Are people different online than they are in real life? People don't look like their avatars, OK, fair enough, I think I display only minimal walrus characteristics. And I'm sticking with the walrus cause it's cool. And oob doesn't have tentacles and Mr T isn't a horny snowman. And steveo isn't an angry monkey. I'm not sure if Fez is text, I haven't met him.

It's funny, I really did expect dr_steve to be an older guy, maybe around thirty, who was going prematurely bald. Although it is now apparent that the chap in his signature is some random university professor in England (I think that's what Steve said). This was obviously a relatively silly misconception of mine, which could have been fairly easily set straight via Wondrous Instant Messaging Technological Device. However, we do invariably build up a mental picture, or maybe that's not the right word, say profile, of what we expect people to be like. And then it might end up being inaccurate, so we rethink it, and then we know them better and can probably fit what we know about their past behaviour into our new model and find it works better than the old one anyway.

But do people act differently online? If they do isn't that weird? I'm only wanting to be one person here. I don't think I act differently online but if I do well that sucks. Archie McRiff is me, and so is John Polkinghorne, but Archie is not a persona, it's a stage name which I use in a music and, now, internet context. But I'm not a different person when I'm being Archie than when I'm John... it's not Ziggy fucking Stardust and the bloody Spiders from Mars.

And if people do act differently, are they adhering to a persona? Because that would probably justify it... eg the oob who I met last night, seems like a nice chap, but was definitely rubbing some people up the wrong way a month or two online. But that's visibly a persona, so I guess that's alright.

If people are, for example, less repressed online, and say stuff that they wouldn't in the Real World, that can be healthy if it provides an outlet that they wouldn't normally have... eg I tend to flick between shyness and extroversion in the Real World, whereas here there's no face to face contact so, probably because of that, I am more or less just the same all the time.

However, if the forums end up being the major outlet, or the sole outlet, for some people to make their thoughts heard - and this occurs at the expense of Real World interaction - then that is unhealthy.

As an aside, this may be why I like the fact that a good proportion of us have met each other in the Real World. And that the forums don't get ridiculously big... as I've worried in other threads. Although a few more active members would be nice. Say about fifty could be cool.

The internet allows me to be the abrasive yet confident bastard I wish I could be IRL.

Fair enough. But you can't be abrasive forever mate... otherwise you end up singing songs like "It's not easy being green" or that one which Kim Jong-Il sings in Team America.

And, while the critics love a good tear-jerker scene, in real life, I'm afraid, the songs are less catchy, the choreography inferior, and, in many cases, you lack the basic requirement of a 28-piece orchestra.

What am I going on about? I don't know. I'm off to the beach anyway, see all you goons later. Prob back in a couple of days.

This is a hellishly interesting point my dear Archie.

I think you are quite right in that the Internet does allow a lot of people to break away from the constraints of personality(ie.shyness), physical appearance(someone might be self-concious but can flirt easier online) and other assorted shackles that do not allow them to interact in a way that makes them feel comfortable in real life.

This forum allows people to adopt personas and certain attributes that in real life, they would perhaps not. I think, if anything, that what we see here is an extension of some peoples personalities because they feel far more free to express them, like they would with their close friends, whereas most of us are aquaintances and don't have that real-world bond, the internet provides us with a certain bond without actual physical meeting and/or presence.

Others, on the other hand, show a whole different personae because they feel they can't be that person in real life but there is nothing to hold them back online, like shyness, and thus they create this outwardly confident and talkative persona. For example, Yeliah said in real life she is actually ridiculously shy, on this forum she is straight up and says some funny shit that I can't imagine her saying in real life to those of us she is not wholly familiar with in a social setting.

I think I am pretty much the same person in real life as I am in this forum. If anything, I think I come accross a little more intelligent in the forum because I can always articulate myself better in writing than in spoken words. I suppose I flirt a little bit more here than I do offline, purely because it is harmless and fun, whereas offline flirting can be misconstrued to mean interest at that point in time and can have a stronger effect because there is that physical element to it.

Allthough, I did write an essay on the nature of online communities, cyber-sex and cyber-flirting and various other elements of VR(Virtual Reality) vs RL(Real Life) and some of the shit I learnt was very interesting.

And I guess I don't look that much like my avatar, I'm blonde for one and maybe if I went to the gym for the next year i'd have a body like that! But I do think that avatar sums up my personality quite nicely.

And i've talked enough shit(sorry) so I'm outies.

Because we don't have to physically see each other, the internet has allowed us to drop some inhibitions, put on these 'unseen costumes' of persona for our own amusement.

On the internet, I may sound like some guy who's got a visored cap, dressed in black or army green uniforms and probably has some unpleasant symbol sown on an armband. All of you know for a fact that I'm no where near as impressive as this guy:



(Those of you that have met me, I am just an average young man in university.)

I wouldn't call this sort of behaviour a form of insecurity since it's generally acceptable on the internet. If it encroaches on real life behaviour than that would be problematic.

