What Does DN and DNI Mean on Twitter?

Twitter, as you must already know, is one of the most popular social networking sites on the planet. At its core, it comes off as a little restrictive, primarily due to the 280 character limit — which is still double its original 140 count. Still, despite the big “inconvenience,” millions of users log in to Twitter every day and share their thoughts through tweets all day long.
Although the character count has doubled up, the “old folks” have remained stuck with the old ways and abbreviations. Today, we’ll take a look at a couple of much-revered abbreviations and tell you what they mean.

What does DN mean?

As you may know, the profile picture of your Facebook — or any other service — is often referred to as “Display Picture.” We don’t exactly know why ‘DP’ caught on and anything else didn’t. All we know is that ‘DP’ is currently the standard abbreviation for all profile pictures on Facebook and other services.

Changing display pictures or ‘DNs’ aren’t all that common on Twitter. However, there is a way to change the ‘Display Name’ or ‘DN.’ Similar to your ‘DP,’ ‘DN’ is also a big part of your Twitter account.

It allows you the opportunity to appear cool or funny on the platform, or even convey a cheeky little message that mean something to you. When it comes to your DN, don’t be shy to try out all the different combinations you can think of.

Is your DN same as your Twitter ID?

As mentioned, your ‘DN’ can set the tone for your Twitter handle. However, it is also to be noted that your ‘DN’ is not your Twitter user ID and doesn’t have to be unique. It’s simply the name of your account, which you can have in common with a lot of people. For those unaware, your unique Twitter ID sits right underneath your ‘DN.’

Can you change your DN?

When you log into your account for the first time, you, of course, are required to pick your display name. Over the course of your Twitter lifecycle, you’re likely to acquire new passions, have different political views, and even end up becoming a completely different person. When that happens, you might not be as fond of your Twitter ‘DN’ as you were when you joined the service.

Fortunately, Twitter understands your compulsion of changing the display name and has cooked in the option on your profile page. Simply hit the ‘Edit profile’ button at the top-right of your profile page and pick a new display name.

It’s that simple.

What does DNI mean?

At first glance, DN and DNI can look identical. However, in reality, those two have nothing in common. ‘DNI’ is an abbreviation for “Do Not Interact,” which is meant to warn Twitterati of a highly unsociable being. When you come across a Twitter profile with ‘DNI’ in their bio, they are literally telling you that they don’t want you to like their tweets, retweet them, and comment on them.

And, of course, it goes without saying that you’re also being asked not to send a direct message. If you still can’t take a hint and end up bugging them in one way or the other, don’t blame us when you get a not-so-flattering reply.

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