before getting on with other things. Not that this is doing nothing though, as there are people behind these usernames, and I’m sure the Holy Spirit is with us in all places (as the psalm says!), including on here and wherever people are concerned - you’ve reminded me of this.

I’ll keep the username then and take your post as the answer.

God bless and thank you!

 

[friardchips]

Thanks for the detailed response. On this particular point, if you were persistent in advocating an exigetical reading of the bible, and a detailed comparison to Catholic teaching, you would find yourself banned.

There are a number of areas which are very sensitive to approach on CAF.

Thank you. Isn’t Catholic understanding based on theological exegesis and aren’t THE Catholic Bible teachings what we are to understand? Not sure what you mean by “comparison to Catholic teaching”? I share what I know and none of it strays outside of Catholic teaching and reasoning. There is room in Christianity for debate as long as it does not venture outside of Roman Catholic understanding, as long as it does not go against our own faith, morals, doctrines, dogmas of the R.C Church, or against the Pope (!). which is often what I come up against in certain topics! My views are straight down the centre of the Church.

 

[friardchips]

A wise man once said:
“People wouldn’t worry so much about what people thought of them, if only they realized how seldom they do”.
I agree with Irishmom2: just stop posting. Put a post-it on your screen that reads :
Say a Hail Mary."

Hi! I really like this idea. I hope you don’t mind if I use this idea (please?).

 

[friardchips]

Thanks for the detailed response. On this particular point, if you were persistent in advocating an exigetical reading of the bible, and a detailed comparison to Catholic teaching, you would find yourself banned.

There are a number of areas which are very sensitive to approach on CAF.

However, I’ll go back and read the CAF rules to make sure I haven’t missed something, so thank you for bringing this to mind.

Just to note, I want to add that there are many truths with a truth, so one is not to disregard or dismiss another person’s idea/understanding as rubbish as there may still be truth in their opinion, even if their opinion is not as complete in truth as the next person’s understanding (this was reasoned by St. Augustine, a Doctor of the Church!). I have read and heard self-acclaimed apologists speak lesser truths before many a time. None of this means that it comes outside of Catholic faith, morals, doctrines or dogmas. In fact, there is much progressive understanding around but you can be sure that the Magisterium would not advocate such progressive teaching - read books and encyclicals by Popes present and past, and by saints, and you will encounter good, honest, truthful, solid Catholic teaching that is radical in the message to LOVE but not progressive in its understanding.

Look to those blessed in the line of St. Peter for your teaching.

Take care.

 

[friardchips]

As a response to pianistclare, is this same wise man as mentioned in the lyrics to Toto’s ‘Africa’?

 

[pianistclare]

As a response to pianistclare, this thread was about trying to avoid returning to the forum through a slight addictive tendency to posting and also whether anonymity is being honest with ourselves and God, or not, rather than being about self-consciousness, or wise old men - although this particular wise man sounds as if he is very, very wise! …maybe he is the same wise man as mentioned in the lyrics to Toto’s ‘Africa’? What do you think?

Thanks for the posts!

I like the Hail Mary idea. It keeps me focused for sure! I had to stop posting in the Liturgy section because it was raising my blood pressure! When I feel the urge to post there, I leave my office and go into the Sanctuary and play a hymn. Works for me! LOL
God bless!!!

 

[friardchips]

…oh heck, let’s just whack it up here for good measure:

youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY

 

[friardchips]

I like the Hail Mary idea. It keeps me focused for sure! I had to stop posting in the Liturgy section because it was raising my blood pressure! When I feel the urge to post there, I leave my office and go into the Sanctuary and play a hymn. Works for me! LOL
God bless!!!

God bless!!!

 

[epan]

Thank you. Isn’t Catholic understanding based on theological exegesis and aren’t THE Catholic Bible teachings what we are to understand? Not sure what you mean by “comparison to Catholic teaching”? I share what I know and none of it strays outside of Catholic teaching and reasoning. There is room in Christianity for debate as long as it does not venture outside of Roman Catholic understanding, as long as it does not go against our own faith, morals, doctrines, dogmas of the R.C Church, or against the Pope (!). which is often what I come up against in certain topics! My views are straight down the centre of the Church.

No. Catholic teaching is based on BOTH Church Tradition, and Scriptural Text. For example, there is no biblical evidence for the idea of the Immaculate Conception. I would challenge anyone reading this to come up with evidence from scripture. That is just one example. That particular piece of doctrine is based on Catholic Church Tradition.

 

[friardchips]

No. Catholic teaching is based on BOTH Church Tradition, and Scriptural Text. For example, there is no biblical evidence for the idea of the Immaculate Conception. I would challenge anyone reading this to come up with evidence from scripture. That is just one example. That particular piece of doctrine is based on Catholic Church Tradition.

I agree that teaching comes from both Roman Catholic Tradition and from Holy Scripture, as we don’t follow Sola Scriptura. However, there will nothing in Church Tradition which contradicts Holy Scripture. We understand faith and reason as proponents necessary for seeking the whole Truth and its truthful parts of which it consists. For instance, The Immaculate Conception does not go against Scripture, but rather, is the discovered fruit of Our Lady’s faith in God, her perfectly devoted Mothering, and perfect Discipleship to her Son, as lived out in the written events which occurred in Holy Scripture - and so is rooted in Scripture (try Mariology, rooted in theology).- of which God revealed the meaning later with Our Lady’s various apparitions and then which the Church identified as being true, via faith and reason. We could see the Church as the farmer picking the crops and Scripture as the Divine revelation, the seeds in the the treasure field, from which Christ is then revealed in fullness, in reality, over time via the R.C Church and its witness to the divine revelation, as we, by living out the Gospel from day to day, find and store this heavenly treasure in our hearts, and share the Truth that is Jesus Christ.