A.Nonymous
Extreme Android User
I've been kind of following the real name story on Google Plus and reading different articles about the controversy and I find it absolutely fascinating.
For those who haven't been paying attention because they have real lives that are actually interesting, Google Plus requires users to use their real names. You can't sign up under a handle or pseudonym. The idea is that when you require real names you get a higher quality conversation. Trolls are less likely to show up if their real name is displayed with their asinine comments. People are more likely to give well thought out responses if their names are attached to them. The theory makes sense.
On the other hand, there are those who hate the policy. They argue that they've been known as <<insert screen name here>> on the 'net for years and it is their identity. They also argue that you have a right to be anonymous on the Internet and that anonymity frees people to say things that may need to be said, but might not be said if the person was forced to identify themselves. They argue that it also frees people to take risks and create new and different kinds of content then they might otherwise. I actually heard someone the other day saying that Google requiring people's real names is a blatant violation of the "Don't be evil" policy which I found absolutely fascinating.
Honestly, I can completely see both sides of the coin. There are things I can say on this forum that I might not say if my real name was attached. I'm in favor of gay marriage for example. If I said that in public and my right-wing, religious nut family members saw that I would be publicly hung, drawn and quartered for my beliefs. I think we all hold opinions like that and there are things we say on the Internet that we would never say to our mothers and would never say in polite company. But that doesn't mean those things don't need to be said or those opinions are not valid.
I'm really curious what everyone else thinks. Does using real names increase the quality of the conversation? Do we have a right to be anonymous on the Internet if we choose to be?
For those who haven't been paying attention because they have real lives that are actually interesting, Google Plus requires users to use their real names. You can't sign up under a handle or pseudonym. The idea is that when you require real names you get a higher quality conversation. Trolls are less likely to show up if their real name is displayed with their asinine comments. People are more likely to give well thought out responses if their names are attached to them. The theory makes sense.
On the other hand, there are those who hate the policy. They argue that they've been known as <<insert screen name here>> on the 'net for years and it is their identity. They also argue that you have a right to be anonymous on the Internet and that anonymity frees people to say things that may need to be said, but might not be said if the person was forced to identify themselves. They argue that it also frees people to take risks and create new and different kinds of content then they might otherwise. I actually heard someone the other day saying that Google requiring people's real names is a blatant violation of the "Don't be evil" policy which I found absolutely fascinating.
Honestly, I can completely see both sides of the coin. There are things I can say on this forum that I might not say if my real name was attached. I'm in favor of gay marriage for example. If I said that in public and my right-wing, religious nut family members saw that I would be publicly hung, drawn and quartered for my beliefs. I think we all hold opinions like that and there are things we say on the Internet that we would never say to our mothers and would never say in polite company. But that doesn't mean those things don't need to be said or those opinions are not valid.
I'm really curious what everyone else thinks. Does using real names increase the quality of the conversation? Do we have a right to be anonymous on the Internet if we choose to be?
