When I first joined a social network, I was very interested in meeting people and communicating. The more I commented and offered my opinions, the more I began to realize that people are much less inhibited in an online environment. I was always taught to be respectful to others, and this of course carried over to my online activity. It seems that not everyone shares this sentiment. It's amazing what some people will say when they think no one is really listening; like there's no one on the other side of their comments and remarks, reading the nasty things they'll write. Luckily I have not been the butt of too many unnecessary attacks, but it is a very real occurrence.
More than the intentional attacks, it seems to me that I have had and continue to have a problem trying to convey myself in an accurate way when there is no face to face contact. I am a person that enjoys a little sarcasm and dry humor. I am a person that uses a little sarcasm and dry humor in my communication with others. Sarcasm and dry humor don't always translate well to the written word. I sometimes find myself having a very hard time conveying my true meaning without the person I'm addressing knowing my personality. I have offended more than one person this way.
Who a person truly is can be a hard thing to know. Even with people we live next to, work with, attend church or school with, it's difficult to tell if we actually know them. So how do we know people we never actually see or have physical contact with? Does the fact that you know that I am 30 years old, my sign is Cancer, my favorite bands are Tool and Pearl Jam, and my favorite movie is Almost Famous, mean that you know me? Probably not. You could probably find half a million other people's profiles that offer very similar information. Does the fact that I have shared some personal stories here on this blog mean you know me?
All these things help a person who hasn't met me form an opinion of me, but how accurate is that opinion? It's hard to say. I'd like to believe that I've made some real friends online with people that I share common interests with; but what if they're serial killers, posting and commenting on photography online to pass the time between kills? My point is that this "society" that has been created through the World Wide Web and Web 2.0 may all just be a house of cards. Or maybe I'm just paranoid and cynical.
I don't mean to present myself as a critic of the online world. It's actually the contrary, I'm a big fan of it. I just worry that somehow we are losing who we really are and the value of human contact. I email my family and friends that live out of state fairly often, but it's a poor substitute for actually being able to see them and laugh with them.
I have noticed over the past few years that the more time I spend online, communicating and sharing, the more comfortable I become. Is this a reflection of personal growth or just a familiarity with the media? A little of both maybe.
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Yes because you are a Tool fan I know exactly who you are! I'm just being silly I really know who you are because I'm stalking you. Your comment on serial killers spending time online between kills made me laugh. I see the Web much like you do, there really is no way of telling who is on the other side. In the psychology of C. G. Jung persona is the mask or façade presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the inner personality of the individual; the public personality. We always put on a mask or social armor if you will. What the Web offers for me is a sterile environment and an ignore button in most cases. I agree that there are a lot of internet tough guys out there, at the same time there are people out there just like you, in the fact that they want to meet you and maybe they think you're a serial killer just killing time between kills.
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