What's More Embarrassing Than That Old Screen Name? Sharing It
This story is part of the New Boom series on millennials in America.
Before Google Chat, before Facebook Messenger, there was AOL Instant Messenger. AIM still exists today, but it was hugely popular in the late 1990s. And for many young adults who grew up using AIM, those old screen names are a blast from the past they'd just as well forget.
Well ... not so fast. As part of NPR's series on millennials, All Things Considered recently asked you to share your AIM screen name — the more embarrassing the better. Many of you bravely complied, and we've collected some of your contributions below.
9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
Transcript
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
Now to some potentially painful memories - old AOL Instant Messenger screen names. Two weeks ago on All Tech, as part of our series about millennials, we ask you to reach way back and recall your instant messenger days. This was huge in the late '90s and early ots.
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
Many of you bravely shared old screen names with us. And here are a few - starting with nerd_i_am_16 - that's the one-time, online alias of Hetali Lodaya of San Antonio, Texas. She writes that it combined a Dr. Seuss reference, my birthday and a very strong self-identification with nerd-dom.
SIEGEL: Sarah Van der Ploeg of Chicago says hers was viola chic. She writes, this clearly shows my middle school naivete. As much as I love the viola, it has never been cool.
BLOCK: Hey. I'm a viola player, and I resent that comment. Lillian Goble of Carmel, New York went by queen of graves. She writes, in seventh grade, I thought there was nothing cooler than a spoonful of angst.
SIEGEL: Lana McGinnis of San Diego tried to pull a fast one with the name ImOprahSERIOUSLY. Seriously in all caps. And she confesses, I would occasionally go into AIM chat rooms and announce that I was giving away free cars to everyone. Surprisingly, there were some people who seemed to believe it was true. So if anyone out there is still waiting to hear back from Oprah about that free car she offered them in an AIM chat room 10 years ago, I sincerely apologize.
BLOCK: Only a partial confession from Claire McInerny of Bloomington, Indiana - her screen name was agent giggle chunk. And she warns - don't ask me the back story.
SIEGEL: And we got even less from Alexa Tipton of New York City - seven years later, she writes, and I'm still too embarrassed to share. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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