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ANONYMITY 3RD DEFINITION
RALPH GILES (giles@UCSSUN1.SDSU.EDU)
Tue, 3 May 1994 19:53:58 -0700
WEBSTER'S SAYS ANONYMITY IS A FACT OF BEING ANONYMOUS. ANONYMOUS HAS 3
MEANINGS ACCORDING TO WEBSTER'S. THE 3RD _NOT EASILY DISTINGUISHED FROM
OTHERS OR FROM ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE OF A LACK OF INDIVIDUAL FEATURES OR
CHARACTER_.
IS THERE NOT A LARGER QUESTION THAT ANTHRO-L AND COMPUTER NETWORKS IN
GENERAL PRESENT. NOT ONLY IS THE 'REAL' NAME BUT ALSO THE GENDER,
ETHNICITY, ECONOMIC STATUS, IDEOLOGY, SOCIAL RANK, SEXUAL ORIENTATION,
HEIGHT, WEIGHT, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, ETC.OF THE INDIVIDUAL ON THE OTHER END OF
THE COMMUNICATION OBSCURED.
DOES THIS CONDITION OF OBSCURING THE PERSONAL TRAITS, FEATURES AND LABELS
SUGGEST THAT A PARADIGM IN HUMAN RELATIONS MAY OCCUR?
THIS CULTURAL SHIFT MAY BE EXEMPLIFIED WHEN COMMUNICATOR A AND
COMMUNICATOR B DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST AND MUTUAL DISCOURSE USING
A COMPUTER NETWORK WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF CULTURALLY INDUCED CUES OF
NONACCEPTANCE BECAUSE OF GENDER, AGE, ETHNICITY, NATIONALITY, ACADEMIC
STANDING, ETC.
DOES THE ABSENCE OF THE OBSCURED TRAITS AFFORD AN OPPORTUNITY FOR REDUCED
CROSS-CULTURAL FRICTION; REGARDLESS OF WHAT CROSS-CULTURAL BARRIER ONE IS
ATTEMPTING TO BRIDGE OR PERHAPS NOT CROSS AT ALL?
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ISSUE OF CREDIBILITY OF THE COMMUNICATOR IS ASSUMED
TO BE _GOOD_ UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.
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*RALPH GILES *
*SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY *
*DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY *
*ARCHAEOLOGY *
*SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA *
*giles@ucssun1.sdsu.edu *
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