What was your first AIM screen-name?
It’s time to own up to that embarrassing time when we were awkward tweens who had the power of social media to abuse.
Let’s face it – puberty is an awkward and embarrassing stage of life that we often try to forget and bury deep in our subconscious. Whoever thought it was a good idea to give tweens the power to create social media accounts is number 1 on my hit list.
But I am here today to stand up and say to you, the Vanderbilt community, that we must all wear our past shame publically. Embarrassing times in the past make for kickass stories in the present and future, and I believe the best way to start this is by disclosing old-school screen-names. That’s right – I’m talking AOL Instant Messenger, aka AIM to the cool cats. Majority of us had them, and majority of them are just ridiculous.
I went around campus asking people three questions:
- Did you have an AIM account?
- Do you remember your screen-name?
- Would you be willing to share it with me?
Exactly half of the people I asked answered yes to the first two but declined to share because of sheer embarrassment. But who are we really trying to impress? AIM screen-names are ridiculous but I know that you were all so proud of them many years ago.
Thank you to those brave souls who agreed to share their elementary and middle-school shame with me. It’s time to own that embarrassing time in all our lives and emerge all the stronger for it!
Starting it off, mine was: xobroadwaygrl86.
CJ Roebuck (Sophomore)
CJlegomega03
“I still use this today as my fun handle.”
Stephanie Riley (Senior)
soccergurl336699
“I’m pretty sure everyone had this one in some form. Plus I liked the number three.”
Jimmy Bruener (Junior)
jugglespacebug
“I’m gonna look like an idiot.”
Alex Wolfe (Sophomore)
dancingqueen57
“I honestly don’t even know.”
Emma Noyes (Junior) and Curtis Wegener (Senior)
noyesmaybs and wegsalot
“Mine’s my current Instragram handle.”
“I’m not really sure what wegs a lot is supposed to imply.”
Will Harrington (Senior)
texasplatypus555
“I was very proud of my heritage and egg-laying mammals.”
Jess Powers (Junior)
scottishgirlcutie15
“Had to throw cutie in there so people knew.”
Taylor Gutierrez (Junior)
hamoreo11
“It was supposed to be about hamsters and oreos not an oreo made of ham.”
Ashley Davis (Freshman) and Mary-Scott Bugg (Freshman)
otterqueen2001 and mdawg1997
“I like how we both knew ours without hesitating.”
Rani Banjarian (Senior)
idr_sharpay
“Yes, that’s in reference to High School Musical.”
Connor Henderson (Senior)
herecumsconnor
“I didn’t know that word yet.”
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The moral of the story is that we were all idiots, but idiots make for the best of stories. Own your embarrassment Vanderbilt because it is from those ashes we shall rise.