GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Liz Stanger is a graphic designer from North Salt Lake, UT. She got her BFA at Utah State University. She especially loves branding, packaging, editorial, and poster design.
She loves hiking, photography, and bookbinding.
Liz Stanger is a graphic designer from North Salt Lake, UT. She got her BFA at Utah State University. She especially loves branding, packaging, editorial, and poster design.
She loves hiking, photography, and bookbinding.
EDITORIAL DESIGN
QUALE CULTURE
MAGAZINE
For this project, I surveyed ten people anonymously (some strangers, some acquaintances). They wrote down something that they would tell the world if it was kept anonymous. I made sure to keep it anonymous from even me, by having them write on a random page, and not looking at it until the end. Then, I photographed each person and learned to embroider over them to keep their identity anonymous. Each anonymous response was featured in the article in the bold text near the margins.
Read the article below!
Anonymity and the Human Experience
If I don’t know the author of a book I’m
reading, how does that affect my perception
of its contents? Do I act differently when my
name and image is hidden from other people
in an online setting? Is anonymity a good
thing? Is it bad?
Anonymity can be defined as a state of being
unidentifiable, unreachable, or untrackable.
Sometimes anonymity is associated with
words like “privacy” or “liberty”. I perceive
both of these words as being positive ideas,
and rights that humans should have.
In the United States, the right of individuals
for “anonymous communication” was established
by the decision in case Columbia Insurance
Company v. Seescandy.com, (1999) “People are
permitted to interact pseudonymously and
anonymously with each other so long as those
acts are not in violation of the law.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has also stated that,
“Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the
majority...It thus exemplifies the purpose
behind the Bill of Rights, and of the First
Amendment in particular: to protect unpopular
indi viduals from retaliation—and their ideas
from suppression—at the hand of an intolerant
so ciety”. Anonymity protects freedom of speech.
This means the free and public expression
of opinions without censorship, interference
and restraint by the government. However,
with growing hostility on the internet, this has
been called into question. Sometimes it’s hard
to see where the line is between free speech,
and speech that threatens the safety of others
or threatens the law in another way.
24 of the U.S. states have a “Stop and Identify”
statute that requires someone reasonably
suspected of a crime to state their name and
address when asked by a police officer. If they
are not suspected of a crime, they are not
legally required to identify themselves.
Anonymity and is also protected by the
European Union and International legislation.
Voting is a common practice where identity
is kept private, so that individual voices can
be heard without backlash from others.
Anonymity is the political sphere is older
than the United States. In 1776, Common
Sense was anonymously published. Now we
know it was Thomas Paine who wrote the 47-
page pamphlet. His desire to stay anonymous
was important because the document would
have been labeled as treason against England.
Publishing this document anonymously has
a powerful psychological effect on the reader.
If one person had the viewpoint of Thomas
Paine, the reader begins to consider if masses
of people also shared the same opinions and
led to the document being created.
In Aeon magazine, Tom Geue shares a similar
idea: “Imagine yourself stumbling across a big,
raw line of political graffiti etched on a public
wall, perhaps something like ‘Smash Capitalism
Now!’ Part of the power and shock of the statement
is that it hovers in the world of the unsigned,
set free from the constraints and relativism of
an individual subjectivity. If we knew the name
of the single scribe calling upon us to smash
capitalism this very minute, we wouldn’t take
it as seriously. It wouldn’t si phon as much power,
and we wouldn’t take it as a loaded act designed
to make something happen for many through words.
For the graffiti to strike the reader as a sign
of revolution in the making depends on the fiction
of its collective origins, or its possible unlim-
ited appeal; that is, because it comes from any-
where and nowhere, the sentiment seems to swarm
from everywhere. Whether you’re for or against
this impending revolution, the graffiti carries
a potent effect of universality; for a crowded
second, you believe, and either you panic or
you rejoice.”
Interestingly, anonymity causes a large amount
of curiosity in the human mind. Thomas Paine was
identified as the author of Common Sense within
three months of its original publication. Later
the same year, The Declaration of Independence
was signed by 56 of the United State’s founding
fathers including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin
Franklin, and John Adams. In contrast to Common
Sense, part of the power behind The Decla ration
of Independence comes from the fact that it was
not anonymous. The signatures of 56 men were a
powerful statement that kicked off a revolution.
Following a similar pattern, The Federalist
Papers (1787), written by Alexander Hamilton,
James Madison, and John Jay, were published
anonymously under the pseudonym “Publius”.
The Federalist Papers were written to promote
the ratification of the Constitution of the
United States. The Constitution had to be
publicly presented by the Philadelphia
Convention, or else it would hold no weight
at all. Thus, it seems that an anonymous doc-
ument is successful at causing large groups
of people to start talking about important
issues, while explicit authorship will become
necessary when forming an official document
from a group of people.
Other writers and artists have also released
their content anonymously for various
reasons. In 1818, Mary Shelley chose to have
Frankenstein published without her name
attached to it. At the time, around 60% of
novels were published anonymously, so
this was not uncommon. It’s possible that
she didn’t want her name attached originally
because woman authorship was not fully
acceptable at the time. She knew her book
would be taken more seriously if it was
possible that a man wrote it. A rumor spread
that Mary’s husband, Percy wrote the novel.
It wasn’t until the second edition of the novel
that Mary Shelley’s name was attached.
Edgar Allen Poe’s first published work,
Tamerlane and Other Poems, was originally
published with the credit written as “A
Bostonian”. It is possible that Poe left the
publication anonymous to avoid his step father
finding out where he was at the time. He also
might have wanted to forget his life back in
Richmond where his step father lived, thus
claiming his new geographical location as
an identity.
In 1874, Walter Richard Cassels wrote Super-
natural Religion that questioned the validity
of the New Testament and the credibility of
miracles. This writing created a lot of kick-
back from the public and many articles were
written in response. It’s possible that Cassels
kept this writing anonymous to avoid threats,
but he could have also enjoyed the effect
that the idea of anonymity had on the reader.
Without knowing who wrote it, the writer could
be anyone, including those who had strong ties
to Christianity.
James Weldon Johnson, a civil rights activist,
wrote The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored
Man in 1912. It was a fictional story of a
young biracial man who witnesses a lynching
and has to “pass” as white to stay safe.
Johnson published this work anonymously as he
was concerned about how controversial and
heavy the book would be perceived. Literature
at the time did not often discuss issues of
race and discrimination so directly. Although
the novel is fictitious, Johnson drew much
of the storyline from his life and the lives of
others who were close to him.
The Bride Stripped Bare, written by the Aus-
tralian writer Nikki Gemmell, was originally
published anonymously in 2003. The book
is written in the form of a diary and contains
topics of love and sex with a man the main
character is having an affair with. Gemmell
was interested in the idea of writing a book
that was extremely honest and shockingly
sexual. She later described the experience of
writing this anonymous book as “liberating”.
Banksy is a good example of an artist that
uses anonymity as a powerful statement.
Anonymity is also important for the artist,
because much of the art he produces is graffiti,
which is illegal. He developed a quick stencil
style so that his spray painting time could be
shortened, to avoid arrest. Banksy is famous
for making art that is politically charged
around the world. His work is now recognizable
and is often left up because of positive public
response. He is still actively creating art.
In 2022, he created pieces in Ukraine where
bombs have desolated buildings. One piece in
Irpin, Ukraine is directly painted onto a
building that is no longer accessible and is
covered in gray ash. It’s striking.
Still, people have tried to identify who Banksy
is. Scientists at Queen Mary University of
London claim to have ‘tagged’ Banksy as Robert
Gunningham using geographic pro filing. Although
the validity of this has been highly questioned
because of the anonymous nature of the works.
Some works that look like Banksy might not be
painted by him. And who’s to say he hasn’t had
multiple people help him create the artworks?
Seeking to identify an author or artist in this
way can be dangerous. Banksy has caught
the public eye for decades now, and if he’s
successfully identified, he could be in danger.
This has become more obvious with the accu-
sations at Billy Gannon for being Banksy.
