Online Comments- good or bad?

Recently I've heard and seen several stories about online comments. You're probably familiar with the section at the bottom of most articles on your favorite news websites or blogs. Probably one of my favorite sections to read, they are oftentimes nasty, cruel, and downright offensive, thus very entertaining.

I use the example anonymous user comments to discuss why we've seen an emergence of electronic aggression/ cyberbullying in students and youth. Why are we surprised at the online cruelty of students when adults choose to act the very same way?

In this recent NYT story, companies and websites are fighting back.

This brings up a few issues:

1. 1. Free speech. This question comes up in my student trainings often. Isn’t it free speech? Where do we draw the line between harassment and free speech?
   
   
2. Anonymity and buffers. People, both adults and youth, will act differently when they believe they’re anonymous. They also say things they wouldn’t normally say when a buffer exists (in this case a website or electronic device.) It’s human nature. So how do we fight it?
   
   
3. Pros and cons. The pros of anonymous comments are that they allow individuals the freedom to express opinions that might be controversial. They allow individuals to hold companies, governments, and powerful people accountable. Do these pros outweigh the cons?
   

Hmmmmm.