Photo courtesy TimeLordmk on Deviant Art

 

In the online world you can be whomever you want to be, but, how many times?

As social media created large communities, just like any town, there are good sides and there are bad sides and people act out in ways that they normally wouldn’t if the veil of a computer screen wasn’t there to protect their antics and their identity. But, do you think some have gone too far?

Either there are way more folks misdiagnosed with multiple personality disorders, or their are less people using the WWW than originally counted, they are using multiple profiles!

1. Reasons to Be a Fake

There are scores of reasons to create an online identity that doesn’t quite match your real identity, safety and security being the number one.  In an age where identities are easily stolen, it makes good sense.  For instance, my real name is not “Delilah”, and only a handful of friends know that, but it serves to keep my real identity somewhat out of the big eyes of “big brother.”  Not that I have anything sinister to hide, I just created it years ago, and it stuck with me. BUT, I only have one “fake” name and no more, really. A step further in the explanation is, although my name is not my real life name, my profile is not fake in terms of information about who I am and what I do.  A “stage name” if you will.

2. Fake Promoters

As long as social media has been around, there are those who have devised ways to make money by using tons of fake profiles in order to create their own community.  Why anyone would go to that extreme is rather insidious, but there are those who have been successful at being fake.  There are even those who promote their service of selling fake profiles to others. Wow, what a concept!  Another reason to say, “buyer beware.”

We’ve  seen those who create numerous fake profiles for the promotion of a particular idea or story.  Whether it be a cause, issue, or just to get information around, it’s interesting to watch all the fake profiles commenting and “liking” each other.  It seems the fakes don’t interact much with their followers, but they all interact with themselves.  Duh! Where does that help the effort of promoting if only the fakers are engaging each other and not able to grasp the interest of others?

3. Is Fake Ethical?

Depending on the original reason for having fake profiles, ethics does play a part.  Too many people have been hurt by fake profilers who are involved in online stalking or bullying, saying derogatory things, or bringing out personal information about someone without their consent.  Fake profiles hurt those who are legitimately trying to connect or network with others in an honest attempt to create engagement and build relationships.

Fake profiles have an air of dishonesty, even if the person behind them really isn’t. The fakes have a tendency to spam their ideas or articles way too often, and many of the unsuspecting get caught up in it.  Often times the issue or cause is truly noble, but goes unnoticed because of the spamming.  Remember, quality vs quanitity?  We talk about it often!

4. Fake vs Anonymous

Anonymity is fast becoming a thing of the past with our computers holding more and more personal information and others having the ability to tap into that information.  Anonymous is just that, someone who doesn’t want their identity known, and hopefully they are using their anonymity wisely and not just to leave lame comments everywhere or start drama.

Fake profiles tend to go a step beyond anonymous in that they want you to believe they are someone else.  Often that effort fails as one is able to see the tell tale signs that tend to thread throughout each of the fakes.

5. Get Real!

If you’re doing business on the internet, or promoting for someone else it’s best to be who you are.  Fake profiles are just that, fakes.  It’s hard enough to find others who you wish to put your trust into, but when you find out it’s someone pretending to be someone else, it’s disheartening.  So, for safety’s sake and the protection of your online identity, creating an online “persona” is more of an extension of your self, but fake profiles will one day be “outed” and the creator just might be held accountable or, at the least, embarrassed by what they’ve done.

If you feel the need to monitor your online reputation, or need assistance in building your brand, feel welcome to contact us at ImaginePublicity for a FREE assessment and consultation.  It’s easy!  Either call:  843.808.0859  or Email:   contact @imaginepublicity.com  or fill out the form below: