A New Study Revealed Why People Use Pseudonyms When Commenting Online

If you post a comment to this article, you probably use a screen name, but why exactly do we do that?

Disqus (the company that powers our comments system) decided to survey about 1,000 people who use their service and an additional 1,000 general internet users as to how they identify themselves online.

It turns out that a good majority still rely on pseudonyms when posting comments online. According to Disqus’ VP of marketing and communication Steve Roy, using a pseudonym makes them feel safe and comfortable when it comes to sharing opinions about potentially controversial topics, like religion and politics.

“It’s not about hiding. It’s about privacy and choosing your identity when exercising your free speech,” says Roy.

The Disqus study is the latest effort to weigh the benefits and the drawbacks of online pseudonyms, which have fueled more than a little controversy over the years.

The general internet users polled by Disqus said they trust pseudonymous comments just as much as they trust comments posted by someone using their real name. Plus, readers can “vote up” and “vote down” Disqus comments, and according to Roy, pseudonymous comments fair just as well—if not better—than comments attached to real names.

Source: ubergizmo.com, wired.com