Real names vs pseudonyms online

Discussion started by Benjamin Davies

When signing up to Veritula, we are all asked to use our true first and last names. I would like to discuss using true names online, not only on Veritula but on other social media too. This is not something I have thought about much. I currently use pseudonyms everywhere except Instagram/FB and Veritula.

  Log in or sign up to participate in this discussion.
With an account, you can revise, criticize, and comment on ideas, and submit new ideas.

Discussions can branch out indefinitely. Zoom out for the bird’s-eye view.
Benjamin Davies’s avatar
Benjamin DaviesOP, 11 days ago·#2316

@dennis-hackethal Please share your reasoning for your request that Veritula users use their true names.

Dennis Hackethal’s avatar
Dennis Hackethal, 3 days ago·#2454

When people use their true names, I expect higher quality contributions, less rudeness, fewer trolls, that kind of thing. More accountability generally means higher quality.

Dennis Hackethal’s avatar
Dennis Hackethal, 3 days ago·#2455

Another reason I want people to use their true names is that I want Veritula to be a place for serious intellectuals, not yet another social network where people just screw around. Part of being a serious intellectual is public advocacy of one’s ideas and public updates on changed positions.

Benjamin Davies’s avatar
Benjamin DaviesOP, 11 days ago·#2317

People often say there are safety issues involved in using your true name online.

Benjamin Davies’s avatar
Benjamin DaviesOP, 11 days ago·#2318

Using my true name here causes me to take more care in what I write. I’m not hiding behind an identity I can discard.

Benjamin Davies’s avatar
Benjamin DaviesOP, 11 days ago·#2319

This may make it harder for me to discuss sensitive topics (e.g. navigating personal relationships, health issues, etc.) since it may reveal things to people who know me personally, things that I may wish to keep to myself, that I would only discuss online behind a pseudonym.

Dennis Hackethal’s avatar
Dennis Hackethal, 3 days ago·#2453

One feature I have planned is private discussions that only you and people you invite can see.

Dennis Hackethal’s avatar
Dennis Hackethal, 3 days ago·#2470

Some people – and I don’t know if this includes you or not – are overly worried about getting embarrassed or making silly mistakes.

There are some exceptions where reputation needs to be taken very seriously, but I think the general view to take in this matter is that no one cares. Think of the deepest embarrassment you’ve ever felt – and then try to replace that feeling with how others felt about your situation.

Like, if you’re on stage playing the guitar in front of hundreds of people, and you hit the wrong note, you may feel embarrassed. But many people didn’t even notice. And those who did probably didn’t care nearly as much about the mistake as you did.

Benjamin Davies’s avatar
Benjamin DaviesOP, 2 days ago·#2474

I think it is more that it is a permanent record of things I have written that may one day be used as an attack vector. It means I need to really mean what I write, so that I can stand behind it (even as potentially an honest mistake) if someone tries to use it against me.

Criticized1oustanding criticism
Dennis Hackethal’s avatar
Dennis Hackethal, about 19 hours ago·#2528

It’s an understandable concern. I subscribe more to the insight from BoI chapter 10. Open societies inadvertently give their enemies more access than closed ones, but they also gain so much more knowledge and strength because of their openness that they can deal with their enemies better than if they were closed.

(I went back and forth on whether to label this as a criticism. I decided to do so but I want to be clear that it doesn’t mean I’m trying to tell you how to live your life.)

Criticism of #2474