HippieChik456. xoHunnyBunzxo. LiLaNgElgRL. iL0VeMaTt4Evr. 08bubblebabe80. CuTeLiLDeVL. zZsleepingBeauty. O0oBabyBaby4232. TinaLuv8462. TinaCooolada. Those have been just a couple of my AOL Instant Messenger screen names over the past few years. I’ve come a long way from HippieChik456, realizing in due time, that my screen name was what my friends knew me as online. For the life of me, I would not ever want to TyPe LiKe ThIs or use the screen name “xoHunnyBunzxo” ever again. According to Wikipedia, a “screen name, screenname, s/n or SN is a name or string of characters chosen to uniquely identify a user within an online system, including dial-up bulletin board systems, platform videogame servers, and Internet-based environments. The term started out as screen name (two words), but in recent years, the usage of the single-word form screenname has been steadily increasing. The abbreviation "sn" can also mean screen name in online contexts” (Screen name 2007). Of course it was cool in Jr. high to have the angel screen name and later switch to devil, or trying to be “sexy” with “hunny bunz.” (Please don’t ask me why for some God forsaken reason had the screen name of “bubble babe?” yeah I don’t know either). Back then it was a fun identity that changed as often as I wanted it to. But as I grew older, and out of the phase of horrid screen names, I realized I wanted to talk under a name that summed me up, and was kept simple. Tina Cooolada.
“Although some people prefer to use their real names online, most Internet users prefer to identify themselves by means of pseudonyms, which reveal varying amounts of personally identifiable information” (Online Identity 2007). I talk to my family and friends on AIM, and they’re the ones who gave me the nickname of “Tina colada.” I added extra o’s because I thought it brought on a little fun online spunk. As for my e-mail address, I kept that simple, using my school e-mail address for the reasons of job applications and teachers asking me for my e-mail. (Now imagine if my e-mail was still “xohunnybunzxo.” Bad news). I think there are things that can be kept fun, such as a screen name, but also those that should be kept professional, like an e-mail address. When I log onto other websites, I usually just type in letters from my first and last name so that I don’t have to mess with adding seven numbers to the end of my desired name because someone else already has it. Some people make screen names too personal, because they just write their first and last name because they know no one else will have it. If John Smith had the screen name “JohnSmith21,” and talked to just his friends on AIM, I can see that being harmless. But if John put his screen name on his Facebook profile or his MySpace and his profile was not set to private, I could see those creepy profile-stalking people talking to John Smith on AIM and knowing more about him than he would like. John should stick to a screen name like “JohnnyBoy21.”
“For assessing the reliability of information and the trustworthiness of a confidant, identity is essential. And care of one's own identity, one's reputation, is fundamental to the formation of community” (Donath 1996). I think that everyone has different opinions on how personal their screen name can be. I have friends who have personal ones because they claim that the only people reading their away messages are their friends, meanwhile their screen name is in bold on their MySpace page. My screen name is simple and spunky, and my e-mail is kept professional, so I can have a happy life online. : )
70 Ways to tell you've been online too long.
Donath, J. (1996). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html
Screen name (computing). (2007, February 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:34, February 21, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Screen_name_%28computing%29&oldid=106466084
Online identity. (2007, February 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:46, February 21, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Online_identity&oldid=108207999
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