In my past blogs, I discussed how a technological age has opened countless doors to policy controversy and set a stage for a brand new realm of legislation and social norms. I made reference to the high probability of unpredicted issues just waiting to be found. Now, I want to give you a peek into one of these issues.
Nymwars hit center stage in June 2011 with the launch of Google+. I will touch on the specifics of this case in further blogs. However, it is important to note that Google+ enforced their real names policy by suspending accounts that for name-related issues. Thus, the heated discussions over anonymity began.
As I was exploring this issue in detail for my next blog entry, I started thinking about my own opinions regarding this subject matter. I have always used my full name on social networking sites. Is this because I feel like I have nothing to hide? This method works for me, so my first reaction was to defend Google+ and Facebook. If your profile is representing you with pictures and events from your real life, putting your real name seems like just a minor piece to equation compared to the other information you share. Plus, both sites offer extensive privacy options.
Once I finished dwelling in my single narrative mind frame, I took a second to step back. I thought about cases where pseudonyms would be beneficial. One particular example came to mind. A friend of mine from high school plays Division I football for his university. His Facebook profile was listed as his real name in high school, so up until a few days ago, I thought he had deleted his Facebook. Whenever I had gone to search him, nothing came up. After his big game last Saturday, he posted a picture that showed up on my Newsfeed. He had changed his name to a pseudonym.
His reasons for doing so are somewhat self-explanatory. He wants to be able to get on Facebook and share his accomplishments with his friends and family, not the thousands of people who would friend request him otherwise. And when I say thousands, I am not exaggerating. Another friend of mine, who also plays D-I football and did not change his name, has somewhere in the range of 80-100 friend requests every time he logs on. After all, Facebook is most popular among college-age individuals. This friend has to sort through all of his incoming requests to distinguish whom he actually knows. It is certainly a hassle.
It is safe to say there are legitimate arguments on both ends of the spectrum. In the coming weeks, I will dig deeper into these arguments and explore the legislation accompanying these policies.
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