These readings delve into these important issues of identity, privacy, and the pursuit of micro-celebrity status or clout online. Boyd blames the use of "real name" policies on social media websites like Facebook and Google+, noting that real names are not just identifiers but also represent control and privacy. Marwick in contrast talks about micro-celebrities who strategically maintain their online persona to gain niche popularity, and she notes the ethical issues in commodifying one's identity.
Technologies from social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ facilitate identity management and reputation building. The ethical issues raised involve privacy, consent, and the autonomy to control one’s own identity. Boyd's text, specifically, challenges assumptions about anonymity, arguing that real-name policies do not necessarily enhance accountability but rather undermine user agency. We can point to ethics like Kantian respect for autonomy, which in practice, shows that compelling users to reveal identities without sufficient consent violates individual autonomy. Virtue ethics, however, would possibly look down on the performative nature of micro-celebrity, questioning the authenticity and also the moral integrity of strategically designed personas.
Personally, I feel uneasy about enforced real-name policies and skeptical of the performative authenticness of micro-celebrities. My discomfort comes from valuing genuine interaction and respecting privacy above commodified identity performances. The social pressure to self-brand, while understandable, seems to be ethically problematic so far as it is willing to trade off genuine human interaction for superficial popularity.