Archive for October, 2004
All of cyberspace is a stage and we are merely players.
Now before I get WTF’ed about killing Shakespeare, lets talk.
I’ve just finished reading The Online Disinhibition Effect. It talks about the psychology behind the differences in people online in contrast to off-line. It’s a really good.
It talks about a person’s ‘true self’ being realized. But I came out with the impression that it can’t be. If a person’s ‘true self’ is revealed online by supressing off-line tendencies, then their ‘true’self’ can’t be revealed because those tendencies being supressed are part of that person, like it or lump it. The whole idea of it though is very apparent.
They discussed the idea of people thinking it as a game, which I see far too much of. Life is not a game, and it annoys me when people see it as that. However, I can see where they are coming from. Those internet users who see it as a game usually only use it a game (if that makes sense). They don’t try to get emotionally attached to people online, they are simply using it to pass the time, then throwing it away following the occurance. However I’ve found from personal experience that those who see it like this do eventually grow out of that idea with the more time spent online.
The last thing I’ll comment on here (since I need to go get a shower) is the idea of timid people expressing emotions and ideas more online because of the idea of anonymity. I can definitly agree with this theory. Even take me writing this. I can not honestly see myself talking outside of the internet about this, because it seems to me that only internet users would be interested, and I wouldn’t want to talk to anybody else about it. I’m not sure if it’s the idea that they don’t know who I am off-line that makes me not want to discuss it as much as it’s the fact that I can’t see them relating to it. I guess it’s location, and fear of being looked at like ‘WTF?’ Gotta hate that look.
That is all.
Always the odd one out
So today I was reading an article that I got from my Google Alert. The article was titled “Teen dreams hide behind screens“. It talks about the general concept of blogs, and a girl named Cassie who blogs and what not. It’s actually a really good article.
Here is a snippet from the article:
Cassie’s parents know their daughter spends $25 a year for a page hosted by Xanga.com. But she rarely shows it to them. It’s for her and her friends, she says, like a phone call or an Instant Message.
Joy Leap, a paralegal, says she respects her daughter’s privacy and doesn’t go looking around on the site. She figures her daughter talks to her more than most teens talk to their parents.
Now first thing I have to say is that Joy Leap is my hero. All parents should trust their kids this much. If they have something to tell you, they will, otherwise let them make their own mistakes. Because this is how blogs are, exactly like a phone call or instant message, it’s private to the extent of those that should know it will be told about it.
Ok, now the next thing I want to comment on is simply rambling here, because I feel like it. So I’ve been blogging for 3 years now (a little more, but not consistantly). And it’s just the past 6 months or so that’s it considered a ‘phenomenon’. Now this wouldn’t be a problem, but they say that most blogs are done by those under the age of 18. So since I’m 18, I’m not included. Now come on, how fair is that? I help to make it popular, I get people blogging then I get pushed off the bench and end up on my ass on the wet grass. Come on, I used to be cool, right?