“People behave a lot better when they have their real names down. … I think people hide behind anonymity, and they feel like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors,” Zuckerberg said during a panel discussion on social media hosted by Marie Claire magazine.
The idea of forcing an end to anonymity has met a great deal of controversy from privacy and free-speech proponents who argue that anonymity is sometimes necessary.
However, the student creator of LZ Compliments has said that the brand of anonymity used by that website has caused a wave of positivity at Lake Zurich High School since the site launched.
“People do treat each other differently,” she said. “It made me view Lake Zurich in a different way.”
Keeping her identity secret has been a major challenge. While she revealed herself to three close friends, she hasn’t informed her brother, who receives compliments on the site. She often hears students discussing the site at school and chooses to avoid the subject.
However, the anonymous student does plan on revealing her identity at graduation, and she has considered the idea of passing the site down to another anonymous student at that time.
The site reportedly has inspired two neighboring high schools to start similar pages.
“I’m really proud of it, I have to say. It really shows the power of the internet,” she told Patch.
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