I am actually Al Pacino. Who wants to come with me to the 2006 Oscars?

Definitely an interesting thread, Archie. It's something I wonder about a lot too, and I think a lot of people either are open about their differences online or try to pretend that we behave as we do online in real life as an attempt to transfer the characteristics we want offline that we display online (Like myself as a good example of that).

Then again, for those of you that have met me, I'm not that different. Probably a lot more reasoned, a lot slower and a lot less angry when I am online than in real life. I guess I probably seem a bit less geeky off the forums too, since I can actually wear jeans and decent clothes, plus scream a hell of a lot at random.

Plus I seem to be rarely drunk on the forums, which is amazing, because I am drunk a shitload.

I dont know what the fuck I am. Probably not a nice person online

Honestly, I am pretty much the same online as offline. No pretending here. What you hear is what you get. I think a few of you could vouch for that (Steveo, El Matador and Templar)

I think that some people may be the same both on and off-line or not the same but perhaps don't yet feel comfortable enough in Goon company to let their hair down and really relax, but with time and enough social gatherings I think we shall begin to see everybodies true colours and personalities, wether consistent with online representations or not.

Im the same online as I am offline. I can be nice, I can piss people off, I can act stupid, I can be boring, I can be funny. I cant be bothered being someone else. Im too lazy.

U guys tell me? am i the same IRL?

You're crazier in person.

haha um yay?

Crazy in a good way, like feeding me Tequila n stuff

I get to call peopel fucks, fucktards, fucking retards, dipshits, cunts, fuckfucks etc. without getting punched in the face and having to give them a flying elbow from the top rope. You see i'm actually the macho man Randy Savage, but on the internet I can come here and pretend i'm some Uni student who likes to call people fucks.

:hilarious: :hilarious: :hilarious:

I am exactly the same in real life.

Maybe I am a little nicer. My online persona probably doesn't illustrate quite how often I am laughing at you.


You may now taste my scrote.

There are less blowjobs and ball sucking and motherfucking online though

Im usually pretty much the same online and offline, I have to say I was being rather sensible and reserved the other night (actually thats probably partly coz when I first meet people, I dont want to scare them off, and I hadnt met you before Archie :hides: and also because the people here who best bring out my silliness (Tempy, Senor, Fez, Maliekieth etc) werent there :P
but mainly coz I was uber, uber bummed at being back from my beach and didnt really feel like interacting with people :(

edits: and i used to be wayyy insecure, but now im not. Infact I was just telling the bestie that over these past two days Ive been feeling so not...aware of myself, i dont think anything when anyone looks at me on the street or care or whatever, you know, its just, ehh, whatever, and i can now rather openly perve on guys without feeling like, well, a perve/silly.
I fail at explaining myself :P

In terms of personality, I strive to be as similar to my IRL self as possible when online. However I'm usually free to be a lot wordier and talkative online, except when people take offense at my philosophising. I generally feel much more comfortable and "myself" when writing rather than talking (though this is gradually changing).

And of course, I'm somewhat more free to get angry or eccentric online... but that's the beauty of the medium.... I do try not to act online in any way that'd embarrass me if I was doing it offline.

I like to think I am pretty much the same in real life as I am on the net, but I know thats not 100% true. I tend to be quieter around people I don't know in real life, and there are a number of things I wouldn't say in real life (unless I was in company I knew really well) that get said online.

But then I don't really know, those who have met me, opinions?

*i also kick and bite people in real life, and i dont do that online.
In real life, I also have a tendency to eat weird things.

Oh and also, there are way less naked chicks on the internet than at my house.

Is that really you Mr Flint?

I disagree and suggest you must be looking in the wrong places then :hmm:

No, or over my head.

No I already told you, i'm the Macho Man Randy Savage. I'm rping a Uni student who doesn't give people flying elbows, but does have sex with thousands of women. Often at the same time.

Hmm I think Shedevil in her first post, and samf in his post, summed it up nicely. Yeah I had a point myself I was going to make now but I seem to have forgotten it and I think it was minor anyway so I may just edit this post later if I remember it.

I reckon I'm more confident to say stuff online than IRL. otherwise i reckon i am more or less the same.

Hannoir where'd you get that icon from?

see the new adolf for avatar thread

Its from the flash cartoon "The End Of The World"

Im more jedi-like, and you can meet me when your band plays at my next party ;)

This is pretty much me.

My two cents:

So youre not suppossed to take the persona that someone creates online seriously but inevitably some people do, this makes my job as admin harder when it starts shit. So in short internet personas are good and all, so long as they dont piss too many people off.

Yeah, those assholes should be banned

I know you love that icon, but surely adding that to troll posts removes the point.

dont think I wont do it

I find it funny to be blatant about it.

We should apply this rule in real life, then we can finally ban Tanczos from government, that stupid greenie pisses off lots of people.

But what about Rodney Hide or Don Brash, MrT?

EDIT: Double post