Published on December 21, 2024 1:30 AM GMT
I originally wrote this a year ago, but just now found it in mydrafts. Not sure why I didn't post it then.
One flavor of response I got with my post on deanonymizing accounts wasroughly:
Why not just go ahead and post the list of alts? It's not like peoplesneakily using multiple accounts is something we should beencouraging!
I do agree there are ways people abuse alts / burners /throwaways. You shouldn't be making new accounts to get around bans,or to give the illusion that an idea has more independent support thanit really has ("sockpuppeting"). But there are also some good reasonsto use them:
Separating aspects of your life. Perhaps you post yourpolitical views under one account and your work views under another.This could be because an aspect of your life is stigmatized, you havea career where you need to interact with people with a wide range ofpolitical views, or you just would prefer to keep clear boundaries.
Lowering how much weight people put on your views. Some peopleconsistently post insightful and well-considered comments or have aposition in their community where they are highly respected. Having aseparate account to post idle thoughts and participate like a regularhuman lets them post things others won't take overly seriously.
Protecting yourself from retaliation. Perhaps you are one ofmany who know about some harm, but due to threats none of you would bewilling to post under your real names. Some kind of anonymouswhistleblowing could be very positive.
What's acceptable can also vary by community. For example, on Redditmaking a new account just so the username can contribute to a jokeyou're setting up is part of the culture, but on a more serious forumthat would be seen as an abuse of the account system.
Overall, I find the benefits of keeping everything under one identityare really high, and I suspect many people underestimate the valuethey'd get from that approach. But if others decide in theirsituation the tradeoffs point the other way, and aren't abusing altsto mislead people, then go for it.
This is part of why I posted ondeanonymization: if it's important to you that readers not linkyour alt back to your main identity then you need to take active stepsbeyond just using a different username.
Discuss
