Why Facebook and Google’s Concept of ’Real Names’ Is Revolutionary - Alexis Madrigal - Technology - The Atlantic
►http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/why-facebook-and-googles-concept-of-real-names-is-revolutionary/243171
pseudonyms allow statements to be public and persistent, but not attached to one’s real identity.
(...) Let’s not pretend that what Google and Facebook are doing has long-established precedents and therefore these companies are only doing what they’re doing to mimic real life. They are creating tighter links between people’s behavior and their identities than has previously existed in the modern world.