Once upon a time I didn't care much what I posted on the internet. I would pretty freely talk with other strangers about nearly anything and not struggle to come up with things to post. This was always in smaller forums or IRC channels.
Then I started using reddit and learned the danger that is one part karma addiction and two parts doxxing. The former made me reevaluate why I was posting so much. On small forums you have a tighter group of friends with a stronger connection. On reddit it's all about impressing the stranger.
Doxxing was something pretty foreign to me though. Reddit has it up there with being the worst thing that can happen to you, and has this idea of being constantly vigilent against the threat of having your personal information found out. Finding out who you are.
So I largely stopped posting.
But now I think I've forgotten how to effectively communicate with people on internet forums. I have the mentality that it's better to lurk for fear of what could happen. And I'm curious how common that fear is. So, hubski, are you scared to post?
For a long time I've used my full name as my username on the internet, for accountability reasons. That is, if I say something on the internet, I say it knowing that anyone that cares to look for it will be able to find it and attribute it to me in the "real world."
I wish I could say that this has always insured that I behave on the internet the way I would in person, but that hasn't always been the case. I'm far more inclined to express anger or disdain than I would be if the actual person I was interacting with was standing right in front of me. Still, it's a lot closer to "real life" when I use my real name, and that's the accountability I was talking about. It's mostly a way to hold myself to account and I'm not worried of backlash from other people.
Am I afraid? No. I'm not a racist or a revolutionary. I'm not planning to take down the US government or burn any crosses. If someone wanted to "out" me for things I've said on the internet they would mostly be things I would say in person.
I think the internet is a frightening place if you're advocating for things that would disgust people. If you avoid that, what is there to be afraid of?
Yours,
Dean A. Solecki