Our (the fellowship of AA) 11th tradition states quite clearly that we should maintain personal anonymity at the levels of press, radio and film. With enough foresight our founding fathers would, perhaps of included the internet in this tradition.
Now, I maintain a list of friends on various social networks who share similar views in sober life and are willing to share these. We are friends, we talk, we message one another and defend each other in postings. However does lack of physical presence count for personal anonymity? Does the idea that there is some measure of privacy on the web, help to maintain this tradition even though we keep a digital presence without anonymity?
I bring this up because there exists a multitude of social networking groups, blogs and forums in which users communicate with one another candidly and intimately with seemingly low regard for their personal anonymity. Our Face Book profiles are portals into our personal and professional lives, they are often far more intimate than we would be comfortable sharing in an open meeting. However, with sometimes reckless abandon we often set ourselves lose replying to posts on various forums, liking 12step programs, befriending treatment facilities and the such.
The 11th tradition was put in place to protect the fellowship from following idols down the proverbial rabbit hole. We have in recent years, watched as high-profile members of our fellowship have destroyed the hope of thousands by picking up a drink and giving reason for those weak in spirit to give up hope in our fellowship.
The same idolatry can, and will rear it's head with-in our digital universe if we don't guard ourselves in our actions.
We need to also bear in mind that we operate in a world of strangers, thieves, victims, criminals, the weak, and broken-hearted. We should maintain a certain level of anonymity in an effort to protect our personal privacy and ultimately our safety.
Adjust your privacy settings, be careful what details of your life you share with strangers, support your friends anonymously, and protect our fellowship at the same time. We tread on dangerous grounds and must guard ourselves and our future.
Now, I maintain a list of friends on various social networks who share similar views in sober life and are willing to share these. We are friends, we talk, we message one another and defend each other in postings. However does lack of physical presence count for personal anonymity? Does the idea that there is some measure of privacy on the web, help to maintain this tradition even though we keep a digital presence without anonymity?
I bring this up because there exists a multitude of social networking groups, blogs and forums in which users communicate with one another candidly and intimately with seemingly low regard for their personal anonymity. Our Face Book profiles are portals into our personal and professional lives, they are often far more intimate than we would be comfortable sharing in an open meeting. However, with sometimes reckless abandon we often set ourselves lose replying to posts on various forums, liking 12step programs, befriending treatment facilities and the such.
The 11th tradition was put in place to protect the fellowship from following idols down the proverbial rabbit hole. We have in recent years, watched as high-profile members of our fellowship have destroyed the hope of thousands by picking up a drink and giving reason for those weak in spirit to give up hope in our fellowship.
The same idolatry can, and will rear it's head with-in our digital universe if we don't guard ourselves in our actions.
We need to also bear in mind that we operate in a world of strangers, thieves, victims, criminals, the weak, and broken-hearted. We should maintain a certain level of anonymity in an effort to protect our personal privacy and ultimately our safety.
Adjust your privacy settings, be careful what details of your life you share with strangers, support your friends anonymously, and protect our fellowship at the same time. We tread on dangerous grounds and must guard ourselves and our future.
Anonymity and the digital age?