Hey! Keeping more than one identity online?

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What does the creator of online identity has to say about keeping it real?

“Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity.” – (Mark Zuckerberg, 2010)

“I don’t know if the balance has swung too far, but I definitely think we’re at the point where we don’t need to keep on only doing real-identity things. If you’re always under the pressure of real identity, I think that is somewhat of a burden.” – (Mark Zuckerberg, 2014)

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook strongly believed that anonymity was crucial. However, his views on it has seemed to change 4 years later as he feels that the pressure of real identity should be eased which was daunting to me because what he stood so strongly in the past is now gone. If there was a negative activity carried out online, how can the offender ever be held accountable for their actions when they are almost entirely untraceable in a virtual world?

There are advantages of having multiple identities in terms of both promotion and prevention. In social media platforms, it is beneficial for the user to have more than one online identity to separate their private life from the professional field to avoid any misconceptions of the person off work. If you’re into promoting yourself online, having a single identity would be a convenient and great way to brand yourself for the public to find your digital platforms. Being anonymous online also makes it possible for people to discuss sensitive topics e.g. physical abuse without being judged by people around them.

However on the other hand, anonymity can sometimes be very destructive with cyber bullying on the rise; the side effects are hurting young minds, affecting how they think about themselves these days. When people believe they are unidentifiable, they tend to be mindless about what they put online. Lets say if it is encouraged that people develop several identities, are we encouraging a responsible society or are we molding people into untrustworthy folks? The consequences of this would be having two-faced people among us and we wouldn’t know who to trust. The digital world is now a space for interaction recreating a new persona however this has raised skepticism on reliability and credibility on who they are actually really talking to online.

Is Incognito really anonymous?

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You guys might be familiar with ‘Incognito mode’ on the web browsers you use which disables web-browsing history and cache beneficial for surfing the web anonymously. However, after secondary research, some web browsers’ like Google Chrome only keeps them from storing information about the sites you have visited however may still have records of your visit. So much for thinking that our identity was safe in Incognito mode!

It seems as if online privacy is heading towards a never-ending list of risks and danger in the current age hence it’s vital to be on our guards however anonymity could also cause you to miss out on career opportunities thus it boils down to what your purposes are for having multiple online personas. What do you think?

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References :

Krotoski, A., Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important? | Technology | The Guardian. 2012. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/19/online-identity-authenticity-anonymity [Accessed December 1, 2014].

Masters, A., 2011. Identity on the Internet: The pros and cons of anonymity | | Independent Editor’s choice Blogs. Available at: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/09/19/identity-on-the-internet-the-pros-and-cons-of-anonymity/ [Accessed December 1, 2014].

Anon, 2014. How secret is Google Chrome’s “incognito” mode? – Computer Business Review. Available at: http://www.cbronline.com/blogs/technology/how_secret_is_g [Accessed December 1, 2014].

Michael zimmer, 2010. Facebook’s Zuckerberg: “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity” | MichaelZimmer.org. Available at: http://www.michaelzimmer.org/2010/05/14/facebooks-zuckerberg-having-two-identities-for-yourself-is-an-example-of-a-lack-of-integrity/ [Accessed December 1, 2014].

Smith, M., 2014. As Facebook turns 10, Zuckerberg changes his mind about anonymity | Network World. Available at: http://www.networkworld.com/article/2226288/microsoft-subnet/as-facebook-turns-10–zuckerberg-changes-his-mind-about-anonymity.html [Accessed December 1, 2014].

3 short videos explaining the topic of online identity | http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/internet-technology-matters/privacy-identity [Accessed November 30, 2014].

Building your online identity in 7 steps | http://youtu.be/2UlcOX1fZW4  [Accessed November 30, 2014].