The Online Persona verses the Real You

I don't see why anyone should sway their beliefs and argue both sides. It would be easier to argue both sides at once from the same perspective. This is what I do anyways, for 90% of things on here i neither believe or doubt them. I just take everything in stride, like a heads up.

For example, I don't think something like project blue beam would ever happen, but if the time comes where I see 'god' in the sky and 'aliens' attacking the earth, i'll know whats really goin down.

I feel I'm the same both online and off, with a few exceptions, I feel I express myself much better in real life then I do or ever would online

I haven't really posted here a lot, usually because my 2 cents really isn't necessary, but I do discuss a lot of the stuff with friends and co-workers, and am actually surprised by the amount of people open to discuss such topics, people are a lot more open minded then they get credit for, just a lot of topics still seem taboo in real life so their not so quick to open up without an invitation, prob not to seem like nut jobs themselves lol

Originally posted by The_Alarmist2012
Example: A person who in their real life will deny the existance of extraterrestrials and UFOs, yet here they can openly state that they believe in them. Perhaps someone who in their real life would never speak of potential government conspiracies surrounding the events of September 11, 2001, yet here at ATS they openly discuss these theories, and accept some as truth because the majority of fellow users do the same. A different kind of social online group mentality if you will.

Could a person be 'controlled' by participating here in digital form?

Many good points made here. I agree with KoldAcadian:

Originally posted by KoldAcadian
people are a lot more open minded then they get credit for, just a lot of topics still seem taboo in real life so their not so quick to open up without an invitation, prob not to seem like nut jobs themselves lol

Evidence: Look at politician approval ratings, regardless of political party. People don't trust their 'representatives'.

Evidence: Look at how much people trust the mainstream media. Less than 20% of Americans think the media is even mostly unbiased.

Evidence: Look at the number of disaffected non-voters. Do all those people simply not care about politics? People don't trust the political process.

Evidence: Look at polls measuring doubt about about 9/11, UFO disclosure, etc. Incredibly, the majority of Americans don't trust that they're being told the entire truth.

Yet, 'fringe' is still considered fringe. People are, as mentioned, afraid of being classified as different and ostracized for their expressed doubts and beliefs. The more rabid media makes this process quite apparent when it happens to public figures.

Why this pseudo-isolation? Well, any speculating about motives is just that -- speculation. But the effects can be analyzed. The result is a false division of agreement among the citizenry, and where that is not possible, a dissolution of expression, in forms that might lead to uncontrollable coordination amongst average citizens.

Shut up, hide your face, and only speak though the 'tubes'.

Originally posted by Dulcimer
I think many people try to boost themselves online and do lead two separate lives, one "better" on the internet and the real one (which is usually involves pale skin, acne, virginity and a basement ).

This is a bit insulting. It's impossible to create a false 'better self'. Any online-self you create must be at least an aspect of your self (albeit one you may not be able to express in RL)

Many people communicate better in writing than in a social situation. If you look into the lives of many famous authors and composers they are reserved, sometimes even described as dull.

A combination of their experience and talents mean their creativity and ideas are only revealed by the written word. I suspect from reading ATS that many prolific posters fall into this category. It doesn't mean they are pale-skinned virgins lurking in basement pretending to be cool online. It means they fall into the category of people who express themselves better in writing, that is all.

My online identities (the one here and others) are far calmer and accomodating than I am in person in familiar company. I suppose I act somewhere between how I would treat a business customer (relatively formally) and a close friend (pretty much anything goes). Maybe 25-30% from the "customer" end of the scale.

What I wish to know is: Is that unusal to have it be flipped like that as opposed to those who take advantage on anonymity to act like you-know-whats.

I think I'm 100% me in both mediums, internet and real life.

I mean I may be a little more refrained from talking about this stuff in front of most of my mates but we still occassionally talk about this subject matter. Usually it's just going on radnom rants like when we discussed the possibility of back people! People made entirely of backs! crazy..........

Peace and love, K.W!

The presentational self that I present while I am posting online is almost the same presentational self that I present while in public or talking to friends and family.

The reason for the difference in presentational selves in my particular case is simple: while I am offline, I have a body.

The difference is subtle but I feel that it is one that all people should be aware of in order to better understand their inner selves.

When presenting yourself to a person in real life (face-to-face) one must take into account body language, tone of voice, physical appearance, physiological and emotional reactions to ideas and thoughts around you and other body-oriented stimuli.

This, in many ways, alters the way that you present information and also the way you speak. When a person presents oneself to another online (in the case of these message boards), a person need only be concerned with language.

This, in many ways, both simplifies and complicates matters of communication. Online, one can mostly ignore bodily stimuli however, one must still be aware of the impact of bodily stimuli on one's mind as in the case of emotion.

In this way, I am significantly different online from when I am offline. When I am online, I attempt to present the more rational, more logical side of me in order to better assimilate information and improve discussion.

While I do not feel that the next point pertains to me, I do feel it is necessary to mention it.

Physical appearance and insecurities caused by one's physical appearance certainly play a major role in social interaction. Online, one can throw physical appearance to the metaphorical wind.

Great posts from all.

I have another question..

First is it possible for a member to log off ATS and come back to reply in a discussion anonymously?

If so, have any of you done this?

Originally posted by The_Alarmist2012
First is it possible for a member to log off ATS and come back to reply in a discussion anonymously?

If so, have any of you done this?

It's possible but you will need to mask your IP, because they cross-reference. I haven't done it, but I could -- and so could a lot of other people.

reply to post by The_Alarmist2012


It's possible (and even easy, when you know how), but I never did it.

I suppose I portray myself as intelligent,travelled,active and goddang sexy..

SO .. I thought I'd supply a recent photo to back it up..



