Call me a dinosaur, but I don't like giving up even a shred of anonymity. Sure, job-hunting, booking flights, and connecting to old acquaintances via e-mail or even old-school chat may require a little bit of information (an e-mail address), but the less amount of information the better. It's amazing how users of Facebook, Weibo, and Twitter share too much personal information. Security and privacy settings? With today's technology, a little goes a long way and even if you're totally uninteresting to the rest of the world (uninteresting even to thieves, hackers, and stalkers), there's nothing like a layer of invisibility on you while you access the grid.
People tell me you need social networking to get recognized and to be acknowledged. These sites announce you to the rest of the world and confirm that you exist. It's pathetic but some people actually need social networking to affirm their existence despite 600 years of arguments from philosophers like Socrates, Ptolemy, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
There's nothing wrong with anonymity. Hundreds of maxims, sayings, and works are attributed to Mr. Anonymous (likewise for well-written software, programming languages, scripts, and code). Many others have used pen names, call signs, or code names. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame.
"It used to take a mask to remain anonymous!"
Peter Parker screen capture from Spider-Man (1967) episode "Electro the Human Lightning Bolt"
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