Posting something anonymously is so contagiously sweet for my generation. So much so, that the Syracuse University Compliments page on Facebook has gained more than 2,000 likes.

The page is lined with “Dears,” XOs and the always-cryptic parting words, “From your secret admirer” as SU students admit their affection for the boy sitting five rows in front of them in English class, or the girl they pass by every day in the Schine Student Center wearing the red beanie.

Friends write each other messages that are filled with inside jokes and quirky memories, just to cheer each other up.

That is the type of message I received in December as I stressed about finals.

I actually knew the person who sent the message to the group. But who cares? Amid finals angst, having my name anonymously posted with positive comments on a university-wide group boosted my confidence a little bit that day.

After all, no one else had to know it was my good friend who posted it.

My generation loves anonymity.

Middle school and my freshman year of high school were filled with a few things: Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister Co. clothes, sparkly lip gloss, and of course, Formspring, the anonymous website Facebook users linked to their profiles. The posts on the site ranged from catty remarks about a girl’s weight and appearance to digs about her personality.

The fact that Formspring was anonymous only gave people more leverage to post their bullet-like comments. It gave them protection from having their identity revealed. They didn’t have to answer to the person on the other end of the post who was vulnerable to personal attacks.

I never had a Formspring account. I encountered far too many girls crying in neighboring bathroom stalls about these vicious attacks to even consider one.

Fast-forward to my freshman year of college. Anonymity remains. Except now, my name is vulnerable to kindness on the SU Compliments page.

Why so much anonymity, be it negative or positive? Of course, the ability to hide behind a computer screen provides a certain thrill that goes along with posting without consequences.

The compliments pages circling collegiate life across the country represent the positive side of the spectrum, where anonymity is used to boost someone’s day. The idea of a stranger generating positive comments about us makes the idea of anonymity infectious. We love it and invite it, wanting more.

But ultimately, our social networks enable the possibility of abuse. Formspring represents the anonymous identity we take on that allows us to post superfluous, insulting and unnecessary information about another person.

In recent years, the term “trolls” was coined to identify individuals who post condescending comments using an anonymous domain. Their abuse of social networks highlights the newfound ability to toss aside even the most basic rules of respect when loss of identity is given.

When we bare our real selves attached to our own names, the fear of acting how we want to act or saying what we want to say can be extreme. We conquer this fear by disabling our names from our comments and other messages. We hide in anonymity.

We are more than willing to share our views, lifestyles and moods on social networks, but we need to stop trending toward anonymity. It is keeping us from experiencing bold and authentic encounters. Put your name out there. Approach that person. Who knows? Your life could change.

Anna Hodge is a freshman magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at ahodge@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @annabhodge.

Published on January 31, 2013 at 2:37 am