We've heard a lot about how people get ugly online — abuse others and bully because they don't have to stand behind their words. But there's an upside to anonymity on the Internet, too: Good things can happen when you don't have to say your name.
On the app Yik Yak, for example, college students are asking for help when they're feeling desperate or even suicidal — and the anonymous crowds are responding with kindness.
Samantha Braver, a rising sophomore at the College of William & Mary, describes herself as a frequent user of Yik Yak. The app allows you to post things anonymously. People physically nearby, within a 5-mile radius, can view and respond.
[For more of this story, written by Aarti Shahani, go to http://www.npr.org/sections/al...on-via-anonymous-app]
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