It is the hidden debate and discussion on the internet, with a large number of tweets each day from active Twitter users begging Twitter to release Twitter handles (usernames) that haven’t been active for years. When Twitter was established in 2006, all the great usernames weren’t taken, but a few years later, the older generation took the majority of desirable usernames, e.g. @JohnJones, and appeared to abandon Twitter, leaving accounts untouched for over a decade. And well, the debate is getting fierce…

The younger generation who were mere infants back in 2006 and onwards did not get the opportunity to claim a username that they will use to their full potential. Reasons as to why they would want a specific username is for professional use, to coincide with their other social media usernames and to grow as a content creator with a simple username. The only ways to gain a username from an inactive account thus far is if an account is impersonating you or infringing your registered trademark. This makes it easier for businesses to claim their desired username but is next to impossible for the average professional person to do so too.

So, you ask yourself, why have Twitter never sorted this? Perhaps they liked having more accounts on their database to demonstrate their popularity and competition against the already large fanbase of Facebook. But Twitter is now so popular, dominating the social media market along with apps like Instagram and Snapchat. So why can’t Twitter just release these usernames for patient, deserving and active users to claim? Well up until 2019, it was difficult ever to ask Twitter for usernames as responses are automated. In November 2019, Twitter made tech headlines, claiming they will delete inactive accounts, sending emails to warn inactive users that if they don’t log into Twitter ASAP, their account will be permanently deleted.

Twitter said: “As part of our commitment in serving the public conversation, we’re working to clean up inactive accounts to present more accurate, credible information people can trust across Twitter.”

They added that: “Part of this effort is encouraging people to actively log in and use Twitter when they register an account, as stated in our inactive accounts policy. We have begun proactive outreach to many accounts who have not logged into Twitter in over six months to inform them that their accounts may be permanently removed due to prolonged inactivity.”

So, as you can imagine, active Twitter users were thrilled by this news! Finally, after a decade of waiting for usernames, they were going to get their desired one!

However, this sparked enormous criticism by some members of the public who argued that by Twitter deleting accounts who haven’t been active will delete accounts of those who have passed away, removing shared memories, tweets and photos for family and friends to look at. Needless to say, a strong argument, but a let-down for many active users.

Twitter responded in a statement with “We’ve heard you on the impact that this would have on the accounts of the deceased. This was a miss on our part.”

Twitter additionally mentioned that they will now only release usernames once they have found a suitable way to “memorialise” accounts of the deceased. This was November/December. Now we are in August and still no sign from Twitter as to what their plans will be. This is frustrating for accounts who want these usernames as they appear to feel a little abandoned on their years of requesting inactive handles. So, the discussion continues until Twitter come up with an appropriate idea to respect the accounts of the deceased.

Other users have argued that there are inactive accounts with no profile picture, tweets or media on their timeline, so how can these be a memorial account. Twitter has not responded to these comments, potentially because it would be too difficult for them to distinguish every wholly inactive account and the ones who want to be memorialised. Until then, the wait continues for avid tweeters to claim their dream username…

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