Using your real name on social media? Here’s why you should think twice

Are we all oversharing?

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Sign up for any social media platform and you’ll go through the same process – hand over your name, email, and other personal details, and then start building your profile. It’s second nature. However, given how valuable (and dangerous) this information can be in the hands of a cybercriminal, should we be punching our real names into every site we use?

Okay, so you might wonder what you’d use instead – and pseudonyms are a more privacy-friendly alternative. Using a fake name might sound sketchy (and Meta certainly doesn’t appreciate it), but it’s a useful way to limit the amount of your identifiable information on the web.

Keep reading, and I’ll dig into why you might want to use a pseudonym on social media, and a few other things you can do to keep your name out of a hacker’s hands.

When (not) to use your real name

So, when we’re talking about using real names online, there are a few ways that it happens. You can input your details during the signup process or use a pseudonym during signup andtheninclude your real details on your profile.

Inputting your details during signup carries the most risks from a privacy perspective. After all, you’re adding identifiable information to the platform’s database whichcouldbe targeted by hackers or involved in adata leak. It may also be possible for other users (or internet detectives in general) to search you out with your name, email, or a combination of the two.

If you opt to sign up with a pseudonym, however, you may be breaching the platform’s terms of service – especially if you try to use a celebrity’s name for the laughs.

It might ultimately be a little harder for other users to find you, but not impossible. Still, the use of pseudonyms is a necessity for some folks who are forced to take extra measures to protect their identity thanks to censorship and surveillance. If these people weren’t allowed to sign up to social media platforms with alternative identities, they might be at higher risk of harassment (and worse).

Before I delve deeper into the pros of using a pseudonym, let’s get into the cons.

The cons of using a pseudonym

Firstly, conjuring up a fake name to use when signing up for Meta, X, or any other social media platform might just sound like ahassle. Why go to so much trouble if you’re a law-abiding netizen? Is your real name really that valuable to the internet’s shadiest snoopers?

On its own? Probably not. However, your name can be combined with other personal information to build up a profile of your digital footprint. Plus, if someone follows you on social media and knows your name, they could study the profiles of your friends and family to use as leverage in aphishing campaign.

One of the main drawbacks of using a pseudonym is the lack of accountability. We’ve all seen keyboard warriors getting heated in the comments section or replies to a post – and anonymity emboldens people behind screens to say pretty much whatever they want. There’s nothing obvious linking the real person back to their words, after all.

This was a large part ofFacebook’s controversial decision to enforce the use of real namesacross the platform. The site’s vision is that if everyone uses their real name, interactions will be more transparent, everyone will be responsible for what they say, and instances of abuse and cyberbullying will diminish.

The name on your profile should be the name that your friends call you in everyday life. This name should also appear on a form of ID or document from our ID list.

Finally, using a made-up name online makes it harder for people to find and connect with you. This might be a positive for some folks, of course, but if you’re an artist trying to promote your work, an academic doing research, or an entrepreneur looking to network, for example, it can be hard to build credibility using a pseudonym.

Some would-be customers might be put off by a fake identity and struggle to figure out the motivations, and verify the legitimacy, of the person using one – and ultimately not make that all-important purchase.

Why you should use a pseudonym

The biggest, best, and most obvious benefit of using a fake name is improved digital privacy – which is more valuable than ever. By using a pseudonym, you’re limiting the amount of identifiable data that exists about you online, and hopefully preventing those details from being used in scams or harassment campaigns.

Unfortunately, the grim truth is that social media platforms are data buffers for hackers and scammers – and our tendency to overshare isn’t helping.

A scammer who finds your name on one profile could use it to find you on other sites. Then, pooling the knowledge from your accounts, they cause all sorts of havoc – including:

As I mentioned earlier, the use of pseudonyms can prompt folks to say and do some pretty grimy things online. On the other hand, they’re a critical part of how online communities boost their privacy.

The scale of this protection can vary depending on the setting and the group in question. You’ll often see gamers using usernames in place of their given names, for example. Sometimes it’s just because they sound cool – sometimes it’s because the gamer wants to curate a separate online space for their hobby. Either way, pseudonyms come in handy.

Whistleblowers, activists, and political dissidents might not want to tie their online activity to their real name.

Working professionals who want to keep up to date with the latest social media shenaniganswithoutbeing searched up (and potentially harassed) by their students, clients, or patients can use pseudonyms to keep a low profile, too.

Marginalized communities tend to rely on pseudonyms and fake identities for more overt digital security. If homosexuality is criminalized in a country, or if transgender people are routinely discriminated against, members of these groups might adopt a new digital persona to make friends and date, safely.

Then, folks involved in investigative journalism, whistleblowers, activists, and political dissidents might not want to tie their online activity to their real name (and other identifiable details) – especially in countries where the freedom of the press is limited. Fake names give these individuals a chance to voice dissent without risking persecution or physical threats.

How to avoid online oversharing

If you’ve been inspired to reduce how much personal data you hand over to social media platforms, or if you’re looking to seriously safeguard your digital privacy, there are a few things you can do right now to make an impact:

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River is a Tech Software Editor and VPN expert at TechRadar. They’re on-hand to keep VPN and cybersecurity content up-to-date and accurate. When they’re not helping readers find the best VPNs around (and the best deals), River can be found in close proximity to their PS5 or being pushed about the countryside by the lovely Welsh weather.

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