Opinion: A Case of (Online) Identity
In today’s digital era it is hard to tell who an individual is interacting with online. There are various social media platforms and anonymous chat rooms, where user profiles can vary from actual legal names to pseudonyms. Many uses of social media platforms include the ability to stay connected to one’s community and find old friends to connect with. However, there are negative aspects that encroach on privacy. A simple search of a name and location can be narrowed down to a few individuals along with their personal information. The decision to use one’s real identity or a pseudonym online should be left up to the individual, as he or she weighs out how much personal information to protect or reveal.
Authentic identities are sometimes necessary, as they define people’s qualifications and credentials. LinkedIn is a prime example of where authentic identities should be used. LinkedIn facilitates professional networking and lists the resume and credentials of individuals looking for job opportunities. As such, a real identity can help find friends or prospective employers can find individuals they need to hire. With authentic identities available online, people are able to hire or socialize with others by searching for their name or information posted on their profile. Companies running the online platforms must provide policies on the transparency of their users’ identities. Chris Birk in his article “Facebook App Helps Veterans, Military Families Reconnect with Friends,” states, “The free app, called Veterans United Connect, helps service members and military families find and reconnect with old friends based on their service history, from installations and deployments to boot camp.” The benefit for the veterans of posting their real identity and life experiences on the internet in situations like these provides a unique opportunity for interaction that would not be available otherwise. This digital connection circumvents the barrier of geographical distance and provides a community for people with similar interests and backgrounds.
However, while keeping one’s authentic identity online makes one recognizable, it removes a layer of privacy when attaching that name to inflammatory and non-partisan topics, revealing significant personal information like political beliefs and religious morals. Attaching personal beliefs to one’s real identity online can have negative effects.
For example, Madeline Will in her article “Teachers, Politics, and Social Media: A Volatile Mix,” gives the example of how “Texas high school English teacher Georgia Clark was fired last June after sending a series of tweets directed to President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, asking him to ‘remove the illegals from Fort Worth’ and saying that her school district was ‘loaded’ with and her high school had been ‘taken over by’ undocumented students from Mexico.” Clark used her real identity on a public platform where the political ideas expressed by her were disapproved of by her superiors, leading to her dismissal. In this example it is best to use pseudonyms for user profiles as discussions are partisan in nature.
Although a real name to validate an identity is necessary for situations that require trust and confidence, it should be up to the individual if they want to reveal themselves in cases that do not require them to identify who they are. As the internet becomes an essential tool for people to go about their daily lives, protecting one’s own identity online is an increasing concern. According to Jillian York in “A Case for Pseudonyms,” “Teenagers who identify as members of the LGBT community, for example, are regularly harassed online and may prefer to identify online using a pseudonym. Individuals [that] work for the government or . . . often wish to conceal aspects of their own lifestyle and may feel more comfortable operating under a different name online. . . And anyone with unpopular or dissenting political opinions may choose not to risk their livelihood by identifying with a pseudonym.” When considering the level of personal vulnerability to have online, one should also consider the variety that makes up an online audience. More specifically, with present discrimination towards gender, race, and other lifestyle choices, cyberbullying is oppression that did not even exist a generation ago. The use of a pseudonym could prevent cyberbullying from escalating to physical violence by masking the true identity of online users. On the other hand, pseudonyms also allow people with malicious intentions to use the cloaking of their real identity with an alias for ill-suited uses. Anonymous stalkers and bullies can harm others online while ensconced on their couch enshrouded by a screen and a fake name. Sarah Downey in “To Be (Anonymous) or Not to Be: Should You Use Your Real Name on the Internet?” states, “And anonymity can have far worse effects than just discouraging thoughtful and polite discourse: it has lead to murders and suicides, as in the sad case of Alexis Pilkington, the 17 year-old girl who committed suicide after being harassed online by anonymous people.” In many such cases if the victims used pseudonyms in their user profile it could have helped them reduce the impact of the social media trolling, since the victim’s real identity is hidden. The trauma on the victims would be greatly reduced even while the online harassers are anonymous.
There is a wide range of online platforms in which users need to choose how to identify themselves, either with their real identity or a pseudonym, considering the level of exposure to each community. People should be judicious and could use a pseudonym as it can protect someone’s identity and establish a clear boundary from professional and personal life. Using pseudonyms can also reduce the agony of an user while their oppressors hide behind an alias themselves. When a person uses their real name, it may help establish trustworthiness with prospective employers or social connections, yet it may not be beneficial as it reveals more of your thoughts and beliefs publicly that perhaps belong more in a personal journal. As people make new accounts and publish ideas, they should be aware of the type of audience that will have access to their information based on how they identify themselves online.