I thought I'd get a psychological discussion going regarding people's identities on the internet. Everyone knows the great thing about the internet is that you can be whoever you want to. Tell people all about your life, make up a fantasy life, or not say anything at all. But what do you suppose effects people's decisions on what to share? Obviously that probably depends on what you're sharing it on, your profile on the Escapist might be a lot different from your profile on say a sexual fetish forum.
I figure there are plenty of things to consider when making such a decision. Security is a growing issue with sharing personal information, especially with the ability to trace people's IP addresses, which could turn a soured internet relationship into a very real and possibly dangerous real-life relationship.
An issue I'm particularly interested in is manipulating your identity to influence what people think of you. Someone might make themselves sound a lot older, more inteligent, and more important than they actually are to give their posts more influence and credibility. Some people (like me) might not want to share their age so that people don't look down on them or dismiss what they say for being young. Knowing who a person is and what their background/goals are is crucial for interpreting what they say. Consider something simple, like a joke. Say that ordinarily you would find the joke funny and intelligent. But what if only little kids said the joke, and did so constantly? One might grow to consider the joke immature simply because of who says it.
This is why the internet is so special as a medium for communication. Without voices, faces, or bodies, the words typed on forums or blogs can truly be seen for what they are. With so many 'pure' ideas, the internet becomes unparalleled in its ability to influence masses of people. Or does it? Every time a site like the Escapist invites you to customize your profile and share information about yourself, it is polluting this environment. Many people decide to go along with this and let the people they are talking to get to know them, as is natural in human relationships. But each person decides how what and how much they are going to share, based on what best fits their needs.
But am I saying that every person who shares their opinion on the internet should be an unreadable, nameless face? Certainly not, perhaps the opposite. Even the most intelligent people need to know what to believe and what to let influence them. This would usually be based on the person they're listening to. Do you really want to be lectured unknowingly on global politics by a 9 year old? Even a smart one? The potential lack of true identities on the internet corrupts this process, which could lead to some very misguided and ultimately harmful motions in people's opinions.
My brain hurts now so I'll probably be back to say some more, but now I leave the floor to you. What do you think about internet identities? A golden opportunity for a pure sharing of ideas? A blight upon your rights to know who and what you are listening to? Discuss.
(By the way I'm thinking about starting a research paper on this subject so do try to keep things intelligent. And if you say something really profound, I might even quote you! Probably not, though.)
I figure there are plenty of things to consider when making such a decision. Security is a growing issue with sharing personal information, especially with the ability to trace people's IP addresses, which could turn a soured internet relationship into a very real and possibly dangerous real-life relationship.
An issue I'm particularly interested in is manipulating your identity to influence what people think of you. Someone might make themselves sound a lot older, more inteligent, and more important than they actually are to give their posts more influence and credibility. Some people (like me) might not want to share their age so that people don't look down on them or dismiss what they say for being young. Knowing who a person is and what their background/goals are is crucial for interpreting what they say. Consider something simple, like a joke. Say that ordinarily you would find the joke funny and intelligent. But what if only little kids said the joke, and did so constantly? One might grow to consider the joke immature simply because of who says it.
This is why the internet is so special as a medium for communication. Without voices, faces, or bodies, the words typed on forums or blogs can truly be seen for what they are. With so many 'pure' ideas, the internet becomes unparalleled in its ability to influence masses of people. Or does it? Every time a site like the Escapist invites you to customize your profile and share information about yourself, it is polluting this environment. Many people decide to go along with this and let the people they are talking to get to know them, as is natural in human relationships. But each person decides how what and how much they are going to share, based on what best fits their needs.
But am I saying that every person who shares their opinion on the internet should be an unreadable, nameless face? Certainly not, perhaps the opposite. Even the most intelligent people need to know what to believe and what to let influence them. This would usually be based on the person they're listening to. Do you really want to be lectured unknowingly on global politics by a 9 year old? Even a smart one? The potential lack of true identities on the internet corrupts this process, which could lead to some very misguided and ultimately harmful motions in people's opinions.
My brain hurts now so I'll probably be back to say some more, but now I leave the floor to you. What do you think about internet identities? A golden opportunity for a pure sharing of ideas? A blight upon your rights to know who and what you are listening to? Discuss.
(By the way I'm thinking about starting a research paper on this subject so do try to keep things intelligent. And if you say something really profound, I might even quote you! Probably not, though.)
