is it easier to share your true personality online?

[CR33P]

i find it easier to talk about deeper things with strangers over the internet. mostly because i will never see them again. i'll start. life is boring. i don't really feel like explaining it. i can still get embarrassed on the internet

k i'm done

- - - Post Merge - - -

omg i wish i had an action packed life like eren from attack on titan! then my life shall have a clear purpose!

 

[Aryxia]

I don't know why, but I'm much more reserved when I'm talking to my online friends than my real life ones. It's kind of weird, but even though I know that I'll never actually meet anyone here, I just don't open up as much or as easily when I can't see their face, even though I'm an introvert (but according to most personality tests I straddle the line between introversion and extroversion.)

 

[g u a v a]

i find it easier to talk about deeper things with strangers over the internet. mostly because i will never see them again. i'll start. life is boring. i don't really feel like explaining it. i can still get embarrassed on the internet

k i'm done

- - - Post Merge - - -

omg i wish i had an action packed life like eren from attack on titan! then my life shall have a clear purpose!

Hmm I think it's easier for me to open faster on the internet, whereas in real life I tend to be a bit standoffish with new people. But at the same time I tend to keep certain things to myself on the internet that I maybe wouldn't in real life and vice versa.

 

[Colour Bandit]

Sort of, but even online I run into the problem of putting my thoughts and feelings into words so no one really knows 'the real me'... (My brain is too mighty for any human language! Aka, either my vocabulary is too small or my brain is a mess)

 

[epona]

Yes. There are things I've told friends online that I have never been able to tell my real life (I hate that term, because I value online friends just as much and they are very much real friends to me, but I can't think of any other description) friends or even my family. I can still get embarrassed on the internet too, but it's not so much embarrassing things as it is more personal things that I find easier to talk about online. I think people on the internet are generally more understanding when it comes to things that are hard to talk about, especially mental illness; partly because a lot of people who are suffering from similar demons go to the internet to seek solace and support.
Don't get me wrong, online communities have plenty of terrible flaws, but I think in general people who are part of online communities like forums and tumblr etc. are a lot more educated and accepting when it comes to things that are widely stigmatized in everyday life, and that makes it easier to talk about them on the internet.

On the other hand, there are things that I keep a secret on the internet that aren't possible to keep secret outside of the internet. This isn't so much because I'm reluctant to talk about them, but more because I feel people would treat me differently if they knew. Maybe secret is the wrong word; it's more a case of not speaking about it unless I'm directly asked or in a situation where I can't avoid speaking about it. I'd keep certain things secret outside of the internet too if I could, but it's a lot harder than it is online.

 

[Bowie]

I'm much less formal than I seem. I like to party!

 

[Saylor]

I don't know why but I can't completely express my true personality online, I come off as a lot more boring than I would in real life. I can open up and vent to people I meet online, and I'll do it any chance I can get because I don't have many people in real life I can confide to, but I'm a bit more stiff and making jokes doesn't come as naturally for me as it does in real life.

 

[Shirohibiki]

nowadays, for me, yeah. ive become more introverted, and so i dont speak up as much irl. online, its much easier for me to be myself and be open like usual.

 

[Aradai]

Yeah, a bit.

 

[Cariad]

At school, I am often bullied for being a 'nerd' which, by my attitude, I am not, I am just 'clever' (as my friends put it as they console me even tho I actually don't care what they think). So, I try to act a lot more chilled online (I'm always really tense and I want to know when everything is and stuff), and i like it how people don't know this and they treat me normally. I do like having a second 'me', but I am afraid I am much more formal (not with clothing but with my speech and stuff) in real life. I like being able to come home and being able to free myself. I'm not sure I would be friends with the people I am friends with if I was like how I am in real life, but the internet copy is very similar. Basically, I am not myself online, but I like that.

Now, I'm sorry for wasting your time.

 

[Beary]

I find it both hard and easy, depending on who I'm talking to.

 

[Beachland]

I think it depends. When I'm talking directly to one person (unless I know them well) I find it harder online because it's harder to convey friendliness and easy to seem blunt or rude even though you're not trying to. But I'm more open about my interests online- my friends in real life make fun of me for them (they're not very good friends).

 

[krielle]

I'm definitely a more outgoing person online.

 

[Stepheroo]

i'm just obnoxious everywhere, so like...?

 

[Zulehan]

There is that, but I also believe the Internet has a similar affect as being behind several tons of steel (i.e., driving a car): your more aggressive impulses more easily come out. People already act differently toward strangers, especially those who can do nothing for them. Add to that a 'screen' between the strangers so that their eyes do not meet, and you have even more incentive to show someone how much of an a hole you are before going home and treating the people you care about with the utmost respect and warmth.

 

[Glaceon2000]

I find I'm nicer online than I am in real life. That might be because I was really scared of getting banned on an MMO, so I made it a point to be nicer. It stuck and it feels natural now. It also helps that online friends are a lot nicer than real life friends IMO.

 

[azukitan]

That would be a no. I'm actually a lot cruder in real life and am way too polite online XD

 

[RainbowCherry]

easier to talk? yes.
personality? no
just gonna say, eren has an acatio packed life? but his life would be hell. watching friends get smashed into a wall/tree isn't very fun. then their dead bodies get thrown off so you can outspeed a titan. no spoilers. not really a spoiler. but SPOILER WARNING.

 

[00176]

i dont get this problem since i have multiple personalities which i use both on the internet and irl to keep me from showing my true, tormented self :'((((

But, I do think both sides have their flaws. For instance, on the net it's a lot easier to take your time with conversations, but in real life you have to know what you want to say the minute you hear a sentence. There's also the fact that a computer screen protects you from having to directly deal with the judgement of others, so it's easier to say things that are personal, stupid, mean, whatever. However, for me it can be really hard trying to understand the emotions of other users/friends when you're online than offline, and that bothers me.

 

[dulcet]

no