So once upon a time on the Internet, it was standard to use pseudonyms to protect your privacy.
Then various companies like Facebook decided to require real names on your social media accounts, supposedly to encourage more polite discourse, but probably so they could more effectively sell your personal data.
Now we're here on fedi, where no one is enforcing real names, but I still see a lot of people using their full names and a headshot. What would you choose if you were starting fresh today?
@skyfaller What evidence do you have that it was “standard” to use a pseudonym? I’ve been online since the beginning, and that’s not how I remember it. To answer your question, I have always used my real name with no regrets.
@dankennedy_nu I guess I have personal anecdata, I never used my real name until Facebook in college. That said, I was obviously a child before then, so maybe that had something to do with it.
@skyfaller I have used the same handle, donutage, virtually everywhere since around 2000, and I intend to keep that streak going. Some places, the handle is the only identifier I use, but I don't mind if my real name also gets displayed (as it does on Mastodon). I do have a "secret" gmail account that I've used occasionally when I really wanted anonymity.
@skyfaller I went with just first name and my memoji. I'm concerned about privacy 💯 but I just can't come up with a screen name at my age that doesn't sound like I'm still a pimple faced teenager. So, limit exposure by no last name, etc.
@skyfaller I like to be recognizeable in context, but I see zero value in connecting my architecture photos and babbling nonsense to my real life. Plus, gendered (and racial, etc) hostility is a thing, and I started avoiding it this way maybe 30 years ago? A consistent pseudonym holds people as accountable as a real name, but I prefer to have control over who, if anybody, makes the transition from electronic to real space with me.
@skyfaller I’ve been using my full name to help me get work and opportunities, but as those become more secure, I find myself wanting to anonymize myself more and more
@skyfaller I have this account (and a few others) tied to my real name, because this is where I talk about the things that are relevant to the people that have my full name.
@skyfaller weird that facebook couldn't predict how many people would be totally chill with explicitly linking their nazism to their real-life identities!
anyway, I use my handle and my first name on fedi, but it's linked to my irl identity and I don't mind that.
@skyfaller Real name on whatever I'm using for facebook like things. Note that I use facebook ONLY for communciting with people I know in real life. No memes, for sale, politics (except people I discuss politics with in real life), hobbies, cats (except the cats of people I know). Once I put that rule into place and blocked everything else on facebook it became a useful place to see picture of my friend's life, and share my life with friends.
For everything else, it doesn't matter., you don't know me and it doesn't matter what you call me (you will never call me for dinner, much less late for dinner). However I like using a fake name anyway as if I become famous crazy people have a harder time tracking me down with their death threats.
@skyfaller I use a pseudonym as my username but [something that I provide no evidence is] my real name in my profile: I don't mind people knowing my name, but I want to do my bit to normalized online discussions being between pseudonyms to reduce context collapse and feelings of social obligation related to real-name-ubiquity.
@skyfaller I have the privilege of being able to use my real name without much fear of negative consequences. It’s my “brand" at this point (been doing it since forums, etc allowed longer usernames). I have another screen name I use on some tech forums (mostly ones where I created it when 8 characters was the max for screen names), but even there my real name is almost always attached and displayed.
Most people then voted for me to use my username which was a pseudonym, but one person said it was an even older wiki tradition to use real names. I guess there are many layers of cultural practice in the archaeology of Internet geekdom.
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