Have you ever noticed how someone is completely different on the internet to how they are in real life? This is something I’ve often thought about. The way we perceive people face to face is a lot different than on the internet. Perhaps it’s because there is a lack of expression and contact on the internet, as well as realism. Okay, well that’s the answer anyway.
It’s just funny how people show a completely different side of themselves on the internet, you look at them or speak to them in real life and they’re a completely different person, a lot of the time anyway.
Another thing, people like to create themselves a little bubble in real life and keep everyone from knowing anything about them or what’s going on in their life whether it be good or not. They’re creating a false reality where they don’t tell anyone anything and keep things to themselves. On the internet with the freedom of expression people seem to be able to go on about their life and any problems they’re having.
I’m not going to deny it either, to what I am on the internet, I am a different person in real life - and I’m sure people have noticed that too. I feel like sometimes I can better express myself on the internet that maybe sometimes I can in real life. In a sense there is like a barrier (ok, firewall) between reality and the internet for me. Only selective things are allowed to pass through this wall and other things I like to keep separated from each other - generally speaking anyway. There are things in my life that people don’t know about on the internet, and visa verse – there are things on the internet that people don’t know about me in real life.
Reality <— Firewall —> Internet
Have you ever noticed how some people on the internet don’t let on any information about them and don’t like anything being found out about them? I mean, I administer a community with other administrators and with one of them, nobody even knows his first name! We’ve known him for almost 3 years now and not one single person on the community does. Of course, that doesn’t really bother me anymore, it’s just another thing I find weird from time to time and part of that is knowing that we’re friends, and I still don’t even know his name.
Anyway, that’s about it for an “interesting” post, but a lot of it is true though. False realities in real life, the difference between people on the internet and face to face, and people with unknown identities who you feel are good friends. I’d like to write about this a bit more as I think it’s sort of an interesting topic, so we’ll see what I come up with next time.
Comments
Michele (April 22nd, 2005, 9:52 pm)
I’d say my firewall is kinda one-way: on the Internet, I don’t say everything about my real life, but almost everybody I know knows I have a blog…so…
Actually, I say a lot of myself on my blog. Usually, the only things I omit are those involving other people, because I don’t if they’d like to be “featured” on my blog.
Maybe the biggest difference between real-life-me and virtual-me is that in person I’m totallt shy, while I’m not so on the Internet…
Dane (April 23rd, 2005, 2:02 pm)
I agree with your post so much Chris. I’m much more open and talkative on the internet as compared to my real life. In my real life, I go to school, usually sit alone in school for all 7 hours of the day because no one really cares who I am or what I say, and then I come home and open up to everyone on the internet. Although there is a selective “firewall”, some of my most personal things I dont tell anyone on the internet, and the people that do talk to me at school dont even know that I have internet. They’re seperate worlds.
Matt Light (April 24th, 2005, 4:22 am)
I am somewhat like Dane. I have a very little social life in my face-to-face life. There are a few people I talk to outside of my home, but usually only if I am approached. People online probably hate me for how much I talk and how blunt, and sometimes rude :P, I am. In person, outside of my family, I would rarely talk to anyone, let alone tell them what I am thinking.
Chris, if I met you in person I think you would be surprised by my personality, but happy that you could have peace and quiet most of the time… at least until I got comfortable around you
TemplatesForAllDotCom (April 26th, 2005, 5:44 pm)
I for one am MOSTLY the same online and off. Only differences is online I’m quieter and more professional. Offline I talk alot and get wierd and twice as goofy as I do online. I do agree with you Chris. Most people are somebody totally different than they are online. I got a few friends I knew from high school and online they are totally different than they are when offline.
sock (May 1st, 2005, 1:59 pm)
That *is* an interesting topic. I’m really different IRL than online. :
sock (May 1st, 2005, 2:04 pm)
Errr, my last comment was cut off… fishy, make it possible to use, umm, those HTML bracket thingies in comments. Thanks.
Anyway, here’s a second attempt:
That *is* an interesting topic. I’m really different IRL than online. =[ In many ways.
For instance, IRL I’m a girl.
Just kidding. BTW fish, those arrow thingies don’t show up right in my IE. =[
Ky (May 3rd, 2005, 4:05 pm)
I think if you are confident in yourself and true to how you feel, then there is no need to create a false surrounding in any situation. I agree that sometimes it is easier to create a different persona in order to express yourself or hide what you really think, but at the end of the day, you can’t change who you really are.
Chris Boulton (May 3rd, 2005, 11:32 pm)
That’s actually really like me. Just ask Ky
On the internet I seem to have created myself a little “home” around here, Messenger Plus!, MyBB and the other things i’m involved in.
Pfft, same goes for you
They use the :before thingys in CSS which aren’t supported by Internet Explorer
You know Miss Ky, we think alot alike. ;). I think I know you from somewhere, right? :P. You should know i’m fairly confident in myself, and i’m true to how I feel.. that one especially, right? <3 you…
Ky (May 19th, 2005, 4:14 pm)
Maybe we have met somewhere, Chris. But then again, maybe I am just the result of your imagination… Love you too.