Yeah, was kind of clunky worded way to say ‘no ID’, /. Has screen names but in chan world everyone is the same ‘anonymous’. When everyone is faceless and nameless people tend to let the ugly out with ease.

edit: I’m not a regular of /. but it looks like there are ‘Anonymous Coward’ responses, but they’re more the exception than the rule. I’m sure the mods there have some measure of trolls to deal with.

You can make anonymous accounts, but there’s a difference between ‘breadguy’ and ‘anon’. Who is literally everyone posting on the board. In the chan world so called namefags are shunned and not thought of as true channers. By having an identifiable name it gives you some measure of reputation, a name that you may hold some regard for, or at least that others could decide if they want to listen to or block.

I actually like to think of the chan boards as an experiment in social studies. What happens when you allow for purely repression and repercussion free interaction? There are plenty of people who will say and do some absurd things when they’re drunk that they wouldn’t dare to sober. What happens when that sense of untouchability is available at any time just by going to a website.

Anyplace that allows, or in the case of 4chan, encourages purely Anon posting is going to be a cesspit. When there’s no accountability, no ID of any sort (even a screen name) to tie actions against then there’s no reputation to protect. It might be pleasant at first, but you can bet it won’t stay that way for long.