Comment by phatfish
7 hours ago
Yup, demoractic governments existed before the internet and repressive dictators have risen with it.
The idea that being anonymous online will save a society from a dictator/repression is wishful thinking.
Only good faith engagement with an existing democractic system will ensure the success of democracy, but that is too hard for most poeple.
99.9% on anonymous engagement online is bad faith.
> The idea that being anonymous online will save a society from a dictator/repression is wishful thinking.
Strawman.
> Only good faith engagement with an existing democractic system will ensure the success of democracy
This isn’t true. Voters are occasionally very willing to vote in demagogues, authoritarians, and fascists.
The founding fathers knew that democracy came with it the chance of mob rule.
The solution isn’t to guarantee that nobody has any anonymity online. It’s to make society more resilient by increasing media literacy. Countries which border Russia (notably Finland and Ukraine) are doing an amazing job at resisting the industrial volume of manufactured propaganda. Countries with gullible people just become victims to it.