See.. totally straight-up.

reply to post by Cadbury

reply to post by ArMaP


So a member involved in a discussion, who is reserved and wants to express themselves in a way that could make their online persona look bad could leave and come back to post anonymously?

I have read through a few discussions which contain some anonymous posts and wondered if it was possible, because there were some possible connections between a poster and anonymous posts... There is no point in asking me what thread or what member, or what posts... I just wondered if it was possible.

Like most of the other questions I have asked I don't believe many will answer and that is okay.

Fascinating as it is though.

Thanks for the quick answers.

[edit on 20-7-2008 by The_Alarmist2012]

I don`t have an online persona here at ATS, in fact I`m the same person here and in real life.

It would be too strange to have two personalities, I`m not that smart and would star to confuse them and get caught in lies.

So better to be the same old Camilo.

Originally posted by The_Alarmist2012

So a member involved in a discussion, who is reserved and wants to express themselves in a way that could make their online persona look bad could leave and come back to post anonymously?

I have read through a few discussions which contain some anonymous posts and wondered if it was possible, because there were some possible connections between a poster and anonymous posts... There is no point in asking me what thread or what member, or what posts... I just wondered if it was possible.

Well, I'm not suggesting that anyone is... But yes, it's certainly possible.

Thanks for the quick answers.

No problem.

For much of my life, I have suffered for my appearance. In childhood I was too tall, a tomboy and had buck teeth. Well, actually, none of that's changed and now I'm fat and old as well, plus I have unfashionably short hair and simply refuse to dress according to fashion (unless it just happens to be something I like, and then I continue to wear it long after it's gone out of fashion). I guess what I'm saying is, in 'real life' I think that I am judged by my appearance. Here, you can't see me so you can't judge me by my appearance. Aside from being able to tell how old I am and that I'm female, you have no clue what I look like or how I dress.

Secondly, my physical home is isolated from others (by choice) and I don't have much of a social life because I just can't get excited about home decor, other peoples' kids (I don't have any), cooking recipes (my husband cooks), TV reality shows, sports teams, and all the other stuff that is all that anyone around here seems to want to talk about, or care about.

Thirdly, nearly everyone around me is a Christian, and the non-profit agency I work for is skewed heavily to Christians and their beliefs. I don't lie about it if asked, but I bow my head for the 'invocations' at staff meeting and mostly keep my mouth shut about the whole subject. Nonprofits are also very image-conscious, and if I become enough of a 'weirdo' to where someone thinks I might be affecting the agency's image negatively, I could lose my job.

At some level I'm the same me - 50 years old, politically incorrect, too smart for my own good, curious about everything and always questioning "accepted" truth and reality, blunt and excessively honest, etc. But on other levels I think it's the 'real me' that gets to come out and play here on ATS and a couple of other sites I hang out on. Here I don't have to hide my bizarre theories, lack of religious affiliation, political incorrectness, etc., and I don't have to constantly compensate for my less-than-attractive personal appearance.

Am I 'fake' in person? I suppose so, to some extent. I keep what's unacceptable or risky under wraps with very few exceptions, and I toss out a lot of social white lies (I'm fine, how are you today, that's great I'm happy for you, oh that's interesting, thanks for the recipe I'll have to try it, blah blah blah). I feel that it's what I have to do to survive in the place I find myself, and I guess I don't really believe it's my fault that society is such that trotting out the REAL ME could threaten my survival.

So, like it or not, you get the full impact of the REAL ME here, less my physical appearance, and the 'real world' gets the watered-down version that is acceptable to the society I have to live in.

reply to post by Heike


I think you are AWESOME!

I have the deepest respect for you, I am profoundly impressed by your sincerity and candor.

I can't help but be struck by what you say, HERE you are the REAL you, and in your real life you are "fake".

Perhaps as I said in another post earlier in this thread, for you and others this particular online environment is actually liberating, enabling the true self to come forward.

Thank you very much for sharing your story here!

Originally posted by Heike
So, like it or not, you get the full impact of the REAL ME here, less my physical appearance, and the 'real world' gets the watered-down version that is acceptable to the society I have to live in.

Heike, you are the cat's meow! And, I mean that with absolute affection. I think a lot more of us have a tendancy to be more like you than we think.

I for one like to think that my online persona is the same as the real me. But deep down inside I know that I am perhaps a little more open here with my thoughts and kind-of-out-there beliefs, then I am in real life.

I remember I once shared my experience with a shadow person to a person who I considered to be open-minded, I could tell instantly that this person was uncomfortable with the subject matter. Hence, I'm more careful with what aspects of my beliefs and experiences I share in real life.

But things like this can happen to the best of us.

If they were willing to listen, I would sy yes.

Awww thanks, I'm blushing here!

I think a lot of people hide parts of themselves that they know won't be acceptable to those around them. We also grow up learning to be 'tactful' and 'polite,' and the older we get the more we understand that these principles include lying to people. Children are disciplined for inconvenient honesty and rewarded for telling Aunt Myrtle how wonderful she looks even when her hair is an unbecoming shade of pale blue and that flowered smock with the bile green background makes her look jaundiced.

Our society has also become one that rewards conformity and punishes differences, so even as adults we consciously try to act 'normal' and suppress any ideas or values we may have that make us a little too "different." We dress, act, talk, and conduct our affairs like we're supposed to, and I think there are a lot of people who would prefer to do at least some things differently than what they do to conform.

However, even if asked we don't admit it (usually) because that would be admitting that we're "fake," and that's unacceptable too! And we wonder why we have stress!

Thank you for letting me be myself here!

I would say, in a sense, I am more myself here and in other forums, because I am learning MORE about myself through this written medium. I was not one to write letters to people, or pass notes in class. It is a very interesting form of expression. I wish my real life had spellchecker, instant google sources, delete, edit, and image codes. That would come in handy.