The Future of the Internet: Real Names (Part 1 of 3)
July 9, 2011 2 Comments
Today, at the World Future Society 2011 Conference, I joined members of the Weiner, Edrich, & Brown team on a panel about Youth Trends. I identified three trends related to the internet and social media.
Disclaimer: I am a Googler, however, nothing in this post has been influenced by confidential information or is a commentary on any insider knowledge about any of the topics I might be addressing.
Real Names
The internet has traditionally been viewed as the Wild West of technology. It has been an unspoiled frontier, waiting to be discovered, tamed, and understood.
Part of that mystery and allure has been the ability traipse around the internet anonymously. Sites like 4chan, Omegle, and Chatroulette, are based on the anonymous nature of internet interaction. Even traditional chat clients like AIM, gaming websites like Kongregate, of social media outlets like Twitter, only ask for a username – a made up nickname – that doesn’t have to be your real name.
Increasingly, the internet is shifting towards a model based more on individual accountability. Facebook has algorithms that attempt to detect whether or not you’ve put in a real name. Google+ is asking users to input their real names, too. Right now, the internet is trending towards asking users for their real names.
This confirmation of identity has to be the next step in the evolution of the internet. Without confirmed identities, the internet will never act as a forum for highly secure transactions, such as serious banking or voting.
Of course, there will always be proponents of anonymity. Christopher Poole is one such proponent. On the internet, he’s known as Moot. Moot is the founder of 4chan, and, more recently, Canvas, both of which are anonymous message boards. A few years ago, he spoke at TED, creating a case for anonymity. The video is definitely worth watching.
Up next: Reputation
Although I obviously have no problem using my real name for activities such as commenting on this website, I suppose I am in favor of anonymity as an option on the internet. In fact, I do maintain a separate email account—accompanied by a fictitious name and birthdate—for those pesky “registration required” situations.
Anyone that has been shopping around for internet service has already run into the many variations and choices available with this service. There are so many choices that it makes you wonder what the best decision is. It is a smart idea to do a little research before making a choice with something that will cost monthly, for most likely 2 years. Although the monthly amount might not seem so bad, it is a lot more when you consider that signing a contract will hook you in for such a long time.