In recent years, Indonesian social media has abounded with the IDs of individuals with names ranging from Mati , Tuhan , Aneh , Satria Baja Hitam , Kanjut , Jashujan , Pajero Sport , Y , F , Saiton , Andy Go To School, Dontworry, Royal Jelly , Es Bon Bon , Slamet Hari Natal , Anti Dandruff, Pangeran Ganteng – you get the picture.
In 2017, Polisi experienced mild Internet fame when stories of police officers booking him for driving without a licence went viral.The force offered Polisi a security job because of his unique name. Polisi doesn’t know what went through his parents’ minds when they eventually chose the fifth name. What he knows for sure is that he never dreamed of becoming a security guard.“Well, I don’t know. I never believe in such things. I have never had a dream to work as security, but maybe I’m just lucky,” Polisi said.
“We are actually comfortable to be associated with something that we are familiar with, including our name. So sometimes it can affect our decision-making or even the career path that we choose. We call that ‘implicit egotism’. However, if we keep our implicit egotism going, it can become nominative determinism,” Yunike said, referring to a theory whereby people tend to gravitate towards areas of work that fit their names.