Billy Gannon, previously a locally elected
council member in Pembrokeshire, Wales, has
resigned after accusations of being Banksy
sent him into what he calls “an existential
crisis”. Many people have claimed that he’s
lying about who he is and even his age.
Gannon believes the rumors were started by
a rival council candidate and he said that the
rumors were “undermining his ability to do
the work of councilor”. He believes this has
tarnished the council’s reputation as a whole.
He expressed that even when he says, “I am
not Banksy,” people respond by saying, “Isn’t
that what Banksy would say?”
Humans seem to be very curious when it
comes to anonymity and stylometry has
been invented to try to identify anonymous
writers and artists as the creator of an anon-
ymous work. With the invention of artificial
intelligence, stylometry has become easier.
For example, the works of Elena Ferrante
(a pseudonym) were analyzed in 2017. The
conclusion was the same for each of her novels:
Domenico Sarnone is the secret author. Ferrante
has dismissed all suggestions that she is a man,
including this accusation.
Compromised anonymity is something many people
are scared of. VPN services like NordVPN,
Surfshark, and CyberGhost can redirect your IP
address to add a layer of protection when using
the internet. People often use pseudonyms on
the internet to hide their identity as well.
In a study by Carnegie Mellon’s Department of
Psychology, 44 people around the world were
asked questions about their presence on the
internet and how anonymity plays a role in that.
These people identified four groups of people
that they didn’t want to share their information
with unless they were kept anonymous: the
government, companies that would market to
them based on their personal data, people they
knew in real life, strangers in the same forums
as them. Anonymity made it easy for these inter-
net users to share their thoughts without being
worried about judgment or a compromise in privacy.
The same study found a list of advantages in
anonymity. Some of these advantages include:
giving honest opinions, having control of per-
sonal image, avoiding embarrassment or criticism,
a feeling of comfortability, personal safety,
avoiding legal repercussions, and a low barrier
for forming new relationships.
My first internet experience with anonymity was
largely positive. When I was a young teen, I
joined a photography website made by National
Geographic called MyShot. It was made for kids
to upload their photog raphy. Other kids could
comment on each other’s posts. Many safeguards
were put in place to keep the community safe.
Each child that wanted to participate had to
choose a pseudonym to go by. Moderators would
approve comments individually to check that
they didn’t give away personal location or
other information. Photos could not include
the face of anyone to uphold privacy.
I was always excited to upload my new
photos as I learned new techniques. I created
relationships with people I never would have
been able to before. I was given opportunities
as well that would not have been possible
without the website. When Joe Biden was
Vice President, he liked to display photo
graphs in his house, from this website. The
last Christmas of his term as Vice President,
he had hundreds of ornaments made from
the photographs found on MyShot. A few of
mine were included. National Geographic
also published books and magazines that
included my photography. However, one down-
side of this anonymity is that my actual
name is not attached to any of these photos
and there’s no real proof it was actually me
until you look at my camera rolls.
As the website closed down, we were
allowed to get information from other users
to keep in contact. Years later, I’m still in
contact with multiple photographers across
the country who are similar in age to me. A
website based on anonymity paved the way
for lasting relationships with people that I
never would have met in any other way.
The accessibility to anonymity has also
caused danger as it’s protected others.
Cyberbullying is much easier when you have
no idea who you’re bullying and nobody knows
who you are. Studies have shown that anon-
ymity is a great catalyst for people to act
aggressively and unethically. In 1969, a study
by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University
showed that students who were kept anonymous
were more likely to be violent than those who
weren’t. One group of students dressed in
clothing that hid their identity, while the
other group was dressed with their faces
showing and name tags on. Each group was asked
to give an electric shock to another student.
The participants that were kept anonymous
were twice as likely to obey this instruction.
Leon Mann, a social psychologist, studied
newspaper reports of suicide attempts that
included jumping from a building or bridge
in the years 1964 through 1979. He found
an interesting pattern: incidents with larger
crowds at the scene, low light, and a longer
distance between the ground and the jump
location were more likely to include people
encouraging the suicidal person to jump. The
sense of anonymity allowed the onlookers to
say anything with little consequence.
