What is the purpose of a 'user name'?

[Lilium Mortem]

[Jocelyn] I have only recently learned that user names are not actual names, most of the time. why is this? While I have heard the response of 'anonymity' I cannot fathom why you would hide your identity solely on the internet. in fact, many profiles on this very web site contain real names in addition to user names. what is the point?

[skinstealer]

[TRICKSTERS_COCKTAIL]:

it's fuuuun and lets you express urself

also don't always trust that the names people give you are their real ones

[sarcovyn]

⚠️ (digital paranoia)

Show ContentSpoiler:

[LURKING_BUTCHER]: I heard that if post your REAL INFO to the INTERNET Then people can track you down...

[Lilium Mortem]

[Jocelyn]: that does not seem like an adequate explanation. not everyone has a nick name, so why does almost everyone have a distinct user name? 'it's fuuuun' seems both reductive and incomplete as an answer.

[Lilium Mortem]

[Jocelyn]: LURKING_BUTCHER, if you tell someone your name when you're not on the internet they can track you down. I am aware of phonebooks. this also feels inadequate as an answer.

[skinstealer]

[TRICKSTERS_COCKTAIL]:

also, if somebody else named jocelyn wants 2 sign up they have to be like, jocelyn2 or something now because you cant have doubles

usernames are easier to get unique ones

idk lol

[sarcovyn]

[LURKING_BUTCHER]: What is a PHONE BOOK?

[Lilium Mortem]

[Jocelyn]: User names have to completely unique? I did not know this. That would explain quite a bit, but raises the question of why such a rule exists in the first place.

LURKING_BUTCHER, a phone book is a book of local census data connecting names to telephone numbers and sometimes addresses, depending on your region. they are often found for public use at public phones, and can generally be bought from the government, if they do not send you one automatically.