How different are you Online in comparison to when you're Offline?

[HayashiTakara]

Originally Posted by blue skies

HT, I'm impressed. That's an interesting question.

People do seem ruder online than in real life. I guess some people have to let off steam somehow, and the only way for them to do it is by verally abusing complete strangers on the internet. All that pent-up rage can't be good for you...

As for me, I'm not really any different (I think). I'm nice and generally a pretty pleasant, patient, laid-back person (or at least I try to be). How I am online is how I am in real life. But of course, if I'm really a total bitch, it's not like anyone's going to know xD.

You should try talking to me more often, that way you wouldn't be so impressed, lol.

Anyway, yeah I think the way people are online is truer to their real selves, I think its almost equivalent to being drunk when you become intoxicated you no longer care and the truth just spills out all over the place.

Me personally have always lived by the, "like me for who I am" mentality. I don't want people to be friends with the "fake nice" me, and all of sudden find out how I really am, and become critical all of a sudden. Know what I mean? I can't seem to form what I'm trying to say properly for some reason... arg the tongue tiedness DX

[WanderingKnight]

Just a quick remark:

I myself fit into A in my description. The only reason this is true though is that the people that are around with me socially do not have a very high thought capacity. I also do not share hobbies with many of the people in my life such as anime (Hence why I would be on anime forum).

I don't know you personally, and I have nothing for or against you, but I'd just like to let you know that, speaking from personal experience, that attitude is a sure-fire ticket to social reclusion. "Thought capacity", whatever that means (in my town we call it intelligence), is probably not a linear quality. Meaning that there are more ways to measure it than a straight line between poor and excellent--which gives way to diversity of thinking. And that's the beautiful thing about meeting people: diversity. If you only look for those who'll share your tastes (or hobbies, or whatever) to let them into your inner circle, you will never find anyone, because there is no person that will have exactly the same tastes you have. By getting to know people with different tastes, however, you can develop new tastes of your own, and you can expand your horizons. Three or four years ago, I couldn't even have thought I'd be into metal, for example, but I had the chance of getting to know a couple of interesting people who were really into metal, and I opened my tastes towards that musical genre. That's just a silly example, but a valid one nonetheless. Similarly, there are lots of things you can learn from people around you, even if you haven't realized it yet.

This I tell you from personal experience. I know it's not much (only three years older than you), but it's something. By interacting with different people we enrich ourselves--both parties. Social relationships aren't a zero sum game.

Now on topic:

I don't know. My real life persona (I find the term "real life" terribly ironic... it presupposes the Internet is some sort of fantasy or illusion) varies with the people around me. Perhaps it's just me, but deep inside I believe everyone does that... People act differently depending on whatever emotional investment they have in the person they're interacting with. I definitely don't act the same way when I'm alone with my best friend than when I'm in a group of people, and I also definitely don't act the same when in different groups of people.

For example, last year there was a weekly class I had to attend during the day, when I normally attended classes at night. I had a very laid-back relationship with people at the nightly classes, I was very open and made friends quite quickly. However, at the morning classes, I had the feeling everyone was "stiffer", and thus I adopted a stiffer attitude myself. I have no doubts that people in the morning classes ended up picturing me as a lone, secluded wolf, even when that's not true most of the time.

I have no reason to believe this same concept doesn't apply to the Internet, too. I find myself much more aggressive when posting on Slashdot than here, for instance--that's probably because the overall attitude there is quite aggressive in some topics.

[rio]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

Just a quick remark:



I don't know. My real life persona (I find the term "real life" terribly ironic... it presupposes the Internet is some sort of fantasy or illusion)

i agree. i am always thinking 'real life' sounds the relationship of the Internet has nothing at all, and that is a kind of insult. To me, Both internet world and the world we live in are real, but the difference is only one; the internet world is our brain world, and the other is the whole.

so, i think what they express in the internet world is definetly a part of their own personalities, and features. But since we are humans, we don't express our brain straightly at the world we live, and has some extra movements and features there, so those things make humans different in the internet world to the world we live.

Of course , some people would be trying to act for the situation in the internet too, compared to some people wouldn't care the situation and act what they like despite they never do in the world they live. So that is something depends on the each person's tendency to some extent.

Perhaps it's just me, but deep inside I believe everyone does that... People act differently depending on whatever emotional investment they have in the person they're interacting with. I definitely don't act the same way when I'm alone with my best friend than when I'm in a group of people, and I also definitely don't act the same when in different groups of people.

