To Doxx or Stay Anonymous in Web3– That is the Question

Why was I anonymous, and why I decided to doxx?

Last month, I was at my graduation ceremony with past professors and classmates, reminiscing and sharing what we were up to. I mentioned I co-founded a non-profit organization called the mental health collective (MHC).

I avoided mentioning NFTs because I didn’t feel like stumbling on my graduation day, literally and figuratively.

I explained MHC’s daily mental health spaces. It isn’t Therapy. It’s peer-to-peer support.

“Accessibility is the goal. Anyone with a Twitter account, anywhere in the world, can join our spaces anonymously and check in.”

They were impressed.

But just as I started to feel proud of myself, I revealed I was running it anonymously.

They asked with confused faces, “whyyyy???”

I froze and gave a non-coherent answer. They politely nodded and let it go. That’s when I decided I needed to dox myself.

Why was I anonymous in the first place?

Throughout college, I argued viciously that we (I) could develop trust online by simply being authentic and consistent. My stubbornness and pride got the best of me, and the extreme result was anonymity.

There’s an unquestionable level of courage and confidence that comes with being anonymous online. The potential lack of accountability feels like practice mode in a video game. No matter what you do, your health bar never goes down.

As I became more involved in the Web3 mental health community, I tricked myself into believing I could be more impactful as a symbol rather than an individual. I understood Batman more than ever.

Why doxx myself now?

Although I still think I was right about building trust by being authentic and consistent, at what cost? As far as building trust goes, being doxxed offers way more bang for its buck.

I’m invested full-time in Web3 and Mental Health. I believe in it, and after twelve months, I’ve developed lifelong skills and experiences. I’m putting all of it on my resume!

Recently, I’ve been to a lot of IRL events and plan to attend many more. Introducing myself as my online persona was getting awkward.

When I first got into Web3, I was a little embarrassed about it. I assumed everyone outside of NFTs and Crypto would scoff or roll their eyes at me. Maybe I didn’t believe in it myself.

I don’t care anymore. I love what I’m up to. And to my surprise, I was wrong. A few of my friends are interested in Web3. Those that aren’t are all very supportive.

I share my story about anonymity and doxxing because I genuinely wrestled over it for months. If anyone else is struggling between doxxing or not, I hope this helps make your decision easier. Whatever you decide, in my opinion, there’s no wrong answer here.

-Vic Pinto (Non Fungible Therapist)

*This article was adapted from a Twitter thread by Non Fungible Therapist*