Kommenttinimisen

Kommenttinimisen is a Finnish term describing the practice of giving someone a nickname in the comments of an online discussion. The act is typically informal and communal: participants propose, repeat, or reinforce a nickname for a person—often a public figure or a fellow commenter—within a thread.

Etymology: The word is formed from kommentti (comment) and nimi (name) with the gerund suffix -misen, yielding "the act of naming by comment."

Usage and context: Kommenttiniminen occurs most often in social media posts, forums, and news discussion threads. It can function as a form of humor or social bonding, and memes may spread through successive uses of the nickname. However, it can also veer into ridicule or harassment, especially when aimed at private individuals or when the nickname sticks beyond the thread.

Implications: Debates around kommenttinimisen touch on online etiquette, privacy, and reputational harm. Some communities encourage playful, non-derogative nicknames, while others discourage any naming that might harm a person's standing outside the thread.

See also: nickname culture, online humor, trolling, online harassment.