Hater tracking: A lesson in the non-anonymity of the modern Internet

Hey, up yours! I'm anonymous!

Here's another illustration of why it's a weird time in the transition from anonymous to open Internet. Read yesterday's post here.

In an opinion piece on CNN, SI.com columnist Jeff Pearlman tracked down a few folks who left him particularly nasty comments over some pieces he wrote. Confronted, the individuals were not antagonistic or crude; rather, they were apologetic and sheepishly explained their behavior. Pearlman even admits to liking one of them.

A few paragraphs I thought worth sharing. Emphasis is mine:

... Anyone who writes or is written about is now a potential target for abuse. Online civility -- it if ever existed -- has withered up and died. And it's only getting worse.

And online civility toward journalists? Well, 15 years ago, when I began my career at Sports Illustrated, everyone within the magazine's office would receive a thick packet of that week's letters to the editors. Some of the correspondence was positive, some negative. But few letters included words like "stupid," "dumb" or "asinine." Certainly no one, to my recollection, ever directed my attention to hard-core porn.

Now, with most online publications allowing readers to comment beneath stories, and with Twitter boasting an estimated 175 million users, and with a phony e-mail address a mere click away, readers can easily lash out. The filter that was a pen and paper has vanished, replaced by the immediate gratification of negativity. The concern for a writer's feelings? Ha. What feelings?

(CNN: Tracking down my online haters)

What stands out to me is that the two guys Pearlman contacted sent their rude remarks via Twitter. But there's still a sense of surprise that the target of their comments would reach out to them and say, "Uh, WTF?"

Apparently they provided enough details on their Twitter accounts (and possibly elsewhere) to be tracked down, so why the shock that someone might call them on their behavior?

This example illustrate two things to me: 1) There is still a sense the Internet cloaks us, despite the rise of social media; 2) our collective Internet behavior can change as people come to understand that the use of public profiles to engage in public discourse means that what you say is (say it with me now) PUBLIC.