I've been following the latest anon meme that sprung out of the ViVidCon debates (is there some kind of Fight Club thing where you're not supposed to link to it? or actually name it? I'm going to err on the side of caution here, but let me know if there are standard anon meme rules or norms I should be observing), and it's been pretty fascinating to see the different dynamics of how discussions play out there vs. on LJ/DW. I've checked out a few other anon memes in the past, but this is the longest I've ever followed one. Yet I haven't left any comments on the meme, so I can't claim to be a participant-observer -- there's something about posting anon that just weirds me out (personally, not when other people do it). I'm not sure what it is, but I definitely got weirded out the couple of times in the past that I posted on anon love memes where you tell people on the flist how awesome they are. Which, hey, people on my flist are awesome, and deserve to hear that! So I don't know what my mental block here is.
So I'd love to hear from any of you about the pleasures (and perils!) of posting anon, or participating in anon memes. I'm also thinking of saying something about kink memes, which are the other major place that I'm aware of that carve out a pro-anon space in fandom, and seem to be on the rise over the last couple of years. But I know even less about kink meme culture than anon memes! So any observations, insights, experiences you'd like to share about kink memes & anonymity would be welcome.
And I think I need a third thing, right? I figured I'd at least reference the WoW/Blizzard Real ID controversy, but it would be nice to have a third instance of anon culture in LJ/DW-based media fandom, if anyone has suggestions.
Anon posting for comments is on, naturally (ETA: and IP logging is off). Thanks in advance!
ETA 2: I've fallen way behind on responding to comments, but I'm reading them all & appreciate all the perspectives & experiences & context that everyone's offering.
ETA 3: The first part of my Symposium blog post on anon memes is now up.
- Crossposts:http://cryptoxin.livejournal.com/101796.html
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chasethestars
chasethestars
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Anyway, some of the Usenet groups preferred poster anonymity and for posters to stick to the topic that the group was dedicated to. Most groups, being unmoderated, had some flexibility as to what was considered "on topic" by group consensus.
Among the reason these groups preferred poster anonymity was that it discouraged readers from making assumptions on a post based on the poster's identity, social circles, educational background, etc. before even reading the post. In the other words, the reader's biases, filters, and prejudices were activated by the poster's name alone before reading one word.
The anonymity was supposed to focus readers' attention itself to the discussion itself and not on who said what. It was the "author is dead" thing in action.
I don't think a lot of DW/LJ fandom realizes how absurd it appears to base arguments on the whole "the author is dead, the reader determines meaning in a text" theory and then have a hissy fit claiming that anonymous posting is unacceptable.