While the people posting on forums and such like are real people who lead real lives, online personas are often quite different. Less so with IM services like MSN, but on forums, with the ability to see everything you're going to say and even edit what you've said afterwards, there are chances to iron out things you don't want other people to see much of. For example, I'm incredibly cynical, but I don't think you would guess it from my posts in general (ie excepting this one)

Obviously one's personality does come across, but I'll bet there are very few people who type exactly what they would say if they were discussing the same topic face to face with some friends

ah now Dark you were bang on right until you said "friends"

the Interweb cuts through those barriers of social convention that we have with people we dont know very well, or if at all, by its immediacy and anonymity. And with close friends, those same barriers are also lessened or removed altogther. However if you're with people you dont know well, if at all, thats when the barriers go up.

You (as in one) would be much the same with friends, unless you basically arent very friendly, as you 9not you personally) are on't'tinternet - perhaps a little less brash, a little less forthright, because unlike friendships, it's a simple matter to just walk away and go somewhere else, and no-one's going to deck you for calling them a tw*t in chatroom or ng. And thats the true difference between this and "real" life, here you are judged entirely by what you write, all of which comes from inside you, whereas irl you are judged on how you look, dress, smell, act, tone of voice, body language, a much wider range of criteria some of which are imperceptible consciously.

I deliberatley try to express myself here in the same way that i do irl, although here I lose my temper a lot less! I assure you I'm just as disrepectful and annoying and smug and bombastic irl! and just like here i drone on about arty films and the like any chance I get.

sw is expressing a view that Ive heard a lot before, esp from females (no Carla I'm not being sexist it's just an observation) and women do tend to treat the interwebulon differently than we do - for many women the internet is an extension of real life, for us its often an alternative. I've often wondered about that.

also in "real" life its often q difficult if you live in a remote or non-urbanised area to gather together a peer group of the like-minded, who share your interests and general world view, whereas "here" it's easy, its all done for you. I don't know if thats always a good thing. Leads to Everquest obsessions where people pretend to be elves 24/7, we have some at work, in their breaks they only talk in their "elvish" tongues( english with silly words) about their elvish lifestyles, and fall into their set elvish hierarchies. for lonely or unstable people, while the internet has been a boon interms of communication and interaction, its also damaging because nothing replaces the richness of "real" life. I think thats where you can make the distinction, sw; it's as real or unreal as you want it to be.

look at all the "magic" communities there are, the fantasy/rpg ones. Now while most people would treat it as an amusing diversion within the same framnework as the game, there are a lot who take it very seriously. Now we ie ordinary people know full well that there is no such thing as magic, spells dont exist, there are no wizards or dragons (sorry Heltak but there really aren't, show me one in my garden and I'll be a believer) but those of this persuasion will defend it to the hilt, and argue with each other over the tiniest detail; for example are Buffy type vampires to classed with "real" vampires ie sad goths who drink each others blood and stuff. Who cares? but it exemplifies my point. Like phones or newspapers or whatever medium of communication you choose, the interweb is just a tool, its up to people how they choose to use it.

Why hang out at TLR and not anywhere else? why post almost everyday? i find the conversation informative and entertaining, and there's q a few people who share my sense of humour, which is a good thing because thats actually q rare in "real" life. There's an example of reality cutting through the virtuality.



Edited by - Tawakalna on 6/26/2004 1:07:59 PM

You and your you's
Hmm well in a way that is what I love and hate bout the www
ppl that get to know you for the person who you are(if you are not pretending that is) they get to know your personality, after which looks doesnt matter too much, but irl its very different, ppl that could be friends is not friends becus every1 judges by looks.
Thats a reason why I make friends easier on the net as here
But to get to ppl that pretend, that makes the net a horrible place A friend of mine picked up a stalker, almost got us all in danger, but thats actually stupidity on her side
I'm babbling again and i had such and intteligent thing to say

And Taw I'm not sb who is always goin on bout ppl being sexist, I do have enough common sense to know women are different from men
the only place I get a bit agitated is if ppl(guys) makes a big issue of girls playin games that really really gets me

It's whether you are "projecting" your true feelings when you post or participate in a chat or using an IM. If you are being honest, then virtual reality is just that. It isn't the immediate physical world you are in but it may as well be because you're being honest.

But it still isn't RL if you consider that the friend you make on the web is so physically distant from your own location that you would not then be able to just
walk out the door and get together, play sports together, etc.

