The thing about anonymity/my experiments with Ask FM
DISCLAIMER: This might ruffle a few feathers and people who genuinely care about me might find it pretty infuriating. Rest assured, I knew what I was doing and made sure I had shit under control. During the Ask FM experiment, I blocked a few people and deleted questions that pissed me off. Now, for the actual experience:
Give the power of anonymity to people and watch how their innermost asshole bursts out. No hiding behind masks of propriety and the rectitude associated with them normally. I will think of my Ask FM experiment as a reminder of why I stopped using it in the first place, months ago.
Inherently, everyone is a dick. We’re selfish, basic species who besides wanting the best things for themselves is interested in what’s going on in other people’s lives. Sometimes the ability to see what’s going on in someone’s life isn’t enough. You want to know the most personal, the absolute private details of their lives. It helps that you can be an utter fuckface while you do it, because hey, you can be anonymous. No one will ever know!
So I get asked questions like “Are you a virgin?” “What’s your bra size?” “Do you watch porn?” Shit that is practically of no value to anyone in particular. If I’m a virgin or if I’m not, I won’t be sleeping with the person asking me this. Surely, the knowledge of my bra size won’t have the asker going lingerie shopping for me.
Not just the inquisitiveness. People have to go one step ahead and tell me “Are you a virgin, you talk like a virgin.” “I bet you’re tight”. I wonder if getting this off their chests helps them sleep better. Seriously though, if this is not a testament to basic human behaviour, I don’t know what is.
This kind of shit is the prime reason why my first instinct is to kick a guy in his balls if he comes too close. Any woman in any part of the country – if not the world – will tell you how utterly disgusting it makes you feel when people pass by too close and utter profanities or try to touch you. Ask FM was just a website version of a terribly crowded railway station. If you were naïve enough to think that it was just the slimy fuckers from lower classes who did that in crowded areas, man you don’t know anything. Give a person an internet connection and anonymity and watch them implode with the ability to be an asshole.
Yes, I’m going to take it for granted that these messages were posted by men, not women. Sue me.
The overall experience was not all that terrible though, I just had to get the above bit off me first. Besides the handful of posts that said I was cute and “fuckable” (LOL), I had people tell me things that I appreciate. Stuff like they thought I was a good person and kind. Witty too. Really appreciated all those posts, a lot of positivity all around.
I also got a chance to give tips on stuff I feel passionate about, creative writing being one of them.
All in all, this has been a good experience, but also a painful reminder of why it’s not safe for your sanity to allow yourself to be questioned by anonymous cunts. You may well be a friend otherwise to me, but on an anonymous level, you’re a fucking asshole. Goodbye, Ask FM. For another year if not more.