Making the Internet More Civil

“Comments on news stories are, in a sense, our new civic space, but minus all the social rules.” The Atlantic says subscription services could clean up online comment sections. “An idea that’s been gaining traction this year is that it’s the anonymity provided by the Internet that has turned many commenters into vicious jerks, so newspapers should require people to use their real names. Certainly Twitter has a much nicer tone, perhaps because all the nasty things people might say would be attached to their name and face. But how do you enforce such a provision?”