this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
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Do you have a single username you feel attached to?
Or do you like to use different names for different occasions?


Edit two and a half days later:
Thank you all for answering my question! It was so interesting and fun to read all of your responses.
I really appreciate you for taking the time to write.

(page 2) 50 comments
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[–] zerbey 3 points 1 year ago

Been using this online handle for 30 years now, I'd say pretty attached!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I try to vary usernames on high anonymous community. While on some other communities, I go by the same which is more or less attached to my real life persona.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I usually cycle through usernames on Reddit every 2-3 years, and while I'm a bit attached to the username, I absolutely do not use the same name across different social media, nor do I post anything from one to the other. Compartmentalizing helps limit the possibility of doxxing.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I've been using it since I was 8 or something so pretty attached.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I flat out refuse to have alt accounts because of it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It's part of my identity. At one point I flipped it, and now a whole load of people in real life call me Liz.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Not particularly

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I'm fairly attached. Been using it for years. It's a rough translation of Sindarin.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@thelsim

Some people call me by my username ("reiver") when they meet me in person.

To me, it is as much my name as my given-names are.

...

When I consider signing up for a new platform β€” if my preferred username isn't available, I often won't join.

...

Which never used to be a problem β€” as it is an obscure English word using its archaic spelling β€”

But, there are a lot more people on the Internet now, than there were two or more decades ago. So sometimes it gets taken by someone else.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

That's so cool, like your name.
Should change the last part to "Reremouseman" though, to stick with the theme :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Nope. I have some that I used as a kid, and sometimes I reuse them when I can't think of a new one for some throwaway service.

The idea of having an alternate online persona doesn't appeal to me at all, nor does the idea of being well known or recognized in general. I don't go out of my way to remain untraceable or anything cool like that, but switching up usernames every once in a while is easy to do.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Not at all. I can change if you like.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I kept my randomly generated username from reddit here, because I see it as a continuation from my reddit account after reddit killed itself

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Kinda. For example, here on Lemmy I accidentally didn't use my main username, but it's not worth making another account for it. I just set it as display name. Not perfect, not terrible.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I use the same name for most things out of habit, but I wouldn't be too put out if it is taken when signing up for something new.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I used to have specific usernames I felt attached to, but those depended on what kind of phase I found myself in. Nowadays it's hard for me to come up with a username at all, especially since I don't want to use my real name. But so far I like this username I have now the most.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

If I could go back I would pick a different one, but I already made accounts everywhere so I'm stuck.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I used to have a single username that I used everywhere. But the last couple of years I started using a few different ones.

I think OneWomanCreamTeam is my favorite username, but I have so many accounts in other places under different names it's hard to feel too attached to it.

[–] muntedcrocodile 2 points 1 year ago

I have multiple usernames but each one exists across platforms etc. I try to keep my accounts sandboxed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Quite attached to this one for now, but have gone by others in the past. probably quite easy to find me IRL, oh well...

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This username is different than my other usernames I use. Hard to name this username here but I like it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This is my day 1 username. I'm not leaving it.

[–] KpntAutismus 2 points 1 year ago

for a long time i have used moskito10, but i decided on my current one a few years ago.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I came up with my user a while ago and didn't find any better name. I would change my name if I came up with a better name

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Very. This IS my online name. Although it started out as a way to be anonymous online, by now it is darn easy to connect with my real identity.

And its more unique than my real name. Theres enough Tom AndrΓ© 's out there on the web that any variation of it as username is usually taken, but emptyother (or empty_other) is always free. I prefer it over my real name, when online. Easier to recognize in chats.

Also its a overly literal translation of my name from my language to English. Tom = Empty, Andre = Others.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Other than a few places, i use this username everywhere

[–] Papanca 2 points 1 year ago

I do take care in finding a suitable username. I have four accounts on different instances and all have different names, but mainly because i find it easier to see which account i am currently using. I like my usernames, but i'm not attached to them, nor am i attached to my accounts

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I have two. quite like this one

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This name goes back to the early text-based multiplayer adventure games of the late 80s, when our area of the Internet was still called ARPAnet. It was originally (Felix) Hausdorff, the founder of Topology. But, Hausdorff is a lot more typing than Haus.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

That's so interesting! It really has a lot of history behind it then.
I tried to look up Hausdorff and Topology, but the wikipedia page for Hausdorff Space made my head hurt :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Not very. I usually make a different username per website, but they are usually a portmanteau of various characters I like. So several names I use are fairly similar.

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