The Pragmatics and Perils of Ephemeral Digital Identity: An Analysis of Temporary Facebook Account Creation

Since its inception, Facebook (now Meta Platforms, Inc.) has structured its social graph around the principle of durable, authentic identity (boyd & Ellison, 2007). However, a subset of users has developed the practice of creating accounts intended for short-term use. These so-called "temporary" or "burner" Facebook accounts are created for a specific purpose—such as accessing a gated event, testing an application, or temporarily interacting with a group—with the explicit intention of abandoning or deleting the account shortly thereafter. This paper investigates the feasibility, methods, and consequences of this practice.

Stutzman, F., Capra, R., & Thompson, J. (2011). Factors mediating disclosure in social network sites. Computers in Human Behavior , 27(1), 590–598. This paper is a model academic analysis. For current information on Facebook’s policies, always refer directly to Meta’s official Terms of Service. The creation of accounts using false information is a violation of those terms and may result in permanent platform bans.