This nickname, with quite a bit of gymnastics, can be traced back to some really horrible things I did as an 8 to 13 year old with an internet connection. That, as well as a vkontakte (yes, really) account complete with a full “voluntary” doxx. Probably shouldn’t have mentioned that but oh well.
Oh, and also a few occasional identity leaks here and there, most recent one being last year out of peer pressure in an organization that literally lied to me about deleting my data.
Now, should I just genuinely start over? Maybe have a separate name for IRL stuff and abandon online friends. But people might recognize the slang I use, and my setup from screenshots… And how will I ever live without the specific 6 person IRC chatrooms now… And the very specific targeted shitposts I made over the years… AAAAAAAAA Or maybe just embrace it and become a public figure under my real name. Somehow…
EDIT: down voters, please specify why you are down voting, thanks
My knee-jerk reaction is “yes”, but keep in mind that any new identity assumed, while within the same circumstances, can be linked to your old one.
If you want to shed your old identity, then do so. But assume a temporary one, and once you jump platform, ISP, and other identifying factors, take on a “clean” username.
There’s more to identification than username and IP, so if you take on a new identity, make sure that it’s not possible to link the two.
Source: I’d be in prison if I hadn’t.