i wondered whether it was either an insult, or a term of endearment. I think the actual abbreviation of one's name to two or three letters just comes from journalism. An acronym is a version that is pronounceable, and an initialism is s aversion you can't pronounce. In a lot of cases, not all,. i think it's actually a status signal. It's a kind of insider shared language...to show that you're part of the community.