f you’ve ever come across someone’s “secondary profile”, you might be wondering why someone has more than one Facebook account. While the automatic response often leads down the “they’re probably hiding something…” route, that might not always be the case.
So why would someone have 2 Facebook accounts? Some could be working with an alias to creep away on profiles undetected, but they could also have an entirely reasonable explanation for creating a second profile. We’ll explore this question in the article below.
Clawing Back a Little Privacy
Unless you’re living an off-grid, the days of total privacy are long gone. If you’re online, people can find you — and social media profiles are the quickest route. Facebook has little to no filters when creating an account. There’s no identification process, no face recognition, and only a very short “security” confirmation, meaning it’s open for almost anyone to use.
Companies no longer just take CVs and references into account when deciding if you’re a good fit. Most will Google you to find out what kind of person you are, and unless you’re a celebrity or have done some incredible things with your career already, chances are the first thing they find is your Facebook profile.
That reason alone answers why would someone have 2 Facebook accounts: one personal, one professional. Recent graduates often don’t want potential new bosses having photo evidence of their illegal raves or risque dress costumes. So yes, someone could be using their second profile for living a double life, but more often than not, people simply like to keep business and pleasure separate. That said, it’s often hard to keep a work/life balance in the real world — let alone the digital one as well.
The Tactical Approach
There are also more tactical reasons for those who are digital-savvy. When Facebook games were all the rage — think Candycrush and Farmville — you needed to invite other users to level up. But if you’re a little shy about your new-found addiction, you can easily create new profiles and use those instead of real people to play.
Other than that, you might have a genuinely diverse group of friends. Maybe you’re regularly meeting new people at events and clubs, or your school friends have very different interests from your new circle. One set of people might not be interested in the spiritual ins and outs of your yoga journey but would love to see pictures of your new puppy. Tailoring your content between a few profiles is a great way to keep your audience engaged, but it’s easy to see how things can get complicated.
But Is It Even Possible?
This depends. Facebook clearly stipulates that “It’s against the Facebook Community Standards to maintain more than one personal account,” and being found out (which you most likely will be) could cause all of your accounts to be shut down. Aside from the legalities, is it possible? And that answer is a definite yes.
Hypothetically, if you want multiple profiles, all you need is a slight name change (e.g. your full name on one account and a nickname on another) and a separate email address for each. That said, the Facebook giants can easily link those accounts, so you’ll also need to use a different IP address when creating each profile. And it’s as simple as that!
Roundup
So back to the question at hand — there are many reasons why one might have 2 Facebook profiles. Aside from the one-offs like forgetting your login details, they all lead to the same answer — the user may want to hide something. And in today’s digital world where you can find information on just about everyone, wanting a little privacy isn’t a crime.
