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 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.
I'm the opposite. I use my real name, or real enough, everywhere. It makes me think twice before hitting enter. Anything I say I'm backing up, for better or worse, with my identity. I may someday regret this decision. So far so good.
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.
I choose to use my real name on many services, it really doesn't bother me because I feel that I should be able to stand behind my words wherever I say them. It's also a unique name and usually not taken.
I will admit there have been times I have been hesitant to say or post things, but more often than not it's fine. If there is something I don't want associated with me, I use an alternate account.
I made a conscious decision to use my real name online. I do hope that I am never harassed IRL due to my opinions online or provoke the wrath of someone like Anonymous, however...
That's an interesting view - I comprehensively use my real name online, and I don't think it causes me to avoid confrontation or controversy, though it probably does make me consider what I'm saying to a greater degree. Along the lines of "hey, maybe I should think about my opinion of this topic in greater detail, rather than going on a rant," which I might otherwise do.
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.
That’s what I was thinking as well. Using one’s real name adds the possibility of that being used against you as well as feeding spammers and other nefarious actors.
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've stopped using my real name when posting online for this exact reason. Less worrying about getting harassed because you said something that might offend someone, or that someone might look up something you wrote in the past and use it against you in the future. There's a certain freedom in anonymity in not having to police your own thoughts all the time.
Of course, if you're trying to build an audience/brand then being anonymous might not be an option, but I've discovered I'd rather avoid such things and just work on my own stuff.
For some reason I'm extremely hesitant to post things under my real name. I don't really care if people know my name on an individual basis (and it's not like I'm a high profile poster anyway), but I am squeamish about it generally, and feel too self-conscious to post anything if my name is associated directly with it. I've tried blogging under my real name and always went back and deleted everything, it caused me too much anxiety. I'm not like that at all in person. Are there others like me around here? I think it's the permanent nature of what goes online that bothers me about it - there is a freedom to pseudonymity that, when not abused, is quite wonderful.
I have to say I use my real name, but 1) I feel relatively safe because it's a really common name 2) I actually lost my job over my online postings, so maybe I should not feel that safe. Or maybe I should police myself (not gonna happen), or find a job where I would not feel the need to vent, or stop having a boss altogether.
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 attached to unpopular commentary = danger.
For example, if you're in a conservative town and you're using your real name while arguing for civil rights for homosexuals, you might draw nutcases tracking you down and harrassing you for your simple viewpoints instead of engaging you in the medium you participated in. This isn't a matter of not owning what you say, but a matter of putting a layer of insulation between yourself and immature idiots.
Another issue with real names comes from identity theft - using real names makes the process a little easier. Real name + known site hack = half the job done.
Pseudonyms aren't just about trolling, they're also a social firewall.
No, I never like using my real name for things other than contacting people I've physically met or have been in contact with for several years.
I have a nickname I've been using for over seven years. I consider it to be my virtual self but as honest as my real self. I feel that real names are too "official" when used. I fear things I do, things I say, would stick to my person and would cause more harm than good in my professional life. When I tinker things and post them, I'm not doing them as finished and clean as I would do in a work place, it's less official, just to have fun and figure things out, and I don't want that to serve as a proof of how I work, because that's not how I work.
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.
reply