posted on Dec, 20 2010 @ 08:06 AM
It has been mentioned here that the anonymity that goes with the internet allows one to express ideas which one may not do in 'real life,' thereby
revealing one's true personality.
However, I believe a person's internet personality does not necessarily reflect the person's true self, but rather, expresses a fictional character
which resides in that person's mind, created out of their desires and dreams.
The internet allows a person to be who they desire to be. For example, on the internet, a Freemason may express a sincere desire to help others,
whereas in real life, he does not do as much for charity as he would like, because in practice it is harder than it looks. But on the internet, he can
be that ideal Freemason.
Philosophies such as Magick, and texts such as 'The Secret' teach that the more we act out our dream character, the more likely we are to become
that person. This can be a very good thing, as many people go home, and try to be the good person they have proclaimed to be on the internet, thereby
becoming better people in real life. On the other hand, sexual offenders, for example, usually start out with internet pornography, and then later
become their fictional internet character (desire) in reality.
Either way, whether it is a good or a bad thing, I think that a person's internet character may not necessarily be who they are now, but rather,
it reveals the person they are becoming. Different people may be more or less progressed along this path of transition (and therefore closer or
further from their internet personalities), but nonetheless, their internet personality still expresses more a desire of whom they would like to
become, rather than a reflection of who they are now.