Hey folks :) Help me out with a paper I'm doing

[An Officer]

I voted "dissimilar".

I find the behaviour of people on this website particularly is quite different from behaviour I encounter in my day to day life. I have been posting here so long, I guess I have adapted my online persona to deal with these interactions, so I can communicate as efficiently as I do face to face.

I find there are far more nitpickers/argument-junkies, bullies, and self-inflated egos online than in my own RL encounters. That's not to say these characters don't exist everywhere, they just seem a more concentrated online (in my personal experience anyway, no doubt these experiences can easily be affected by the age/sex/location, etcetera, of each poster). So, I find myself expressing myself more forcefully than would normally be necessary in face to face interactions. I also find myself needing to defend my viewpoints pre-emptively more often. Altogether, this brings out a rather more pedantic, sometimes harsh and defensive personality, which doesn't really exist to such a degree in my day to day affairs.

Having said all that, this place doesn't really sound like the ideal place to hone the personality of a growing young person... It's not the absolute worst, but certainly not the best either.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I'm exactly the same on here as I am in "real" life. One example is I actually use my real name as my name here on the board. I think I'm fairly unique in that aspect. w

 

[TheSeeker]

Well we do have J. Allen too.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I'm pretty much me. Online or off, I'm pretty quiet until I decide to share. Then it's TMI, usually involves the word 'fuck,' or a juvenile joke. Then I shiftily look around and exit.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Sometimes different, sometimes the same.

EDIT: I think I'm gayer online that I am in real life. Other than that, I'm pretty much myself.

 

[Kestra]

It would be interesting to see a study in which people's online behaviour was monitored and then compared to how they answered this poll. I suspect the results would not entirely match up.

The problem is that it's really vague. If you asked more specific questions like "Are you more likely to voice a controversial opinion online than in RL?" you'd probably have different answers. For most people, they're going to believe that at the core they are the same no matter what situation they are in. We adapt to our situations and the internet is an extension of that. Our behavior probably changes in different environments to a certain extent. Unless someone is being purposefully deceitful, they're unlikely to say that they are a different person online.

 

[ares93]

I'm more or less the same. Although I'm more, shall we say, reserved with my wording on the forums. I realized quite quickly that telling people exactly what you think of them will get you banned faster than you can say "bugger, i did it again".

I'm usually not afraid to call people out on the bullshit in real life. But thanks to our beloved leaders, i cant do that on the forums.

PS: The dictator comment regarding the mods was a joke.

 

[Gryffindorian]

It would be interesting to see a study in which people's online behaviour was monitored and then compared to how they answered this poll. I suspect the results would not entirely match up.

The problem is that it's really vague. If you asked more specific questions like "Are you more likely to voice a controversial opinion online than in RL?" you'd probably have different answers. For most people, they're going to believe that at the core they are the same no matter what situation they are in. We adapt to our situations and the internet is an extension of that. Our behavior probably changes in different environments to a certain extent. Unless someone is being purposefully deceitful, they're unlikely to say that they are a different person online.

QFT.

 

[ancientone51]

I'm about the same. Just me. Maybe less "talkative" as I am a rotten typist.

 

[Skellington]

I'm not the same here as in real life. At the moment I'm typing, while in real life I'd be communicating in a different way. I think that the form of communication affects how we shape our expressions and sentences. There's also the anonymity factor, of course. The net gives us a mask of sorts, whether or not we use an avatar. People act differently when you can't see their faces and also when they can't see the faces of others.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I went with "the same", but it depends on what you mean. My being socially anxious in real like has a dual effect on my internet persona. As far as my manners yes I am the same. I am not somebody who enjoys conflict and argument and unpleasantness in real life so I try and avoid it online as well. On the other hand being shy the reason I am online so much is it allows me to be far more gregarious and say things I would keep to myself in person. So I probably come across somewhat less smarmy and jerky in public.

 

[trampledamage]

It would be interesting to see a study in which people's online behaviour was monitored and then compared to how they answered this poll. I suspect the results would not entirely match up.

The problem is that it's really vague. If you asked more specific questions like "Are you more likely to voice a controversial opinion online than in RL?" you'd probably have different answers. For most people, they're going to believe that at the core they are the same no matter what situation they are in. We adapt to our situations and the internet is an extension of that. Our behavior probably changes in different environments to a certain extent. Unless someone is being purposefully deceitful, they're unlikely to say that they are a different person online.

Valid point - I am still "me", but since I feel really awkward talking too much, I'm much more "me" on-line than I am in real life.

From that point of view, I'm different between the two, but the online version is more accurate.

 

[Thor Damar]

I'm with the majority(what a bolshevik eh?). I rarely speak up/post, and am often quite brief in how I express myself. Plus I make the odd draft remark or joke.(see prior parenthesis)

 

[Ghost07]

I'm definitely the same online as I am in real life