Pseudonyms

A pseudonym or alias is like a nickname. Bullies may call themselves a different name when they are online, to when they are offline. They do this to keep their real identity a secret from you. When you use instant messaging services like MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, you are known to others online by a nickname that you have chosen. This is an example of a pseudonym. Bullies can use this same feature to change their name to something that you wouldn’t expect. Similarly, bullies may change their name to something offensive, like the example on the right.