I wouldn't blame the culture of conformity solely on social media really.

I honestly love this as someone who never has a consistent identity in terms of the name I use online and not keeping a long history such as re-creating accounts whenever it is convenient.

This is especially relevant on social media platforms where I don't want to feel like someone can just dig up something I've said or shared 5 years ago and use that against me. It also helps me stay myself without changing my behavior to align with others.

This article dates from 2017. See also earlier submissions:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24627363 (2692 upvotes, 1099 comments)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14585882 (389 upvotes, 190 comments)