I watch some internet shows, and I post on different forums and blogs, and I've noticed that since more and more of our social encounters are based on this, people will come to know you by your screen name. It seems so obvious it hurts, but really, especially with these shows, even people you meet in real life you refer to them as their screen name. They will also refer to themselves as their screen name. Hell, I don't even mention my name in this blog (which is intentional). I've gone to parties where I wouldn't tell them my real name, and they would just know Swivl (there's a practical reason for this, too). So, thinking on this, my hypothesis is that your real name doesn't matter for anything beyond legal and money matters.
In the future, it may mean even less, and that things would be tied more toward the ID number or some such than a name (maybe an ID implant, who knows). Names can repeat, after all, and not just on junior.
It's hard enough at the casino, where people use their real name for credit transactions, because so many card companies don't like to print out the full name on the card. With Mexicans, it's even more tricky with having frequently-occurring last names, plus their naming scheme which switches their middle name and last name in some documents, making completely safe ID verification nearly impossible. Then, add that so many banks won't put the "Jr." on a card where it might be necessary because the histories are so different, being different people and all.
Screen names are interesting; they're like rap names. They sum up your persona in some way that makes sense to you. You may have different ones, or you may have only one and you use it everywhere you go (I'm in the latter category, but even that is a recent development).
TL;DR version: My name is Swivl. You need not know anything else to call me.
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