SXSW 2012

As former Representative Anthony Weiner discovered the hard way, remaining anonymous in this hyper-social world is becoming nearlyimpossible. But what sucks for Anthony Wiener has been great for conversations on the Web – with the rise of authenticated platforms, anonymous comments and posts are giving way to real dialogs between authors and their audiences.

For example, when comments on popular sites like TechCrunch became tied to real Facebook profiles, the experience went from a juvenile insult-fest to a civil value-add information exchange. There’s undoubtedly progress to be made, but authentication and social platforms are giving us a glimpse of what the future holds: low friction ways to connect your opinion to a piece of content, easier ways to see what your friends care about, and better ways to insert your POV.

For better or worse, it’s becoming harder to remain anonymous online. In this panel discussion, we will discuss how technology is changing online self-expression.