You Only Live Twice

In the digital age, you have (at least) two lives - your real life and your online life. Sometimes these two are pretty close, and other times they are worlds apart. Some people, I'm sure, create an entire online persona for themselves that's quite different from their main persona.

I find it interesting that Facebook encourages you to use your real identity, and also to post things to everyone you know. Even in real life, you rarely broadcast anything to EVERYONE you know. That slightly off-color joke that makes you the life of the party with your friends is not really that impressive to your Grandma. Likewise, posting nice stuff on Grandma's wall for her birthday makes you look like a huge pussy.

FOCUS: What real and online identities do you maintain? How do they differ from your day-to-day ordinary life?

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I am fake around certain groups of people... but I definitely expose different parts of who I am to different groups of people in my life. I would say it is more like certain groups get different flavors of my personality, even though they are all getting my true personality.

This is a large part of why I don't have a Facebook account. That combined with having no desire to reconnect with large portions of my past friends. I don't know, maybe I'm a horrible person who isn't real with anyone but anytime I think about actually trying to share the same aspects of myself with all of the different groups of people in my life all I can think of is that Seinfeld episode where George's worlds collide.

 

FOCUS: What real and online identities do you maintain? How do they differ from your day-to-day ordinary life?

Different situations require different behaviour and actions; that's a given in my eyes. As far as true identies go for my own life, I have a few...

When I'm logged into EVE Online for instance I play as a female character, and in the two months I've been playing I haven't made any allusions as to being anything other than female. Nine times out of ten when I'm allowed to specify a character to play in a game as either male or female I tend to pick female; not out of any gender-identity issues but because I usually perfer the company of women and I like looking at them.

On the occasions I choose to visit a strip club I usually give a fake name, and if I engage one of the dancers in conversation I usually tell her a load of crap. I mean it's not like I'm going to see them socially, or ever again (I never see the same stripper more than once despite frequenting the same clubs). So who gives a flying fuck?

Beyon that, nada. I'm a straight foward person with not a lot to hide that's of any real interest, online or off line.

 

Hm, cool topic. I don't have the most interesting answer, but here we go. Facebook is an extension of myself. There is nothing different about the Parker on Facebook, than the Parker on FB. I'm FB connected with some of my family, but all of my information is blocked from them. They don't need to see my asshole updates, or any of my pictures about anything, ever. Family is family, you are who you are to your family. In your different groups of friends you have different faces. I got friends I talk entertainment with, friends I talk sports with, friends I talk sports with, friends I talk video games with. In regards to work, I definitely tone down my cockiness, my joking ranting, and act very professionally. I do not get too up or down about anything at work. I also make sure not to talk trash about people at work.

The only other online identity is on here, I'm not on any other forums or do any online dating. No real big difference here either. I am in fact, a cocky (not arrogant), joking, youngest child/fan of attention, middle class black dude that has an above average size penis, who may or may not like chicken and waffles once in awhile. Just like in real life I should rarely be taken seriously unless I say "Okay, seriously now" otherwise I'm mostly dicking around. Not a lot of difference except I am definitely more understood in person, because people tend to project their own feelings easier when they read, unless the writing is succinct. On here there is a lot of Person 1: "I love cats, I have 2, I don't own any dogs" the next 5 replies: "Why do you hate dogs? Who are you Michael Vick? Fuck you!"

 

I am every bit as unfunny and uninteresting in person as I am online. The only thing I have going for me online is a backspace button...so there's more of a filter. I tend to just blurt things out in person.

 

I'm the same person in person that I am on here. Blunt, clever, fast with the one-liners and a nice balance of condescending and fucking adorable. Ask anyone here who's met me - what you 'see' is what you get. I don't have the energy to make up a fake online persona.

