B2 – Upper Intermediate
Social media is changing how it handles old or unused accounts. One big platform now plans to sell inactive usernames, which has people talking about who really owns a name online, how it affects personal branding, and what it means for digital identity.
Let’s read the article to find out how this decision might change the way we think about online identity, who owns usernames, and how social media works.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What is a “handle” in this context? “According to a recent post on the website formerly known as Twitter, the company will soon start selling “handles that are no longer in use” to paying subscribers.” Use it in your own sentence.
- What does the word “pithy” mean? “Generally, paid handles will be pithy, one word, “culturally significant names,” like @Pizza or @Tom.” Use it in a sentence and give two synonyms.
- What does the idiom “to play it safe” mean? “X’s inactive account policy says that users should log in “at least every 30 days” to keep their accounts active, though, so if you’re concerned about your username being taken, it’s best to play it safe.” Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What’s your take on X’s decision to sell unused usernames?
- Do you use X? If so, what prompted you to create your account and when did that happen?
- What would make a social media username valuable enough for you to consider paying for it?
- Can you recall a time when your ideal username wasn’t available, how did you handle it?
- How do you decide what username to use across different platforms?