Marion Chong

I've been thinking about how overwhelmingly anonymous discourse on X/Threads has become. Anonymity itself is not the problem. In a democracy, a name card is not a condition to the right to speak. The problem is when anonymity has made it easier to be downright hostile, accusatory, defamatory, or simply reckless with facts (or lack thereof). Take any high-engagement tweet nowadays, and the replies--just pure cesspool of toxic comments from anons. We are already confronting bots, coordinated inauthentic behavior, and manufactured narratives online. Maybe platforms should implement some form of identity verification for all accounts. One need not reveal his/her name publicly, but there should be some assurance that behind every account is a real, unique human being.