Pseudonyms

     The greatest gift that the internet has given society is the availability of massive amounts of information at the click of a button.  The transfer of news, thoughts, opinions and stories happens so fast that it is nearly impossible to monitor and keep up with.  The growth of multi-media in a social context has grown faster than anyone could have ever expected. From Msn to Nexopia, Facebook, Google and the hundreds of blog sights personal information and opinions spread across the world like wild fire.

     The first thing individuals do when they decide to post something on the internet is decide where or not they wish to use their real name or a pseudonym.  There are pros and cons to both choices.  Many professionals choose to use their real name to gain legitimacy.  If I read an article written about baseball, I am going to believe its authenticity if its written by Jamie Campbell (sports announcer and host) rather than written by baseball_fan22.  On the other side, individuals choose to use a pseudonym because it gives them privacy and security.  The article talks about websites attempting to force people to use their real names and information.  This is a commonly used tool to attempt to cut back on cyber bullying and rid the internet of profanity.  If the entire world can see that John Doe said "___________"  he is much more likely to choose his world carefully.  Where the problem with these attempts by Google+ and Facebook arises is in the monitoring of it.  Sure, they may catch a few people but for every one you catch how many do you think are out there?

     With this being said, pseudonyms have been around for much longer than the internet.  Years ago, before gender equality was accepted, women used to take on male names in order to have novels published.  I know this is slightly different than examples in the article but the root of individuals taking on a different persona to have their opinions heard is very similar.  Some individuals are able to capture the personality of someone entirely different as they use a pseudonym.  An extreme example of this is Batman.
                                 
           
      Watch this clip to see how sometimes taking on a different face can protect yourself, those around you and allows you to be anyone you want.  Having a pseudonym can allow you to voice your true opinion without being scared of who might read it.  It can release you from peer pressures and any other forces that may alter your voiced opinion.  Having no consequences for what people post on the internet is risky, but can also be the most honest information out there.