The Cases of Burner Accounts on Weibo: Do Burner Accounts Really Hide Your True Identity?

Abstract

A burner account refers to “an often-temporary social media account that is created for the purpose of remaining anonymous”. On the one hand, Burner account users hide their private information, and on the other hand, they carry out bold self-disclosure in many aspects such as emotions and interests. Such user behavior research may be of great significance for us to understand the emotions and interests suppressed by acquaintances in the relationship society. Burner accounts are likely to continue to be a typical aspect of online communication for the foreseeable future as social media sites continue to struggle with the trade-offs between transparency and privacy. Meanwhile, the use of burner accounts also highlights the potential risks in the context of government supervision.