How Do We Balance Anonymity and Accountability?
If you’re a Union College student looking for juicy secrets and lurid gossip, then chances are you’re one of the over 600 followers of @uc_confessions__ on Instagram. Since Jan. 7, @uc_confessions__ has posted over 900 times. Every post is submitted by a student here at Union College, and the content ranges from compliments to complaints, with the occasional meme. So what’s the catch? Every post on @uc_confessions__ is completely anonymous.
As you scroll through the @uc_confessions__ post history, you begin to notice an alarming trend. Scattered among the secrets and the grievances are callout posts directly aimed at specific members of the Union College community. These anonymous allegations typically refer to their targets by their initials or position, but occasionally by their full name. Accusations made during the 10 months that @uc_confessions__ has been active include alcoholism, lying to contact tracers, misogyny, and sexual misconduct. Some effort is usually made to conceal the identity of the person whose character is in question, but on a campus as small as ours, it is pretty easy to tell who is being discussed. Apparently, students aren’t the only ones paying attention to what happens on @uc_confessions__, because according to Dr. Rose’s Sept. 11 email, “Recent anonymous accusations posted [on social media] prompted Union College to investigate claims that proved to be without merit and caused the subject of the post to suffer harm to their professional reputation.”
Of course, this is not to say there is no place for anonymity in our community. There is a certain catharsis in confession, especially when nobody can trace what was said back to you. However, the problem with anonymous accusations is that they can’t be proved. No proof means no action can be taken to make right any wrongs that may have been committed. Without a source to provide evidence, what was undoubtedly meant to hold an individual accountable becomes nothing more than a rumor. Rumors, especially the kind that can’t be proved or disproved, eat away at reputations and destroy careers; it doesn’t matter whether or not the individual is guilty.
I believe wholeheartedly that people must be held accountable for their actions. But we cannot hold others accountable for what they say or do without holding ourselves to the same standards. As the adage says, justice for some is justice for none. Anonymity protects the speaker from the consequences of their actions, but it does not protect others. If we want real change in our community, we must be brave enough to step out from behind the shield of anonymity and speak up.
-Annika Cambigue