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In my experience - using your real name for things does not so much change how other people treat you online as it does change how you operate online, and I've seen through this thread that many people have found that a troubling idea. As I said earlier in the thread, I've been in a relatively lucky position in that I work on the internet and most of the people I have to worry about also work on the net and know how this stuff goes down. I do not, however, use my real name on dating sites, or—occasionally—if I want to say something that I'd really not want to come back and affect me in my daily life.
But I think this is the point, isn't it? I mean, if you use your real name, then some things come out of that. You're more careful about writing things that could be easily misconstrued. You only say things that you're prepared to stand behind. You recognise that there's a risk in standing up and saying anything anywhere under your real name, and you make appropriate concessions to that. Environments where people know that they're accountable for everything that they say tend to be less prone to trolls and misbehaviour. The level of conversation may be less energetic, but it's not necessarily less fun or less interesting or useful.
Now, I do think that Hector has a point when he says that saying something in public under your real name is a harder enterprise and makes you accountable in a way that makes the weight of what you say more serious. And if it's something that you do passionately believe in, then I think having the confidence to stand up and say those things under that name is significant and means something. I know that I feel very odd when I write something online now and don't feel brave enough to put my name to it.
I should point out that this is how I feel, not how I judge other people. Everyone has a different background and environment. People have more or less to lose. Do I think it's more important to put your opinions out there or to keep your kid? The latter. In a heartbeat. Do I think it's more important to write under your real name or to be able to talk about things that really matter to you in a way that you wouldn't be able to otherwise. The latter, obviously. Do I think it's more important that you are able to talk about your interest in the occult openly or that you get to keep your job. Again, the latter.
For me, at this point in time, there's so much stuff out there about me that I've no doubt I'll never be able to run for public office. On the other hand, there's enough stuff out there for any serious individual to be able to get a sense of who I actually am in the round, and I'm pretty comfortable with that. I'm lucky enough to be in an industry where these things are not only permissable, they're almost encouraged, and I'm grateful that I'm able to to be as open as I am. I think it has improved my life enormously. But of course, that wouldn't be the case for everyone.
Let me put it this way, I think in an ideal world it would genuinely be better if people were able to write online using the same persona that they operated with in the rest of their lives. I also think, with services like Vox that help you write to a small group of people and keep things private, that it's easier to do so than ever before. It's easier to manage, people behave better, the quality of the conversation is better and people can become known for the great stuff that they contribute all around the place. But unfortunately, we don't live in such a world. Too many people have too much to lose and I wouldn't blame anyone for not feeling as comfortable revealing themselves to the world. |
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