Course:LIBR559A/Boyd, D. (2012) (1)

Citation

Boyd, d. (2012). The politics of "real names": Power, context, and control in networked publics. Communications of the ACM, 55(8), 29-31.

Annotation

This article touches on the current issue surrounding social media sites and anonymity/pseudonymity. Boyd starts by mentioning the "real name" policies of Facebook versus Google+ and the so-called "nymwars" debacle following Google+'s launch. Boyd explains that the crux of the issue comes down to an issue revolving around how social systems are governed. Using Larry Lessig's (1999) argument that there are four separate yet intertwined forces that control social systems (social norms, the law, the market, and technology or architecture), Boyd points out that while social norms are what were the driving force behind the "real names" structure on Facebook, Google+ was instead driven by the "market and reinforced by corporate policies and technology" which conflict and distrust amongst early adopters (29). Additionally, Boyd addresses the issue of online versus in-person interactions given their functional differences. Names are a personal thing and we do not give them out to everyone we meet on the street so why would we do so online? The ability to choose whether or not to reveal your name gives you a sense of control and power and taking that away online can lead to distrust. Boyd also states that control "is not in the hands of any individual actor... but rather the product of the socio-technical ecosystem" and so online etiquette and social norms have more to do with online behaviour than personal identification (31).

Overall this article is a good starting point for those interested in the growing field of scholarship regarding online privacy and anonymity. For information professionals and librarians, this article would be a good base of knowledge to further expand upon by reading the references or exploring the area of online privacy practices on their own and how these concepts might affect their working life. The article seems to be written for a more general audience and is a fairly easy read with enough explanation to inform readers of all knowledge level. Boyd's stance on the argument seems not so much pro-anonymity or pro-"real names" but more pro-"user control over their own information". Giving users control over how they disseminate their own personal information leads to happier users and thus a more popular social media platform. I personally found Boyd's argument compelling and agreed with most of his points. However, I do think Boyd fails to look at aspects of online versus in-person behaviour close enough. The rise of online bullying and harassment over social media has grown exponentially over the years and most of the people engaged in it would not act that way in real life for fear of social consequences. It can be imperative to make sure the bullying stops for schools or the police to be able to identify the perpetrators and online anonymity can make that difficult. Although it is worth noting that even with pseudonyms, IP addresses can be easily tracked so is there really any such thing as online anonymity anymore?

References

Lessig, Larry. (1999) Code: and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Basic Books, New York, NY.