Quote:
Originally Posted by Warm Mist
This might not be the case for all, but for me internet community-based sites were always places where you could disregard the annoyances that real life interaction presents (such as restraint when expressing your opinion directly because you might offend someone).
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I have to admit that you're sort of hurting my faith in humanity a little bit here. I mean, of course, there are times when you have to mince your words and be diplomatic in order to preserve the peace. But if you actually were reading my "stream of consciousness", I don't think it'd typically be all that different from what I usually write, except if I'm particularly angry or otherwise in a bad mood. But, what you're sort of proposing is that being sort of angry, selfish, and spiteful (among other things) is a sort of "default state" and you go through real life constantly forcing yourself to "tone down". In that sort of scenario, the Internet is like the only place where you can be your "true self". And, in that scenario, I'd have to say: some people's "true selves" really aren't very nice.
I always assumed that it was more the other way around: that the anonymity of the Internet gave people an opportunity to exaggerate and grandstand and basically do and say all the sorts of things that aren't necessarily their "true selves". Or rather, it's the negative parts of their selves cranked up to 11 because they can get away with it. I suppose it could be a sort of catharsis.
Believing the latter is, I suppose, a form of optimism, because it allows me to think "they don't really believe that deep down, they're just saying that to make their point or win an argument". But if it's the case that most people really
do believe those things, and they just
act reasonable when it's expeditious to them to do so... well, yeah. I suppose this is fundamentally why I appeal to "tone it down", because I'm assuming that people are "toning it up" because it's the Internet. But if not... well, I guess that'd certainly explain how one could get jaded really quickly.