For me, anonymous posts and fictitious internet identities cheapen the online experience.
Posting anonymously also suggests an individual isn't bold enough to stand by a statement.
Many say we live in a "small world" and I think the old phrase rings true.
However, internet anonymity makes a small world seem enormous with the infinite ambiguity present in the world wide web.
Some argue books like Orwell's "1984" and Huxley's "Brave New World" are works of fiction turning into present day reality.
I'll admit that seemingly unlimited dangers in the world make the mass surveillance of "1984" plausible.
I'll also admit that today's unlimited entertainment makes certain dynamics of "Brave New World" plausible too.
However, here is one modern, "dark horse" book that is likely to turn into some form of future reality along with the book's older, aforementioned predecessors:
In short, this book focuses on a type of "time viewing" technology that can go back and replay history's events.
Everybody worldwide can view the actions of politicians, loved ones, historical figures, etc and be presented with absolute truth in the form of video evidence.
While this could happen if the world sees another quantum physics genius along the lines of Albert Einstein, here is what I see happening:
Instead of "time viewing" technology there could be a mass movement for internet transparency. All IP addresses of online posts, blogs, videos, web 2.0 media, etc would be revealed (showing the user's real name and true identity).
Sites like this:
and other "leak sites" would have anonymity compromised.
Everyone would know who was behind cyber attacks, internet whistleblows, etc.
The result would be similar to what happens in "The Light of Other Days":
Widespread transparency causing a decrease in corruption and dishonesty...but this end won't be easy..
Those in defiance could form modern day Luddite societies and shun technological society.
Others will be at the technological forefront and frontlines:
Data miners
Signals intelligence operatives
Government database operators
Telecoms
Hackers
and all other forms of data, media, computer, and internet techies.
All persons of influence and interest would form factions..battling each other for what information goes public, gets released, gets removed, gets deleted, etc.
Gordon Gekko's dream comes true and information truly becomes a "commodity."
The innovation that could make it all possible?
Possibly the dawn of the first quantum computer.
Such a computer could access all the information, organize it, post it, and update said info at breakneck speed.
Not to mention the dynamics of quantum computing could make modern day encryption methods obsolete (theoretically a quantum computer could hack an NSA database in minutes).
Maybe the faction with the best quantum computer wins out.
Maybe the faction who wins out uses something absurdly low tech (happens more than one would think).
Only time will tell...
Here's a recent article..semi related:
"How online life distorts privacy rights for all"
