Hiding isn't always bad.

I believe that having a username isn't all that bad. But as everyone stated before, it has it's advantages and disadvantages. People or the internet users use the internet as a way to escape their real world. Not everyone does this, but it is a good way to forget reality for a little while.
The advantages of having a fake name or using a different name, is the harassment or fear of being stalked is a major issue. I agree that using user names is a good way to avoid this. Even if a user uses their real name, it doesn't make the user more honest or reliable. In fact, using a fake/username and meeting someone online, earning their trust and then giving their real information makes more sense to me. The article states that even if you give your real name may seem more civil, it can lead to people being close minded toward certain things.

I like having the usernames because it can give other users a sense of what that person maybe. It can give  positive or negative ethos on users. Myself, I always coordinate the things I enjoy or part of me into my username. People may feel they won't be judged as badly with a username. It could prevent things like cyber bullying and shenanigans similar to that. Having a username or a different one may help an individual feel more secure about themselves. Even they were to be bullied, they have the peace of mind knowing that the bullies are only talking to the fake/username, not the individual themselves.

I believe if a company needs to enforce policies about a user's information they should enforce it. However, it should be to a limit. Those people should still have the freedom to use usernames for security purposes. I don't think it was very fair that the "Michael Anti" should've been kicked off Facebook. He had used this alternate name in a variety of places and no one complained. I believe if there was no complaints or anything harmful about it why kick him off? Frankly, his real name is difficult to pronounce.

Overall, I can understand and see that using different/fake names has its ups and downs. It depends on the user themselves, what actions they will do with it. Everyone will obviously say or do something different from the next. It's if they are willing to deal with the consequences or not later on.