Blog 1: Online Identity

Sometimes people just don't want to deal with reality. There are deadlines, events, and a million other things that need to be stressed about. When the internet came into play, it became almost a getaway for many people. When normally they'd be the shy and timid person at work, they'd become this strong, courageous hero online. I read this article about the psychology of cyberspace and identity management. It talked about the level of fantasy and reality and the conscious aware and control. It really put some things into perspective. Over time, can people differentiate between their online life and reality?

What will this mean for society if the online realm becomes more appealing than reality? If a person is getting a negative reaction from his peers in reality and the users online accept him, he's more than likely going to become attached to that positive reinforcement and spend majority of his time online. But how bad could it get? Maybe spending some time away from the world can be a good thing. On the contrary.

People might become confused with who they really are compared to who they've become. Ideally we'd assume if people like the way someone is acting online, that person would change their personality in reality to fit their online persona. Sometimes, society is not as accepting to an online persona, but the user has become extremely attached to it. What now? The negative reaction in the real world can make the person want to reject reality and stay inside on the computer. Now we're stuck with a recluse who is starting to believe he's a level 86 mage with a charmed double blade sword and the ruler of Azeroth.

An example was given in the article about characters of people who role play seem to take on a life of their own. It can become a problem if people start believing they are their characters if they're otherworldly. The limits of role playing are only as restricted as one's imagination, but those rules can't apply in reality if a person thinks he can cheat death by stopping a moving bus with his mind. An online persona can be a dangerous thing if people can't keep it separate from the real world or learn to apply the positive characteristics while leaving the negative or socially unacceptable behind.