Sunday, July 6, 2025

October 22, 2012

BBC Investigates The Passive Agressive Wi-Fi Name

The BBC has taken a look at the rise of the passive-aggressive wi-fi names. The gist of the matter is that wi-fi network names have become the fridge notes of the digital age.

The BBC has taken a look at the rise of the passive-aggressive wi-fi names. The gist of the matter is that wi-fi network names have become the fridge notes of the digital age.

You know the types. Those left by maladjusted co-workers: “DON’T TOUCH MY MILK”, “the day-old curry is not yours to eat”, “THE BLUE SMARTIES ARE POISONOUS.” For those precious individuals, the communal fridge was a bulletin board for all their frustrations. Now, we all have the chance to tell our neighbours off for stealing our newspapers, letting their dog shit on the pavement, or tut-tutting their passionate cries disturbing your quiet time.

The BBC trawled Reddit for ‘stories’ relating to this modern occurrence, and posted them together and called it a feature. It’s unclear whether the examples are real, or just perpetuated Internet myths. The example of one user’s SSID “stop stealing my paper,” and another “FYI I don’t read it I just throw it away” has been around longer than rick-rolling.

The article begins with an explanation of an SSID (the name of your wireless network) before giving a few examples of ‘amusing’ wi-fi network names:

But this is an era of bite-sized self-expression. It’s possible to see names like “Drop it like it’s hotspot”“Terror network”, and “Virus Detected Shutting Down”. Or witticisms like “Pretty fly for a Wi-Fi” and “Wi Believe I Can Fi”.

It is a sad day indeed where a wireless network referencing an R Kelly song is regarded by the BBC as wit.

The article goes on, listing a bunch of wireless network names that instruct neighbours to do things.

  • “Stop slamming the door!!!”
  • “Stop wearing heels!”
  • “Shut up”
  • “Stop running”
  • and “Stop shouting!!
The bloodhounds at the online investigative journalism team at the BBC just cannot be held back. Actually, for a short summary of the article all you need to do is click on the wi-fi symbol on your PC or Mac and read through the available wireless networks.
What is interesting is that earlier in the year, OpenSignalMaps ran a global search of network names indicating either support or opposition to Obama in this year’s US presidential race. The results are somewhat mixed, and there is little to take out of the study, apart from the fact some use their SSID’s to show political support.
There is little the feature tells us that is new. The BBC quote technology expert Tom Chatfield, who offers this nugget:

‘It’s targeted at the person to prick their conscience,’ he suggests, but often it is a ‘cathartic exercise’ for the user’s own satisfaction.

The only vaugely humourus joke about wi-fi network names is:
Yesterday I set my wi-fi’s name to “Hack this if you can”. When I checked it today, it was called “Challenge accepted”.
Which, sadly, the BBC neglected to mention at all. The moral, if one can be gleaned from this rather late-to-the-party puff piece is that if your neighbour is pissing you off, go knock on their door and express yourself IRL, rather than try and communicate over your SSID.
[Source: BBC]