Driving patterns also suggest that the more
visible a driver is, the less likely they are to
act recklessly. On average, a person driving a
convertible with the top down is less likely to
drive aggressively than someone driving a car
with darkly tinted windows because of the
difference in visibility.
Similarly, the appearance of anonymity is
likely one of the largest factors in the rise
of public doxxing and swatting of internet
users, including celebrities. Wikipedia defines
swatting as, “a criminal harassment tactic of
deceiving an emergency service into sending
a police or emergency service response team
to another person’s address. This is triggered
by false reporting of a serious law enforce-
ment emergency, such as a bomb threat, murder,
hostage situation, or a false report of a
mental health emergency...”. The person calling
in the threat can sometimes remain anonymous if
they know how to. Swatting has affected every-
day civilians, celebrities, and politicians.
Ashton Kutcher, Tom Cruise, Miley Cyrus, Snoop
Dog, and Michelle Obama have all been swatted.
YouTubers and Twitch streamers are increasingly
being swatted as well. These situations are
dangerous and can result in death. Officers re-
sponding can be confused about the reality of
the situation. Police officers in Seattle,
Los Angeles, and other cities are now being
trained on how to recognize hoax emergency calls
to combat this. Using anonymity as a weapon in
this way is illegal.
Anonymity can be used as a tool for good. I’ve
experienced uplifting situations on websites like
Reddit where I’ve been able to help other people
with questions they had and vice versa. Questions
I would not be comfortable asking anyone I know
in person have been answered gracefully by
strangers. I’ve also read uplifting, personal
stories posted anonymously that were very touching.
I surveyed a group of ten people—five complete
strangers, four acquaintances, and one person
I know very well. Each person was given the
same small notebook with a question bank at
the beginning. They only had to answer one of
the following questions:
1. What is something you’d like to tell the
world if it was kept anonymous?
2. Do you have a crazy story you’d only
share if it was anonymous?
3. What would you like to tell a specific
person, but you can’t because it wouldn’t
be anonymous?
At the bottom of the page I wrote, “Find a blank
page and respond to one question.” Eight of the participants turned to a random page and re-
sponded to one of the questions. This method
allowed the responders to stay anonymous from me.
Two of the people who participated could not think
of anything to share. This is also a benefit of true anonymity—if you don’t participate in something,
nobody is going to know.
Each response can be seen in the quotes on the
sides of this article. I have not assigned the
quotes to a specific image. This pushes the
anonymity further. It’s your choice to decide
what you think of each quote. Some are humorous.
Some may be exaggerated stories. Some may be lies.
That’s the beauty of anonymity, you won’t know. Nevertheless, I think you will feel that these
responses I’ve gathered are very personal feelings,
experiences, and opinions that highlight the
humanity of each person; that is beautiful.
“Why has it become the majority of people are not happy or don’t even think happiness is possible?
When did people who are happy become the
minority? I would
hope happiness for anyone who is willing to find it. I feel like I don’t relate to the majority of people because I am genuinely happy.”
“All the things you
think are gross
are things every-
one does in secret.
Stop making fun of others just because they’re picking that
wedgie in public.
I know you do it too.”
“I want to express
to a girl how I actu-
ally feel about her,
but I don’t know
how she feels. I also don’t want to ruin the friendship her & I have.”
“I’d tell the world
that there’s no need to put every little thing on the internet.
Especially your children. Even if you think it’s fun & a way to bond, it’s detrimental.
Keep your family
life to yourself.”
“I would tell him
that I really appre-
ciate all we had, but I know who he really is now & I’m happy it didn’t work.”
“My first real mem ory was when I was 2. I saw our dog pooping under the pine tree.
I thought he was
smart & decided to poop with him under the tree.
Good times.”
“I was a very shy kid & hated atten tion on me. I hated public bathrooms more though. In like 5th grade I stayed after
school for a meet-
ing for a play I was
in. I REALLY had to poop but didn’t
want to ask to go
to the bathroom.
Long story short, I
pooped my pants
& I was mortified!”
“I’d tell the story
about when a family member died and all the weird things people said to us in the line at the viewing.”