Discussion do you prioritize anonymity online?

[violetforever]

i know it's rightfully encouraged on here but even elsewhere online like social media…do you not upload photos of yourself, use your real name, share your location, allow strangers on your accounts or post any identifying information? i found that it's so normalized to do most of that and anyone who doesn't is viewed as strange and ignored.

when i was younger i used the internet like any other teenager/young adult who grew up on it. not caring too much about internet safety and digital footprints. maybe even worse because i've shared my address and full name with people lol. nothing bad came from it but nowadays i have no desire to have an online presence like that.

i prefer this forum a lot because i deleted my social media accounts and there's basically none of what i left behind. the validation people seek from likes and comments on their photos. the bots, trolls, ads and forced AI. having the ability to stalk people. addictive content and algorithms. superficial socialization. i'm probably forgetting some examples but i like being disconnected from those things.

 

[quietbird]

i know it's rightfully encouraged on here but even elsewhere online like social media…do you not upload photos of yourself, use your real name, share your location, allow strangers on your accounts or post any identifying information? i found that it's so normalized to do most of that and anyone who doesn't is viewed as strange and ignored.

when i was younger i used the internet like any other teenager/young adult who grew up on it. not caring too much about internet safety and digital footprints. maybe even worse because i've shared my address and full name with people lol. nothing bad came from it but nowadays i have no desire to have an online presence like that.

i prefer this forum a lot because i deleted my social media accounts and there's basically none of what i left behind. the validation people seek from likes and comments on their photos. the bots, trolls, ads and forced AI. having the ability to stalk people. addictive content and algorithms. superficial socialization. i'm probably forgetting some examples but i like being disconnected from those things.

Oh, I feel very much the same as you. (And I also love Fiona.)

 

[SanagiMezamete]

I'm quite paranoid about online privacy, and it's probably not half as justified as it feels. The amount of effort I put into staying anonymous is probably closer to how someone who is being targeted by organized crime or who has an ultra-dedicated stalker should behave, lol. Or maybe it is justified?

I analyze everything I post which could be remotely identifiable through a cost-benefit lens and weigh the risk to my privacy versus what I get out of it. I will never post my name, location (besides country), pictures of myself, birthday, phone number, and in many cases even my sex or age (besides >18). Even if I think any of that info will be obvious for whatever reason, it's better to not give confirmation just in case.

Despite all that I still get nervous that someone (who??) will care enough to stalk me and connect all my online profiles and real identity to each other (why??) and that it will be the end of the world for sure (how??)

I like to be disconnected from most if not all social media too. It's like a mental torture machine for me seeing how people treat each other, and all the comparisons, and the distressing news. Especially with the state of the world right now.

 

[SleeplessAndSad]

I don't use social media anymore because i don't feel comfortable sharing private things online, but maybe that's just because of how i was raised.

Nowadays people seem to care less about privacy and long term effects of what they post. To each their own i guess.

 

[Chocomel]

My way of doing social media is to have 2 accounts. One for being anonymous and one for friends and family. I rarely post in my real account, because well I don't care about posting my private real life stuff. Meanwhile on the anonymous account tho, I post almost everyday to stranger online. For the security of hiding my identity... I think I already give up on that. It is too late for me to hide and bury everything that will eventually lead it to my real account. Like if someone out there really determined to do it, I think they can do it. And I don't really care if they do it, or maybe I care. Because someone out there really put all that effort to know me, for the better or worse

 

[Forveleth]

I have deleted all of my social media but I used to be fairly loose with my privacy. I uploaded pictures of myself (with the metadata intact like an idiot) and I have said the city where I live (it is a big one though so I am not worried about that). I always hid my real name, my birthday, and where I worked, however.

 

[violetforever]

Oh, I feel very much the same as you. (And I also love Fiona.)

i don't think i've ever felt more seen than when she ended her MTV speech by saying "it's just stupid that i'm in this world."

Despite all that I still get nervous that someone (who??) will care enough to stalk me and connect all my online profiles and real identity to each other (why??) and that it will be the end of the world for sure (how??)

I like to be disconnected from most if not all social media too. It's like a mental torture machine for me seeing how people treat each other, and all the comparisons, and the distressing news. Especially with the state of the world right now.

this might be off topic but what you wrote reminded me of this thought. i hate how people use the internet or social media with a sort of secrecy now. cautious anonymity like yours is justifiable but then there's people who fully share about themselves online but want the anonymity of people who know them personally to not find out because they're doing something shameful. almost like building a double life online. that type of "anonymity" is really bothersome to me. it's weird to me that people have a fear of being found out online or do things online that could affect their real life but use it anyway. another reason to stay away from social media i guess. it's a complicating thing.

 

[violetforever]

I don't use social media anymore because i don't feel comfortable sharing private things online, but maybe that's just because of how i was raised.

Nowadays people seem to care less about privacy and long term effects of what they post. To each their own i guess.

the idea that anyone could stumble upon my profile just weirds me out. i don't want someone with bad intentions even knowing of my existence. i had someone use my photos for a catfish account when i was a teenager and i should've taken that more seriously back then. especially since it was on a sketchy app with sketchy people. i don't get how people don't care when the wayback machine exists and it's so easy to quickly screenshot/screen record anything.

 

[SleeplessAndSad]

the idea that anyone could stumble upon my profile just weirds me out. i don't want someone with bad intentions even knowing of my existence. i had someone use my photos for a catfish account when i was a teenager and i should've taken that more seriously back then. especially since it was on a sketchy app with sketchy people. i don't get how people don't care when the wayback machine exists and it's so easy to quickly screenshot/screen record anything.

Sorry you had that happen to you.
I think one could be pretty safe when you think before you post. Only share stuff that you would be ok with when it ends up public.
Sometimes i wonder if i would still have contact with some people if i wouldn't have avoided social media...

 

[violetforever]

My way of doing social media is to have 2 accounts. One for being anonymous and one for friends and family. I rarely post in my real account, because well I don't care about posting my private real life stuff. Meanwhile on the anonymous account tho, I post almost everyday to stranger online. For the security of hiding my identity... I think I already give up on that. It is too late for me to hide and bury everything that will eventually lead it to my real account. Like if someone out there really determined to do it, I think they can do it. And I don't really care if they do it, or maybe I care. Because someone out there really put all that effort to know me, for the better or worse

that's how i used social media too before deleting it except i never had an account for anyone irl/my family because my family is barely active on social media, if it all. thank god. i just posted to strangers like a safe place outlet from my real life. i grew tired of the online atmosphere though, it's meaningless for me to post to people who aren't close to me and don't actually care about me. i think if u aren't doing anything that would interfere with ur real life it's not the worst thing.

I have deleted all of my social media but I used to be fairly loose with my privacy. I uploaded pictures of myself (with the metadata intact like an idiot) and I have said the city where I live (it is a big one though so I am not worried about that). I always hid my real name, my birthday, and where I worked, however.

i never even thought of metadata when i was posting online so it's definitely for the best that i'm not on there anymore. i haven't had a job yet but i kept that in mind.

Sometimes i wonder if i would still have contact with some people if i wouldn't have avoided social media...

that was my point about superficial socialization. i've had some "friendships" that were literally only dependent on the fact that we interacted on a certain social media. when i became inactive the friendships were gone. so how real were those bonds if social media was the only thing holding them together? i think people today confuse commenting on posts or replying to stories as connection when it's quick and barely means anything!