For example, last year there was a weekly class I had to attend during the day, when I normally attended classes at night. I had a very laid-back relationship with people at the nightly classes, I was very open and made friends quite quickly. However, at the morning classes, I had the feeling everyone was "stiffer", and thus I adopted a stiffer attitude myself. I have no doubts that people in the morning classes ended up picturing me as a lone, secluded wolf, even when that's not true most of the time.

I have no reason to believe this same concept doesn't apply to the Internet, too. I find myself much more aggressive when posting on Slashdot than here, for instance--that's probably because the overall attitude there is quite aggressive in some topics.

i agree to some extent. But i find that explanation isn't enough to expain why people are different from what they are in the internet to what they are in the other. Because , if i would swallow the situation as it is, what you are saying is completly true i think. But i suspect there is something a difference between the internet world and the world we live, and some elements adds the difference of the personalities.Why i think so is i have written above.

But, if you include that possibility too, it is fine.

[HottieSasukeUchiha]

i act more hyper online than usual but i also think that people act there true selfs online. because some people live by "reputations"but so it could go either way. so i say if your true to yourself, you'll act the same everywhere you go

[yezhanquan]

I have no idea, really. I tend to think that I put more thought into my words online, as I'm a believer of the "judge forum users by their language" concept.

[bbduece]

Alcohol is call liquid courage so i guess the internet is call digital courage?

[HayashiTakara]

Originally Posted by bbduece

Alcohol is call liquid courage so i guess the internet is call digital courage?

lol, thats an interesting way of putting it.

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by bbduece

Alcohol is call liquid courage so i guess the internet is call digital courage?

Not too bad an anology, but then it's easier to insult, be opinionated, be more aggressive when we're not looking someone in the eyes, not judging their physical appearance. All we see of each other here are words and a mental image of your personalities.
Alcohol on the otherhand, just makes you feel invisible and allow people to be "braver" than they'd usually be.
No inhibitions, lol

I don't think that when we say 'real life' it's so much of an insult, it's more referring to 'offline' - if you remember some of the longish posts that were in the 'online relationship' thread about how important it is to meet someone offline, how the online personna is like the skeleton of a body and offline would be the fleshy parts, cause you get to see the person react with the environment you're in as well as other humans.

Some people too (alike me) don't include nor talk about their online lives to offline people much. There still is that kinda stigma about meeting and developing relationships from the internet, sure cause of social networks it's better, but since the environments are vastly different (virtual reality, vs reality) - i suppose some people will naturally change or segregate theirselves a little to adapt.

[Arceon]

I generally have this image of the internet as a little virtual area in which our mentality floats around most of the time freely expressing ideas to other minds in that area, and we all generate little avatars and visuals to give a small representation of ourselves to each other and maybe in those visuals a glimmer to a persons true nature. Or that's just me stuck in deep thought. Again.

My offline persona isn't all that different than my online as I grew up around my personal goal of understanding a little bit more about the world around me than those people I know around me offline. Thus I generally do not fit in whatsoever offline, as I tend to stray from what most people talk about, the celebrities, sports, and local people in school, but rather find myself absorbed in technology and the advancing world of various scientific fields, and discussing that with people I found with similar habits.

The only real difference online is that, while I still do have long-winded discussions about theoretical sciences, I tend to spend more of the time on games, advancing my artistic talents, and cracking a ton of sarcastic and ironic jokes.

[Cake-kun]

*On: Personally, i really try to be polite, so i won't offend anyone. Especially here. I don't know anyone in this site, but i'm happy that i made friends here. I try not to show the "real me" here.

*Off: Me, if offline, i do crazy acts. I'm usually noisy. I hate quiet places, so the real me is not seen when i'm online. I'm a different person when i'm online. I try to be polite at *on, but off, i say foul. (I'm not afraid to say it.) When i'm with friends on YM, i didn't say anything offensive, but if i'm with them, i do curse them. (I only do that if it is joke time, i don't curse people without reason) I hurt them, i spank them, in fact. :] I'm saying something absurd, and i don't care if many people will hate me for being the real me. Really different when i'm *on.


Bottom Line: I change when i'm *online. :]

[Miki7]

I think that happens with everyone

[Solais]

Offline: Like to curse a lot (well, I'm hungarian, so it's normal), pessimistic, a liar, cynical, anti-social, lazy, and most of the time irritated. Most people hate me, but not because of my personality, it's vice-versa (I have this personality because of hate).

