accountability. Using your real name on social media makes you much more accountable than using a pseudonym. Some people really believe in that (I do too, just not on most social media platforms)
Real names / pseudonyms tend to be sweeping across a service, particularly large goliaths like Facebook where you could do things like political activism in a group. You either get more exposure than you're comfortable with, or more privacy than other people are comfortable with.
Real name policies also tend to be cultural where usage of real names tends to encourage more usage of real names, even when it might make sense not to use a real name.
I would disagree that using your real name is more real than using a pseudonym, because it heavily pressures you to use the same filter you have in real life. On the other hand, when you're using a pseudonym there are fewer consequences for revealing what you really think.
I do the same thing, I use my real name as my username on all social media sites including Reddit. I always think to myself, is this something I want permanently associated with my real identity?
It could obviously backfire. You say something that you think is fine, someone else gets offended, and they know exactly who you are. But generally, I think using your real name makes people more accountable for what they say online.
I use my real name to keep myself accountable. It's not my full name, but it's enough for anybody who is interested to narrow it down in a few minutes.
I use my real name everywhere online. The reasons why are pretty straightforward:
1. It reminds me to be civil and think before I post.
2. It makes it easier for other people reach out to me based on things I've posted (I have a fairly unique name).
Pseudonyms are relatively easy to 'decode'. If I wrote something particularly dumb, offensive, or stupid, and someone wanted to pin that on me, I'm sure they could given enough time and effort.
Racking my brain, I can think of two reasons: preventing anonymity (people are less of a dick on the internet when their real name is there), and findability (finding your friends while not knowing their internet moniker is hard)
Anonymous handles have a different set of problems which I think is why we've landed on real names for much of social media. Personally I prefer real names in most contexts, but I get why some people don't.
When I'm dealing with people I actually know - which is nearly all of my social media use - I prefer to use my actual name just as I do when we interact outside of social media. Using as fake name with these people would be bizarre and confusing.
Even if I were to use a pseudonym, I would not pretend it afforded me any guarantee of anonymity anyway.
This is an interesting approach to take. I have taken the opposite approach by using my real name in almost all cases, and my name in unique enough that a google search will directly lead to me.
The benefit of using my real name is how what I say ties into other people that know me through other channels. Someone might read a post I made about a multiprocessor Arduino design, and recognize my name as it related to Subaru stuff. These connections, in the real world, are the primary benefit of social media in the first place.
There is a downside.. if I had something negative to say I have to give it some consideration given the easy linking. I'm not sure that is always a bad thing, but it isn't always a good thing either.
I'd argue that using the real name helps the community in the end, because people behave "better" when taken away this anonymity. I have the feeling that up until now the conversations i had on google+ and the content i have seen has a far better quality then facebook or twitter.
If this is worth the trade-off is up to everyone himself...
To add on - having an account under your real name that's safe and boring is essential. Some jobs and visa applications require you to disclose your social media, and having a safe account to show there is necessary.
Allow me to add another reason: If you use your real identity frequently to post insightful and interesting commentary, then it will overshadow anything less seemly you may have posted under your real name at some other point in your life. This can come in handy when a potential partner or employer Googles your name.
This seems pretty obvious to me. When you are working to build a positive reputation online you use your real name. When you are taking part in things you don't want associated with your reputation you use an alias.
You don't want to never use your real name. You want to be googleable, but you want it to be mostly positive.
I think it's better as a pseudononymous user. That's for the same reason I think the internet in general is better when people use pseudonyms rather than tying their 'real' identity to everything:
1. It means we can say what we really think about something rather than purely what's acceptable to the court of social media/public opinion. Having your 'real' identity public online now seems like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off at the worst possible moment.
2. And it forces people to judge you based on your words rather than your personal characteristics/backstory/appearance. That's a huge benefit that people seem to take for granted now, and one that'd probably make the offline world better if it was the norm there.
Of course, I'm also personally rather paranoid and try to avoid posting personal information online in general (eh, I took the whole 'don't give out too much information online' thing from the 80s/90s pretty seriously), so take it as you will.
Using your real name makes the inevitable online abuse harder to take. It feel more real. Using something else makes it seem more abstract, its easier to handle such abuse.
I only use my real name when I have to, buying on line and government services for example.
I've always adapted a policy of using my real name as a moniker on social sites.
It prevents me from writing harsh things. I figure that anonymity is temporary, that real identities can always be determined if someone digs hard enough. I don't want something I say in the heat of the moment to come back to haunt me years later.
It's not for everybody. I've probably made some secret enemies that know my name. But for me, it seems to be the best way.
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