Most of you reading this have access to the internet whether it be mobile, desktop or tablet and I can safely assume that you have at least one social network in the form of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and many others.
The world has a come a long way technologically, specifically in how we interact. The days of long walks on the beach, coffee at the local café and touch rugby after work have been replaced my meetings on Skype, pokes on Facebook and Smart TV’s. Whilst we are happy and proud of where humanity has come from, there is always an ugly part of progression that we don’t like to see.
The social media sphere has created what I believe are split personalities. Netizens log on and slur others in derogatory ways or even express themselves online much more than they do in person (offline). While there is absolutely nothing wrong in expressing yourself, do you think there is a problem when your online personality is completely different from your ‘offline’ personality?
It’s a topic of debate I have wanted to raise for a while. Personally I have met people and have friends who are one person “offline” and a completely different person online. I don’t think these people are psychopaths but I want to explore this area. Are people more comfortable online? Does their imagination takeover online? Or is there more confidence to hide behind a username knowing that whatever you say will go unpunished?
This is how Planet Minecraft explains it, “What do you think of your online self? Are you energetic, frantic, responsible, trollish, or silly? In any case, most people act differently online than in real life. It’s nothing to be ashamed about: it’s simply the way the internet works on you. You see, while online, you generally lose some inhibitions you have in real life, such as manners and shyness. Maybe you are very shy in real life, but while online you feel like you can put yourself out more. The loss of manners causes trollers and flamers to take advantage of their anonymity to start flame wars and make rude remarks to people…”
…As described by Wikipedia: “In internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a forum, chat room, or blog), either accidentally or with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.”
Based on the above quotes, it is clear that most people find solace behind an online screen name. It is a place where people can explore their imaginations, vent their anger, fight with others, meet new friends and forge relationships. However, are our online selves completely ok if our “offline” selves are completely different? Is there meant to be a consistency between personalities or is ok to get lost in the internet?
