Pros & Cons of Owning an Anonymous Social Media Account

With social media, you don’t always have to show your face.

You can be behind the scenes.

Be known for your ideas and content rather than who you are.

Plenty of people are taking that route nowadays.

There is a rise of anonymous (anon) accounts.

Before ArmaniTalks, I had an anon account.

I ran a fitness page where I would collect content from other athletes and post them on one page.

I tagged the fitness athletes so they got exposure, and I would have content for my page.

Win-win.

Eventually, my fitness page sparked a movement.

Different followers began working out so they could be featured on my page.

Whenever they would work out, they would tag my brand’s name on their post description.

I was becoming well known.

But wait a minute…

Was I becoming well-known?

Or was my anonymous brand becoming well-known?

The Con of Owning an Anon Account

The tough part of owning an anon account is that you don’t get the credit that you feel like you deserve.

You’re in a perpetual state of being the smart kid who did all the work in a group project, but you don’t get recognized for it.

Humans are creatures who crave words of affirmation.

We feel good when we are acknowledged for our hard work.

When we don’t get acknowledged, we feel salty.

I felt annoyed that everyone was giving my brand props, but they weren’t giving me props.

“Don’t they know that Arman Chowdhury was the founder of this fitness brand? They should be sliding into Arman’s DMs, not the fitness page’s DMs!”

A lot of people hate not getting credit so much that they will abruptly do a face reveal.

The face reveal does not help their brand at all.

As a matter of fact, it hurts their brand.

I watch this channel that makes awesome basketball documentaries.

Normally, the video is of this guy’s voice plus a bunch of basketball footage.

After a few years of successfully following this strategy, this guy randomly showed his face.

At first, I didn’t think much of it.

Later on, he’d show his face too much.

I thought:

‘I missed the days when you were anonymous. When you were anonymous, I was able to focus on the basketball content. Nowadays, I see you too much.’

I knew where that guy was coming from though.

He wanted to be acknowledged for his work.

The Pro of Being Anon

The biggest pro of being anon is that you have your privacy.

Privacy is a form of wealth.

The best type of followers are people who don’t know you; the worst type of followers are people who do know you.

When someone knows you, they feel more entitled to your content.

They micro-analyze you more.

If I tell a story, one of my friends will ask:

‘Was that about me? Don’t lie bro, I know you were talking about me!’

But when strangers follow me, they don’t know anything about my personal life.

They just know me for my ideas.

I don’t have to explain myself to them.

It hurts when people you know begin criticizing you.

Sure, a lot of their feedback is born from the right intent.

Still, it stings more.

It hurts more when your grandpa critiques your YouTube video vs when a random stranger from El Salvador critiques your YouTube video.

Which Accounts Should Show Their Face?

I believe accounts should show their face when their credibility is built from showing themselves.

If there is an anon fitness account, I’d think that’s weird.

How can we verify if the owner of the anon fitness account is in shape? What if they are a fat well-educated dude who lives in their mom’s basement?

That account will not have as much credibility as a fitness account that shows their face, is ripped, and gives great fitness advice.

Communication skills too.

If an account that deals with public speaking never shows its face, then it will hurt the account’s credibility.

But if you are talking about others, then you don’t have to show your face.

For example, that YouTuber who did basketball documentaries.

It’s better if he remained anon.

When you watch content, how often do you wonder what the person looks like?

If you never wonder what they look like, then your consumers may feel the same about you.

Which accounts spark curiosity, and which don’t?

I am not curious about someone’s looks when they do video essays, make documentaries, and are doing historical content.

I am curious about what someone looks like when they constantly give polarized opinions about how to live your life, discuss fitness, or discuss a skill that requires interpersonal skills (pick up artistry, public speaking, social skills).

Knowing when to stay out of the limelight is a skill.

Plenty of anon accounts should remain anon accounts.

Would I Do Anything Different?

ArmaniTalks is a public account.

I have been recognized a few times, and a lot of my family members and friends have discovered my YouTube channel.

It comes with the good and the bad.

The bad is that people who know me often want free services, they will give unsolicited advice, and they want me to cover topics that my brand doesn’t deal with.

The good is that I feel more accountable.

When my face is tied to my brand, I feel more responsible for the future of ArmaniTalks.

I have a bigger vision of the future.

I am happy with the path that I’ve taken.

Nowadays, a lot of anon accounts get a lot of flak.

They are seen as not having skin in the game.

I disagree.

I think you can be a reputable anonymous account.

Keep the ideas #1 and avoid getting critical towards others for no reason.

Fair criticism is fine.

Just avoid being one of the anon accounts who talk crap under other people’s posts because they have a mask on.

Those are the worst types of people on the internet.

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