Darius Kazemi, Tiny Subversions (via DF):

There’s a common belief that Twitter accounts with usernames like @jsmith12345678 must be bots, or trolls, or otherwise nefarious actors.

I have long felt this way.

The thing is, since at least as far back as December 2017, the Twitter signup process has not allowed you to choose your own username! It instead gives you a name based on your first and last name, plus eight numbers on the end.

TIL. In fact, I’ve blocked some followers that I now realize were just newbies. Feh.

If you’re curious about the new process, and the secret Settings deep dive to set your own name, follow the headline link.