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Is Civil Discussion Possible on the Anonymous Internet?

3,145 views · Published 4 June 2010 · 4:43 · Indexed 30 September 2026

Channel: FORA.tv · 2010 · Science & Technology

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/05/18/Debate_The_Internet_and_Democracy

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, The Cult of the Amateur author Andrew Keen, and Personal Democracy Forum co-founder Micah Sifry discuss the lack of civility in online interactions. They identify the issue as a pitfall of anonymity, which Sifry calls a "double-edged sword."

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In less than a generation, the Internet has altered the daily lives of individuals in ways few would have conceived in its nascent stages. Initially a playground for the computer savvy, the world of blogs and tweets has given equal voice to anyone with a computer and a web connection.

It is also where Americans increasingly look for news and information -- according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, last year the Internet surpassed newspapers as the source of national and international news, nearly doubling from the year before. Barack Obama channeled the power of the Internet to reach millions during his presidential campaign, and his administration has launched innovative methods to use the Internet to govern. - Miller Center for Public Affairs

Debaters include:

Pro: Andrew Keen, author, The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing our Culture
Pro: Farhad Manjoo, journalist for Slate, author of True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society

Con: Jimmy Wales, founder, Wikipedia
Con: Micah L. Sifry, editor, Personal Democracy Forum

Is Civil Discussion Possible on the Anonymous Internet?

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