Tuesday 8 June 2010

identity crisis

One of the interesting possible outcomes of 23 Things is that some of my quite fundamental feelings might change. For example: yesterday I was slightly alarmed that people weren't using their real names in their blogs. Today, reading through some of the Cam23 blogs I found a deeper sense of unease creeping through me. One blogger admits to setting up multiple Google accounts with multiple different pseudonyms. To be willing and able to maintain multiple identities - doesn't that sound like some sort of personality disorder? The sort of sinister brilliance of the talented Mr Ripley? Or the sort of headline "she led a double life as university librarian and vice girl" headlines. But who knows? In a few short weeks I may have got over this particular hang-up and changed my attitude.

2 comments:

  1. Numerous reasons for multiple accounts. For example if you want to separate 'work' and 'play'. For me having a dual persona came about due to the fact that in the future I also wish to set up a blog for a group I belong too. In my explorations of blogger I had been led to believe that if you delete a blog using a certain e-mail address you could not then again set up another from that account. Not saying that I will delete my Cam23 blog in the future, but I felt happier using a 'disposable' account to do so in case I did.

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  2. Hello Vanessa,

    Yes, I have numerous google accounts under different pseudonyms, but as libchris says it's about using them for different purposes and separating parts of your life from each other. For example, one of my accounts is purely for use in conjunction with on line purchases via google checkout. It seemed logical and sensible to me that this account be separate from all other things so that I wouldn't accidentally leave it open/shared and available to others. Another example is for a facebook account - I wanted to try facebook see what it was all about, but was reluctant to "donate" the information required about myself - solution, invent a persona.
    The fact is these companies want your details, your information, the "free" things they give come at a price - see Ye Olde Blogge's post (http://panthersnest.blogspot.com/2010/06/one-small-step.html) on trying to set up a google mail account without providing a mobile phone number.
    Oh but the thought of having a Ripley-esque existence does give me a frisson - of course without the murdering.
    Anyway, hope that didn't all sound too preachy or po faced. Hope you carry on enjoying the blogging and well done for posting that Glee clip.

    Sarah

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