4 ms·

IMO the issue is that people are attracted to these platforms for the ad-money and attention of an audience, but the extent to which you open yourself up to har

IMO the issue is that people are attracted to these platforms for the ad-money and attention of an audience, but the extent to which you open yourself up to harassment and stalking is only understood after-the-fact. If only social media hadn't enforced real name policies, it might be a little easier to stay anonymous while still being a content creator, maybe its different in other countries. Edit: Facebook and Google+/Youtube had or have real name policies, before then it was the norm to never reveal your real identity online, I admit I am ignorant to TikTok policies, but apparently sharing your venmo address is not uncommon.

asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
> the extent to which you open yourself up to harassment and stalking is only understood after-the-fact. Some things are hard to learn the easy way. In any case, as I observed, the tradeoff seems worth it to the subject of the article and her family, even now they are made forcefully aware of the possible downsides. Perhaps it ultimately will not be but I personally don't feel like I'm in a position to dictate how they should balance the risks and rewards of stardom.
theodric 5y ago
Social media didn't enforce real name policies, Facebook dot com did. Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, the right-wing sites-- none of those (nominally) require you to divulge PII to open an account (although try opening a Twitter account in $currentYear and see how long you last before they lock your account for 'unusual activity' until you provide both a phone number + e-mail address)
BurningFrog 5y ago
TikTok doesn't require your real name.
- jazzyjackson 5y ago
  Fair, but Venmo does.
  - vorpalhex 5y ago
    But financial transactions usually have fairly high scrutiny - you can't expect to be anonymous and do business.
    - rabite 5y ago
      you can if you use Monero
- philipkglass 5y ago
  The article said that the stalker got her personal details by paying people who were closer to her. In one case he did math homework for a classmate who knew her in exchange for information. A pseudonym doesn't help much if people who know you in real life sell you out.

asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago

> the extent to which you open yourself up to harassment and stalking is only understood after-the-fact. Some things are hard to learn the easy way. In any case, as I observed, the tradeoff seems worth it to the subject of the article and her family, even now they are made forcefully aware of the possible downsides. Perhaps it ultimately will not be but I personally don't feel like I'm in a position to dictate how they should balance the risks and rewards of stardom.

theodric 5y ago

Social media didn't enforce real name policies, Facebook dot com did. Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, the right-wing sites-- none of those (nominally) require you to divulge PII to open an account (although try opening a Twitter account in $currentYear and see how long you last before they lock your account for 'unusual activity' until you provide both a phone number + e-mail address)

BurningFrog 5y ago

TikTok doesn't require your real name.

jazzyjackson 5y ago
Fair, but Venmo does.
- vorpalhex 5y ago
  But financial transactions usually have fairly high scrutiny - you can't expect to be anonymous and do business.
  - rabite 5y ago
    you can if you use Monero
philipkglass 5y ago
The article said that the stalker got her personal details by paying people who were closer to her. In one case he did math homework for a classmate who knew her in exchange for information. A pseudonym doesn't help much if people who know you in real life sell you out.