Summary

The author reflects on their journey from anonymity to online presence and the complexities of desiring both recognition and privacy in the digital age.

Abstract

The article titled "The Life of Anonymity" delves into the author's personal experience with online identity. Initially content with anonymity during their four years in software development, the author later sought recognition by sharing their life and creative work on social media and a blogging website. Despite enjoying the engagement and support from their audience, they grappled with the desire to return to anonymity due to the pressures of maintaining an online persona and the oversharing of personal life details. The author acknowledges the difficulty of balancing the need for privacy with the benefits of having an online presence, which includes connecting with like-minded individuals and earning a living through content creation.

Opinions

The author initially enjoyed the anonymity of their work in software development but later felt the need for recognition.
They experienced a shift in perspective after becoming active on Instagram and starting a blog, which led to a mixed desire for both visibility and privacy.
The author admits to sharing personal aspects of their life openly online but also reveals the existence of "lies" or facades presented for the sake of their work.
Despite the support received from their audience, the author sometimes wishes to retreat to anonymity to escape the pressures of public scrutiny.
The author values the genuine connections made with people who relate to their content but also yearns for the simplicity of being unknown.
They recognize the paradox of wanting to be both known and unknown, and the challenges this presents for their online presence and content creation.
To reconcile these feelings, the author occasionally withdraws from social media to enjoy moments of anonymity.

The Life of Anonymity

Sometimes I wish..

I become invisible, and all traces of me on the internet disappear!

The reality, of course, is far from this vacuous wish — the wish to become anonymous!

I wrote in a language that I did not want to for 4 years — the language of software developers

I created visuals that made me happy but did not appeal too much for 4 years — the visuals of a software application

…before I decided (or was “destined”) to enter the creative industry.

Although those 4 years were not too bad… not many people knew about me, my life, my work, my aspirations (were there any??)

I was Anonymous! …I had my life to live, my hobbies to pursue, my friends to chit-chat and play with…

…Did I want to be anonymous then? I don’t remember, although I do sense that I must have fancied the feeling of people knowing me!

But then, why do I want to be Anonymous now?

In 2018, while I was still writing code and creating software applications, I slowly started becoming active on Instagram. I also launched my blogging website to create and publish content online for people to see and read.

“It’s no big thing, everyone’s doing it — just need to share a few snippets of my life, where I am, the beautiful scenery I am looking at, the new painting I made, the new camera I bought, and… …and that’s it!”

Huh! I’ll have an online presence that I can pursue if nothing works out when I leave my job. Good Idea!

What I didn’t know is that I’ll feel what I am feeling today, and what I have felt for the last two years… I want to be Anonymous again!

At the beginning of my creative career, I poured out a lot of information about my life without putting much thought to it, on the internet — It didn’t matter! Anyway, many people already knew me inside out!

I am mostly open about my life, secrets, rights, and wrongs unless something is too moral or too shady, the gray areas are out there for everyone to see and read.

And I don’t mind that, because somewhere along the line, I got indifferent to the judgments that people pass. Although I’ll admit that, while the harsh words stopped affecting me, the supportive words did boost me up.

Everything happens on social media — marriages, babies, graduations, anniversaries. Even I shared my successes on social media.

“Woohoo! I won a travel blog writing contest!” …. “Took a screenshot, shared on social media…Yayy!”

“My first travel collaboration!” …. “Took another screenshot, excitedly shared another post on social media… Yayy again!”

…and once in a while, I would share the semi-dark parts of my life too. No matter how hard I tried to avoid it, they would just pop out in my writings.

But there were(are) some lies too…

At times, I’d be distressed, but I would stand smiling in front of the camera… because… work!

At times, I’d be happy in my own little world, but I’d post about something that did not bother me at the time… because… work!

And I’ll tell you the truth, the lies are the hardest, and they make me wish I was Anonymous!

But then why don’t I become Anonymous again?

Because…

1) I want to convey first-hand emotions through my content — be it through pictures, videos, or writings. If you see the cover image of this article, you’ll notice it is not a stock photo. Through this picture, I am trying to convey the meaning and the emotion behind this article,

starting right from the idea — the pose, the composition

to execution — the camera settings, and selection of the time of the day

2) As I kept sharing more content online, I started getting messages from people…

“We can relate to what you are saying.”

“Can you share some solo travel tips.”

“You motivate me.”

The reason — people are on the same crossroads as I am, and are able to connect with the content that I post.

People often say to me,

You are lucky, you have a platform to share your thoughts and opinions.

You have a following who enjoys your content and are relating to it.

Your content brings like-minded people together.

What they don’t know is that sometimes I want to be Anonymous too.

But can I be Anonymous? Can I publish my work online, create engagement, and make money out of it, if I’d be Anonymous?

No, I don’t think so. And it’s hard too, especially when you want to be known and unknown at the same time.

So, what do I do?

I often slide out and become dormant on social media for a little while to enjoy the Life of Anonymity.