The background, experience, and motivations of the speaker influence their credibility. And, to state the obvious, people tend to behave differently when their reputations are on the line. Remove personal accountability and it's remarkable how quickly civility disappears.

While the history of anonymous commentary is long in this nation, I fail to see its value. If one advocates a position, why wouldn't one be willing to put their name on it? The withholding of that is by its very nature deceitful. I want to know who pays for political ads, who advocates for this or that position, who attempts to shape public discourse. As bots and fakery become ubiquitous this information becomes ever more important.