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   Anonymity and Pseudonymity
Maître Eolas is a renowned French blogger who casts strong influence in opinion debates. He is often present in the opinion analysis we carry out on the French blogosphere. He was interviewed on Thursday, May 27th by France’s France Info radio station, in response to France’s Senator J-L. Masson’s proposal to abolish blogger anonymity, giving public access to their personal information.
Maître Eolas opposes this proposition, and his argument is particularly interesting to us. He contends that bloggers are individuals who express themselves as amateurs on particular subjects and that they must be considered as such. On the blogosphere and on the internet, anonymity, which consists in not revealing one’s identity, is often confused with pseudonymity, which consists in creating an alternative identity. The use of a pseudonym for communication guarantees the reader a sense of impartiality in their reading (we ignore who really writes) and a bit of discretion for the author (we cannot name them). Generally speaking, this type of communication allows a debate focussed on ideas without reference to the personal identities of those who participate and express themselves; in other words a democratic debate, where ideas are criticised and attacked, rather than the individuals who present them. Pseudonymity is not an innovation or a new risk presented by the internet; it has been common for hundreds of years in literature and politics. Current ways of using the internet regularly put into question our communication, information and consumption habits. The world of politics, which doesn’t interact directly enough with the blogosphere or with internet users, often has trouble handling these behaviours and seems incapable of understanding them. The question the blogosphere gives rise to isn’t "Who is this Maître Eolas?", but rather, "What does he say?". Exvisu’s analysis method focuses on the semantic markers of a debate (words, expressions, tags, photos, videos, etc.) and allows us to understand exactly what is said, exchanged and criticised. In conclusion, we could say that: a) As far as the risks internet could represent: be reassured, a blogger’s identity is known to their webhost. In the event that the contents of a blog could endanger national security, the authorities have full, immediate access to this information. b) As concerns blogosphere analysis: it is crucial not to mistake the study of sociological categories with the study of opinion debates, scientific controversies, and daily exchanges. The internet allows everybody to express themselves all the time, to address any audience, on any subject. It sets each of us free from our everyday life and allows us to express what we personally think. A middle-aged housewife doesn’t necessarily speak and think the way one thinks a middle-aged housewife would… |
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