“The Intimacy of Anonymity” and “One Name to Rule Them All: Facebook’s Identity Problem”

In “The Intimacy of Anonymity,” Tim Wu throughout the article discusses the various pros and cons online anonymity had had on users throughout its history. Wu goes on to explain that while online anonymity started in the ’90s, it really didn’t take off until recent years, and claims that Facebook had a lot to do with that because of how it was initially only to be reserved for Harvard chatter. But Wu also points out the negatives online anonymity has had, which includes all types of offensive and discriminatory behavior. To me, the whole online anonymity idea has never appealed to me strictly because of the dangers of cyberbullying. Yes, some people use anonymous online apps/websites to talk harmlessly between friends about various topics. However, we’ve seen so many cases related to cyberbulling and online anonymity, and it usually ends up in bad results. Wu even points out that racism, sexism, and other discriminatory behaviors have occurred several times because of online anonymity. Social media is meant for anything but harassment, so what’s so difficult about showing your name and using social media appropriately?

“One Name to Rule Them All” takes a little bit of a different twist as far as online identity goes, but authors Jessa Lingel and Tarleton Gillespie don’t seem to hesitate why having separate identities on social media is beneficial. Their article revolves around the issue drag queens had on Facebook because they preferred to having their stage names as their ID rather than their biological names, and that Facebook drew a whole lot of criticism because of their policy of having users’ profile contain their biological names. The authors emphasize throughout the article that with people having multiple identities, it is okay to have separate Facebook profiles. I personally don’t really have an issue with people having a separate Facebook ID or any separate social media IDs for that matter as long as if they use them appropriately, which includes showing your true face. I know a few people who use different profiles for different purposes, most prominently if a potential future employer decides to look at their social media pages. I personally only have one profile for each type of major social media platform because I find no need to have a separate profile. But, if someone wants a separate profile, they can go right ahead as long as it doesn’t stir any major problems, i.e. cyberbullying.

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