The Power of Real Names

One of the biggest contributions Facebook made to the social media was to enforce the use of your real name. On Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else you might find me, I’m still Jamie Scheu. On MySpace you can still be known only as SK8erBoi23 or  *~*GLiTTeRgUrL88*~*, and that’s ok — frankly, many people don’t want to use their real names on the MySpace anyway (for privacy reasons). But there’s something to be said for the authenticity and most of all accountability that comes from having to stand behind your words and actions with your real name. This simple distinction fundamentally alters the culture of any social platform.

Then again, you wouldn’t want Facebook to get too real…

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November 21, 2008 | Filed Under General, Just For Fun, Social Networks 

Comments

2 Responses to “The Power of Real Names”

  1. Ari Herzog on November 22nd, 2008 2:29 am

    Those comics are too funny. Every time I see it I crack up. Back to the point: I can understand a high schooler using a GlitterGrrrl handle… but what about college kids?

  2. Jamie Scheu on November 22nd, 2008 12:13 pm

    Plenty of people on MySpace use their first names (or some variation thereof), sure, but there is still a great deal of anonymity behind that. Take, as an extreme example, the people who were *encouraging* Abraham Biggs in his tragic suicide two days ago that was streamed live on Justin.tv. Even if they thought he wasn’t serious, there was a complete lack of personal accountability in the fact that they were hiding behind aliases, which gave them the freedom to act without putting their personal and professional reputation on the line.

    That’s a radical case, and you could argue that it takes a pretty sick person to urge a stranger to commit suicide even as a “joke,” but for me it all comes back to accountability. “Trolling,” “flaming,” or any other sort of personal attacks are enabled by aliases and anonymity. Just look at the plethora of racist, sexist, and homophobic comments on any given YouTube video.

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