Online: Nice guy, trying not to curse much, calm, friendly, kinda social (but still not like a normal person), helpful, trustworthy, optimist. Online there is a possibility that people like me, or be just ignorant of me. This is my actual personality.

[Amray]

Online I am really nice, sometimes sarcastic. Offline I am the same.
The only thing that really differs me from when I am online and offline is my short temper. Offline I am really nice and caring although I have a short fuse that opposes that kindness, and when you have lit that fuse then my happiness perishes. That is the price for my really good side. Just think of me as a male Kagami, very alike in comparison which is why I love her so much. Online though I never really get annoyed or aggravated. It is hard to tick me off through the interweb I'm afraid..so I apologize to all the trolls out there.

[klowny]

Online: i am a butthole and love to make people mad and occasionally nice
Offline: an arsehole to people but mostly nice (contradiction)

[teachopvutru]

When online, I have a lot of times to think through what I say (or type), so I tend to be more level-headed. Offline though, I'm a bit more hot-headed, and since I cannot speak well without forming what I'm going to say in my head first (except for common phrases), I tend to be not very talkative. Going to personal life a bit, I used to talk a lot when I was a kid, and the habit described in the last sentence came from people telling me to shut up and "think before you talk" all the time back then. Though to be fair, that's also due to my tendency to stutter when I talk.

So online: calm. Offline: somewhat short-temper, more childish, and quiet.

[Nervous Venus]

Everything's about the same online and offline for me, except online is w/o the stutter ( I talk like Calista Flockhart's Ally McBeal). I really don't have a foul mouth and don't particularly like being around those that do; I call people " silly, silly corknut"; Go out of my ways to help strangers. I also make friends very easily.

I'm also very opinionated and vocal about my feelings or thoughts and have a tendency to be bitterly sarcastic. Not much of a difference.

[blue skies]

Originally Posted by HayashiTakara

You should try talking to me more often, that way you wouldn't be so impressed, lol.

Anyway, yeah I think the way people are online is truer to their real selves, I think its almost equivalent to being drunk when you become intoxicated you no longer care and the truth just spills out all over the place.

Me personally have always lived by the, "like me for who I am" mentality. I don't want people to be friends with the "fake nice" me, and all of sudden find out how I really am, and become critical all of a sudden. Know what I mean? I can't seem to form what I'm trying to say properly for some reason... arg the tongue tiedness DX

Nah, I've got the feeling I'd still be impressed xD.

I've never understood why some people feel compelled to say stuff online that they never would in real life. You should just be who you really are. Then again, with the whole anonymity thing it'd be easy to say stuff you normally wouldn't, and you wouldn't have to worry about what your friends thought or anything. Sometimes I see stuff that makes me go lol, there's no way you're realy like this.

[Seditary]

I'm kind of like WK, in that offline I will specifically tailor my speech, mannerisms, sometimes even thoughts to what I believe the person(s) I am talking to require to advance whatever I am doing with them or want to get out of them. (yes I realise this leads me to never truely being myself with anyone)

That is unless I'm drunk or really really tired, so my longtime friends have seen my true self a bit

Whereas online, everything about meeting people is already in my control, I can choose where I go, I can choose to ignore people or not, I can choose to be online or not etc etc.

However even online I'll 'test' people I meet before opening up even in the slightest about my true self because you just never quite know what an online meeting can bring.

I sometimes liken myself to an onion, many many painful layers raw, but cook me just right and I taste wonderful.

[ApostleOfGod]

Me all day.

The only thing is I try to adapt to the environment I am presented with more or less. The way I talk isn't much different - colloquial / slang / formal, whatever the case presents me with. I.E. on anime forums like this, I don't really go all out on slang and colloquial as I would normally.

But I don't think that's a facade or a double-life, I think that's just a way you present that part of you which is most suitable for that environment. There are people who completely fake themselves and stuff, and I was one of them (it was on Diablo II ). I ain't much different in person though. Just try to keep real and be me. Otherwise, if I'm not me and you're not you, what the heck are we?

[Animepandafreak]

I act the same , I say the same things to ppl 2 I'm mean/nice but not 2 mean. just 2 mean 2 ppl who innoy me 2 much and ppl who are mean 2 me first. I'm as slow as ever.