Do you have an Internet persona?

[King Toasty]

The title is self-explanatory, but I'll repeat it for a longer title post.
Do you have an internet persona?
Not just an internet nickname, but a whole separate personality for online?
It's actually a really interesting psychological aspect, that humans create separate identities for different occ-

You know what? Never mind. I might be imagining psycho-babble.
But do YOU have an identity for online?

 

[child of lileth]

Nope. I'm pretty much exactly the same as in real life. I never really saw a point in pretending to be something different online. And most people that do it are very obvious anyway.

 

[Sacman]

To an extent... I talk a lot and share my thoughts to people I don't know online... something I would never even think about doing... or if I do think about doing it my low self esteem just reminds me, "They don't care what you think, just sit there and try not to look stupid this time... I can't count how many times you've sounded like a complete idiot talking to that girl you fancy so much..."

 

[King Toasty]

Nope. I'm pretty much exactly the same as in real life. I never really saw a point in pretending to be something different online. And most people that do it are very obvious anyway.

Great answer.
Interestingly enough, I might have developed bipolar-ism from posting on forums way too much. Toasty, my persona, is a slightly arrogant, totally awesome sexist. Who is occasionally a dinosaur. Almost completely opposite from the /real/ me.

 

[Instant K4rma]

Not really. I just feel a lot more comfortable speaking on the internet, though. My opinions and views aren't necessarily any different, I just have an easier time explaining and portraying those views and opinions online.

 

[Wardnath]

To a point.

Since I'm not very capable of association in real life, this becomes an outlet.

 

[King Toasty]

To a point.

Since I'm not very capable of association in real life, this becomes an outlet.

Same here, I guess. I'm a bit anti-social when people can hear my voice.

 

[RathWolf]

Not intentionally. I may unconsciously act a bit different just because of the difference in interactions, but that's it.

 

[Gigaguy64]

Nope.
If you meet me in real life id be the same guy i am on here.
I hate it when people are fake to me, even on the internet, so unless im on a site like 4chan im exactly like myself irl.

 

[Erana]

I'm quite different in reality than I am on the internet.
In reality, I'm very quiet, and my neutral face seems to be a glower by many peoples' standards. I'm not outwardly hostile, but I'm often zoning out, giving an antisocial impression. The person whose one of my best friends now went half a year in the same dorm as me, thinking I hated her, when I didn't hardly know who she was, and harbored no ill will towards her.

On the internet, I'm an occasionally well-spoken goof and am somehow extremely endearing. I tend to take on this sort of clueless, helpless little girl thing with online games, 'cause I never play them enough to be particularly good at them, and a lot of people find that adorable. Or immediately attractive. You can ask Magnatek about this one with Brightshadow...
Edit: Magnatek was a witness! I phrased that terribly. >.<
But yeah, I was playing Brightshadow with him, and this other guy spent maybe 20 minutes in our party, and yelled, "SHE'S MINE!" at someone for saying, "Hi."

 

[Tula_2]

No I am also basically the same person off line as on line. I may be slightly more open and forthright on line but it really depend on who I am talking to which is the same as in real life. My "friend"(well sorta friend/person I know) always says "online is so great you can be anyone you want to be, online". I guess it is fair to say that anyone I want to be is just me; I'm pretty comfortable with that.

 

[Dane Tesston]

How I am on the net is pretty much the way I am IRL. The name Dane Tesston is merely my attempt at a consistent online identity

 

[King Toasty]

Nope.
If you meet me in real life id be the same guy i am on here.
I hate it when people are fake to me, even on the internet, so unless im on a site like 4chan im exactly like myself irl.

I grew up in one of those spammer-coated forums; it made me change my identity to protect it. Of course, I took over the "spam family", for about a year, before the entire site collapsed on itself. Good times.

 

[crudus]

I am more of an asshole offline. That's right, I am nice just for you guys. Other than that I am just the same.

Nope. I'm pretty much exactly the same as in real life. I never really saw a point in pretending to be something different online. And most people that do it are very obvious anyway.

Great answer.
Interestingly enough, I might have developed bipolar-ism from posting on forums way too much. Toasty, my persona, is a slightly arrogant, totally awesome sexist. Who is occasionally a dinosaur. Almost completely opposite from the /real/ me.

For someone who was about to go into deep "psycho-babble" you are thinking of the wrong disorder. Bipolar is when you experience mild or strong manic or depressive moods for a long period of time (2 weeks). You described Dissociative Identity Disorder.

 

[TheProfesser]

Yeah i usually find that im alot more talkative online and make friends online much more than in real life >.>

 

[King Toasty]

I am more of an asshole offline. That's right, I am nice just for you guys. Other than that I am just the same.

Nope. I'm pretty much exactly the same as in real life. I never really saw a point in pretending to be something different online. And most people that do it are very obvious anyway.

Great answer.
Interestingly enough, I might have developed bipolar-ism from posting on forums way too much. Toasty, my persona, is a slightly arrogant, totally awesome sexist. Who is occasionally a dinosaur. Almost completely opposite from the /real/ me.

For someone who was about to go into deep "psycho-babble" you are thinking of the wrong disorder. Bipolar is when you experience mild or strong manic or depressive moods for a long period of time (2 weeks). You described Dissociative Identity Disorder.

You're absolutely right. I looked into it after that post, and crap, I was thinking of Dissociative Identity Disorder. *high five*

 

[child of lileth]

Great answer.
Interestingly enough, I might have developed bipolar-ism from posting on forums way too much. Toasty, my persona, is a slightly arrogant, totally awesome sexist. Who is occasionally a dinosaur. Almost completely opposite from the /real/ me.

Well, there's tons of psychological stuff in differences in persona when hidden like on a screen name. Like, sometimes people use the alternate persona as escapism, some gender play to be more free about their real self, some just go all out to be more free with what they say regardless of how racist/sexist/disgusting and perverse it may be, and so on.

And then there's people that just do it for fun or role play. It's kinda fun to see the reasonings for it, but again, it's usually pretty obvious when the person is, for a lack of better words, out of character for who they are in real life if they aren't the real them in the online version instead.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

I'm more social online than I am in real life at the moment.
But who wouldn't be when they live in an area infested with chavs.
They all want to steal my lovely archeotech devices... I can see it ticking over in their minds...

 

[King Toasty]

Great answer.
Interestingly enough, I might have developed bipolar-ism from posting on forums way too much. Toasty, my persona, is a slightly arrogant, totally awesome sexist. Who is occasionally a dinosaur. Almost completely opposite from the /real/ me.

Well, there's tons of psychological stuff in differences in persona when hidden like on a screen name. Like, sometimes people use the alternate persona as escapism, some gender play to be more free about their real self, some just go all out to be more free with what they say regardless of how racist/sexist/disgusting and perverse it may be, and so on.

And then there's people that just do it for fun or role play. It's kinda fun to see the reasonings for it, but again, it's usually pretty obvious when the person is, for a lack of better words, out of character for who they are in real life if they aren't the real them in the online version instead.

Toasty emerged partly subconsciously, partly out of hatred for the money-addicted admins at my first forum. I'd love to look into this more; it's a fun subject, and could be a small-scale for cultural conditioning- if you like extrapolating.