From the Community: How do you identify yourself on the Internet?
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The Internet Identity Crisis
Submitted by TanzaniteDiamonds
The great debate of personal data being shared on the Internet has been growing ever since Google+ launched with a real name policy and suspended accounts for those who didn’t agree. In the age of Facebook, the mandate is requiring more and more real names to be used online. Whereas, many still consider using real names as limiting individual liberties and freedom of expression. Advertisers seek real names and demographics to track every targeted penny and its audience.
“Transparency across many dimensions is truly important in the relationship between consumers and marketers,” says David Cohen, evp, global digital officer for Universal McCann. “The idea of hiding behind a pseudonym is the antithesis of transparency.”
Matt Rednor, vp of strategy for social media agency Mr. Youth, notes that the whole point of the Internet is to help people connect around shared interests, and to share opinions in ways they weren’t able to before. And “pseudonyms, especially from a marketing standpoint,” he says, “allow people to have more honest conversations about brands. Ultimately, that’s what we care about.”
The debate between real names and pseudonyms online has the community buzzing:
Incredulous: "I think people have to decide, based on their own circumstances, employment, political affiliations, etc."
Wyley_Wombat: "I would never use my real name and picture in any discussion group in which I discuss hot button items such as religion and politics. One never knows if and when this will be used against you. I do however use LinkedIn and have always felt a degree of unease about putting my information out there on line, but if I want to use it to further my career what choice do I have."
Leen61: "No way will I use my real name. I do not give out my e-mail address to anybody I don't know or trust. So, it's Leen61 for me here on the board. :)"
Progresshiv: "I cannot use my real name, because if my boss found out about my political views, I would get fired. The Internet is a tool for me, and it should not be the other way around."
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