 

A lot of the time, I think of my overall internet presence as a way to keep writing as a part of my day-to-day life, and I do kind of go into it with the intention of portraying the character of myself. But, I wouldn't say the portrayal isn't very different than what I'm like in real life. The main difference is that, usually, I'm not the most talkative of people. So, even though I'm still thinking the same way I don't always come across like I would when I'm writing. A lot of my friends have told me that they like how when they talk to me online or read what I've written that it does sound exactly like how I talk in person, and they can usually pick out my voice. That makes me happy.

There is a big exception with my blogging voice. It is a lot perkier, bubblier, and punchier that when I'm writing for myself or how I am in real life. It's probably a good thing that I've barely ever met any of my editors. I don't think they'd hire me if they met me with the expectation of writing that way. But when I'm just an email address and a portfolio I can give them what they want and they wouldn't question it.

 

My wife and mother in law think I have borderline social anxiety disorder as I'm pretty crotchety, hate to small talk, and prefer to keep my circle of friends small and local, only at rare work nights and the random weekend,


During the day I'm a small business owner with 7 employees, dozens of customers and vendors and hundreds of calls hourly. Not to mention cold calling. I get burnt out at being "on" all the time.

Nothing against my friends, they're not demanding or anything. It's more of my perception and just wanting time to be alone.

 

Actually, Equillax gave us some hip-hop shoutouts:

I do talk exactly how I type, right down to using the word "dude" more often than I should. Of course, HEARING me is an entirely different story, at least according to all you jerks on our G+ hangouts who made me repeat the word "outside" over and over so you could fall off your chairs laughing YOU'RE THE ASSHOLES WITH THE SOUTHERN ACCENTS NOT ME, BEWIDLERED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I AM NOT FROM MINNESOTA, WOMAN.

We pronounce it "OWWWT-side."

You guys say "ya'll". That's funny.

 

Yeah, but you should know that we all greatly admire your backspace.

Focus: I'm not really sure what my persona is on here. I don't think I have much of one. I sort of just blend in here, which is nice because in real world I inhabit saying anything I do here would most likely result in pitchforks, torches, and the like. I may be slightly more entertaining here simply because I'm a little better with writing as I have a bit of time to try and extract some substance/humor from my inanity.

There is that Brad Paisley song about being cooler online, but what is sorta sad to say/realize is that I'm not even cool online.

Also, a recording of Bewildered drunkenly reading Where the Red Fern Grows in a wonderfully terrible accent may or may not exist.

 

On the internet, I am more or less the same asshole I am in real life. However, my behavior alters pretty drastically when I am at work. I grew up in the deep south in a town so small not even OnStar could find it, so I was consequently raised a huge redneck (still am). I've also been in a long term relationship with offensive comedy for as long as I can remember. Since I tend to work with the greater supporting cast of American Psycho, I have to tone down both of these traits quite a bit while in the office.

Anyone ever know someone that seemed to have a different identity for every group they operated in? I dated a girl in high school who seemed to have about 12 different personalities. Completely different girl at school, church, with her parents, with her rich cousins, with her friends, with me etc. She must have been so exhausted putting make up on so many faces each morning.

 

Online, I have Facebook and here.

The only reason I even have Facebook for is business and family.

I tend to post far less porn, dirty pictures, and slobbering drunken drivel on Facebook than I do here.

In real life, I have a business persona and personal persona.

My Facebook pretty much mirrors my business persona and TiB is a better reflection of my personal persona. (although I must admit, the anonymity of here leads me to debase myself more than I would in person)

 

I am similar but not the same online vs real life. I spent much of my teens online and not really interacting with people in real life, so I'm certainly less assertive in that context, but I still speak my mind, still voice the same opinions, still make the same offhand comments, and still creep on girls. I'm just less flirty in real life because I suck at it, and have a more authoritarian tone online that comes from running a very successful message board for 8 years.

Edit: now that I think about it, I'm probably closer to the real me here than I am elsewhere on the internet; but really to verify that you'll need to ask Crown, ghettoastronaut, hooker, or Angel. (Other guy there: I honestly forget your name and am not sure if you're still active. I'm really sorry for being forgetful, I was kind of high that night)