I think males are less willing to expose their souls, so to speak ... It is looked upon as being vulnerable. Thus being more prone to adopt personas when opportunity provides. I think most guys are being honest but are not secure in providing a "total disclosure" of what makes them tick so they only reveal "suitable" aspects of their persona. IRL, the same selective disclosure goes for many males depending on the circle of friends or acquaintances that are involved so that RL also is a form of VR except that all the experiences are in the physical realtime world.

I think females are more confident (but not necessarily totally confident, just more so) in what makes them tick so they are less uncomfrtable in letting others know.

Edited by - Indy11 on 6/26/2004 1:05:52 PM

i dont think girls should be allowed to play any games except the Sims and How To Bring Up Babies, in fact they shouldnt even be allowed to touch pcs at all because of all that dark negative female energy that disrupts electronics. get a kitten instead.

tbh I have more respect for a guy who is willing to show his feeling as for a guy who also wants to hide it in order to be mmore "manly"
and guys who wants te always be the dirtiest and most vulgar in order to impress girls deserve no respect at all

I guess the point i wanted to get to, was that ppl refer to real life as if this her eand the ppl on here are not real, as if its one big fantasy(sometimes in some ways I guess it is)
I know in irc we say a lot or joke that we want to play the game calles "Real Life" more, but this is actually real life on a screen


Each time I begin typing it it makes perfect sense in my thoughts, but by the time i'm finishedd its all seseless garble again

I'm just a lot more crazy irl, and some other stuff as well, but thats need to know and you guys dont need to know

Stuff you Taw Girls are allowed to play games and enjoy it
Besides or nm

Edited by - sycho_warrior on 6/26/2004 1:13:38 PM

i think you're ace, you're almost as much fun as Esquilax!

*Shrugs* My definition of RL would be slammed for being preaching. AGAIN.

Anyways

I don't lie about myself here much, what's the point? I may lie once or twice but it's for the best if I do. I don't try to fake people on the net. What's the point they're over there and your here. Waste of energy.

-~-~-~-~
There is no Silicon Heaven! But where do all the calculators go ?

You could no more evade my wrath... than you could your own shadow!

In terms of this forum, not been on any other, it is real life. I get to meet people that I do not know, and in truth, woud never get to me. sw, you from south africa, Esq from austrailia, Taw from england, and so forth. Short of winning the lottery and getting to travel, I would never get to meet people like all of you. It is an opportunity that I might never have had. I enjoy it and look forward every time I get to log in. I might not know ALL about you, but to a degree, I do know you. I find it interesting, even the differences as well as the likes. I have learned more about people and find intersting and enlightning. The way I see people has been change than just in reading about people in the news, for the better. I wouldn't trade it for anything. When sw responds to something I have written, its like we are sitting togeather, accross a table talking, or when Esq writes a comeback and a *shakes head*, its like I see him sitting there talking over a topic, he with a ginger beer and me with a soda.
So much can be learned.

Michael IIC12:9 My Grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

I wanted to make a really clever reply to that but my brains are dead
All fried up and useless
so I guess I'll have to say thanks for the complement? If it is one
I would tell you that you're not too bad either but uhm ya you owe me stuff
but I guess you're ok for an o*d dude

FD I felt about this place like you do for a long time, but nowadays *shakes head*

Edited by - sycho_warrior on 6/26/2004 1:31:08 PM

The complaments are meant. sw, Taw, Esq are the primary responders that I hear, though Indy, ff, Mustang and other respond as well, I value your responce and imput a lot, all imput. I just look at you three because of the divers locations you all are at. Taw to the north east of me, sw to the southeast of me and Esq to the southwest of me. Long ways from each other and me, but the feedback as the distance is, is something to learn from. I bought a wall map that I am trying to get marked with the relative postions of a lot of TLR people and look at, though divers and spread out, we till "talk" with each other dispite the distance.

don't be so sure, i have a habit of popping up in random areas of the globe without warning..

Just dont come to SA it can be dangerous

Fd what i meant, I always looked forward to w/e's when I could come her eand check out all the fun things said, this place had me rofl a couple of times, but nowadays I come here and get to red convos bout porn stars and stuff like that, which is not fun to read. In the last couple of weeks this place got to be less fun than it used to be
cept tonite that really was fun

I guess I can say that this place is a part of my life, lol I tell my friends bout the weird guys here and the things they say, but I dont know how much longer it will be fun to be here.
But I have to give it to the place, TLR is a LOT better than other forums

Edited by - sycho_warrior on 6/26/2004 2:17:24 PM

* X-Files Music start's up *