Full disclosure: I started working for Google about a month ago (in a group completely unrelated to either YouTube or Google+). But I’ve been making videos and posting them to YouTube for far longer than that.

There are a lot of great things about the Internet. I love the fact that I can put something out there and people I’ve never even met might get some enjoyment out of it. I also understand the importance and power of anonymity.

But complete anonymity also has its drawbacks. It can be a breeding ground for some of the worst aspects of humanity: racism, misogyny, and homophobia to name just a few. Even though the large majority of comments on my videos are wonderful and supportive, there are some that are just vile. It’s especially noticeable since my family is half Black.

I understand that it’s harder to make comments on YouTube now. But if adding some accountability can help reduce the spread of hate, I think that’s a good thing.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 12th, 2013 at 9:44 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.