Pseudonyms have been proven to improve dialogue because anonymity means honesty or at least a willingness to communicate without concern of reputation. No one wants their real names attached to their opinions on the internet, as those opinions are likely to change or come back to haunt them in the future, just like nobody wants to be doxx'd even if they haven't done anything wrong. It's just an invasion of privacy that doesn't need to exist for conversation to happen. I feel like I've cited the Blizzard RealID debacle a lot lately, but it fits the bill here too.
I'd be interested to see that proof if you have scientific studies supporting it - sounds fascinating!
It's been my experience that communication quality has more to do with initial culture, growth rate, and ability to inculcate newcomers to social norms than with naming policies. Of course, the need to grow a community slowly to maintain social norms conflicts with the imperative placed on VC-funded companies to grow as fast as possible.
I tried to find it for the previous post, but couldn't recall the name (though I think I found it here on HN). I will keep searching when I have a few minutes as I've needed to cite it before.
"Pseudonyms have been proven to improve dialogue because anonymity means honesty or at least a willingness to communicate without concern of reputation."
Have you been to Reddit lately? Pseudonyms has brought out the worst in many people, mostly because they know it's not attached to a reputation.
"No one wants their real names attached to their opinions on the internet"
Why? If you really can't stand behind your opinion, what's the point in having it in the first place?
People being assholes on the internet isn't new, nor is the fact that administrative failure in the form of moderation is the reason why communities of all sizes go down the drain. While Reddit wants to thrive on the fact that there are very little limitations to the platform as a whole, the problems they are facing are due in part to the fact that there are no repercussions for trolls, doxxing and the like.
There are a lot of reasons people want to stay anonymous that has nothing to do with cowardice, and that's why I cited the RealID case, because it sprouted a lot of conversation on why we prefer to remain unknown and separate our real selves from other personas. The [wonderful] acceptance speech Lana Wachowski gave last month during the Human Rights Campaign Awards went into why both her and her brother preferred staying out of the spotlight, but what it specifically meant to her as someone that was susceptible to unwanted attention and criticisms. As a woman, I can relate, and that's why I am so adamant about this issue.
> Why? If you really can't stand behind your opinion, what's the point in having it in the first place?
This is a really naive way of looking at opinions. They change. People grow. Why do people post anonymously to begin with? To avoid witch hunts by people that don't believe what they do, potentially dangerous people who are willing to trace that name to your workplace, your address or even just use your likeness to propagate lies. How many services are there to de-rank unsavory Google results under your name? It's truly better to be safe than sorry.
> If you really can't stand behind your opinion, what's the point in having it in the first place?
What's the point of knowing something most people don't or of having a belief, unless the credit for it can be connected to your address or mother's maiden name?
I don't understand this sentiment at all. When I'm complimented for something that I've said anonymously from someone who has chosen to remain anonymous - I'm happy that I could help someone, or that I made someone smile. It doesn't matter who that someone is, and it doesn't matter whether they know where I work, or where my sister works.
In fact, I would prefer that they not know any of that stuff. I'm not sure why people don't understand pen names, why they are useful, and why they always have been.
> Why? If you really can't stand behind your opinion, what's the point in having it in the first place?
If you can't stand behind your vote by writing your real name directly on your ballot, what's the point in voting in the first place?
Your identity and standing behind your opinion have no correlation, just like they don't when you vote. History shows that unnecessarily joining them has dangerous consequences, however.
