Lowell Lecture
Vicious Anonymity
Date & Time
April 16, 2015
Location
C. Walsh Theatre at Suffolk University
Suffolk University
55 Temple Street Boston, MA 02114
Driving Directions
Speaker(s)
- Arthur Chu (Blogger, The Daily Beast and Slate; repeat winner, Jeopardy)
- Jason Tuohey (Editor, BostonGlobe.com)
- Sarah Sobieraj (Associate Professor of Sociology, Tufts University and author, The Outrage Industry)
- Moderator: Adam Gaffin (Founder and Editor, UniversalHub.com)
Presenting Organization
Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University
Topics
The online world grapples daily with the struggle between freedom of expression and the right to privacy with one's internet presence, particularly in comment sections of popular blogs. Nearly all internet comments are allowed to be anonymous but many people regularly take advantage of that with shockingly abusive comments. Does the American public deserve online privacy? Does the current environment have a chilling effect on others' freedom of speech? Can journalists be expected to take this abuse as part of their jobs, day in and day out? And short of compulsory identity verification, is there something we can do to mitigate the ill effects of this sociological phenomenon?