Why do people operate multiple social media accounts?

It has become a trend to see people with two or more accounts on the same social media platform. This leaves a question: Why do people operate several social media accounts? Lifextra finds out.

Most people today define social media as apps on their smart phones or tablet. Social media is a series of websites and applications designed to allow people share content quickly, efficiently and in real-time. It also helps them to participate in networking or meet with people. 

In recent times, the number of people who use social sites, especially Facebook, has increased. This is because it has been observed that one person operates or has more than one account. The reason for this has been attributed to hacking of the previous accounts by fraudsters or perhaps an individual forgetting his/her password and deciding to open another account to reconnect with family and friends.

When LifeXtra spoke to a few people on the issue, with particular reference to Facebook, here is what they said.

Theophilus Femi Alawonde, a teacher, told LifeXtra that “There are people who take pride in experimenting, like in the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They have a formal, business, family members’ account and as well as their bad boy/girl account. The first account has their real details, while the other is a pseudo account. Amateur fraudsters also operate accounts with the name of celebrities, politicians or prostitutes.”

Michael Anan Onimisi, a Kaduna-based writer and poet, added “I see no reason for that because even Facebook sees it as a criminal act. One account per person is better than double or more accounts. It’s best to use the page section of Facebook, to create an account for anything – business, projects, personal blogs, family and so on.

Speaking to LifeXtra, Ajibade Gabriel, a student, said “One Facebook account is okay but due to some reasons, we see some with two or more Facebook accounts. Some may open another account when the one they’re using is too big and can’t add or accept requests again.”

He added “Some use it for registering details on different apps instead of gmail/email, while some wish to have personal account for friends and family and then a professional account. For others, the account may have been hacked and they can’t retrieve it or there is the fear of being hacked. Lastly, some use it for fraudulent acts.”

IS Maeel, a student union leader,  who operates one account but have pages for other activities, said some people do it for “Fraudulent activities, stolen identity and so on, but instead of having two accounts for biz or whatsoever, it’s better you have a page.”

Giwa Chekeleke says he thinks it is for personal reasons and added “Like me, I have more than one Facebook account. There are specific things I post on one but would not post it on the other. Some people operate more than one account for business reasons, so they can advertise their product through different channels for a wider coverage.”