A Note on Engagement

Photo by Michael Held on Unsplash

As of today, I’ve decided to stop engaging with anonymous accounts on social media.

This isn’t about moral superiority. It’s about coherence—and survival.

In an age of AI-driven manipulation, the line between authentic human voice and bot-generated provocation has become functionally indistinguishable. I no longer have the bandwidth—or frankly, the desire—to sort through which is which. And more importantly: I no longer believe I should have to.

I understand that some people operate anonymously for valid reasons. But we are now in a moment that demands courage. Visibility. Risk. The public square has never been more vulnerable to epistemic corrosion, and we do not protect it by hiding. When we grant anonymity to fear, we grant a concession to tyranny. And I won’t do that anymore.

I’m here under my own name. I say what I believe, and I take responsibility for it. I’m asking the same from those who seek to challenge or converse with me.

This doesn’t mean I’ll stop listening to disagreement. But it means I’m choosing to engage only with those willing to show up fully. That’s what truth demands now—not just clever arguments, but moral presence.

The center must be held—not because it is easy, but because it is ours to hold.

—Mike