Users will be allowed to use anonymous fake names
The Facebook we all know and love may seem quite different in the coming months. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday that he may allow users to register anonymously.
Facebook set itself apart from MySpace because users had to register with his/her real name. This created a personalized social aspect that other social media sites lacked. There were less random friend requests, less creepy stalkers with weird names and more of a genuine connection with other users.
Now it appears Facebook will jump on the anonymous bandwagon and follow the leads of other anonymous success stories like Twitter and Instagram.
Zuckerberg stated, “I don’t know if the balance has swung too far, but I definitely think we’re at a point where we don’t need to keep on only doing real identity things. If you’re always under the pressure of real identity, I think that is somewhat of a burden.”
This will be a significant change to the way Facebook is designed. Many apps allow, and even prefer, you to login with your Facebook account, but with anonymous users this may become more difficult.
It seems like Facebook is feeling the pressure from Snapchat, Twitter and even its own Instagram. These anonymous sites have ballooned in recent years and it appears Facebook doesn’t want to be left behind or seen as an old juggernaut slowly dying out.
Once relying on a real authentic identity to reach a mass audience, Facebook will be rolling the dice with this major decision.
We could see a snippet of this new change coming next week when Facebook unveils Facebook Creative Labs and a host of new apps.
