Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 34

Thread: Online persona

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    3,118
    Thanks
    874
    Thanked 2,528 Times in 1,299 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Online persona

    I don't normally do "Lounge"
    Last edited by Empty_of_Clouds; March 14th, 2020 at 03:24 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member silverlifter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    616
    Thanks
    359
    Thanked 772 Times in 355 Posts
    Rep Power
    7

    Default Re: Online persona

    It entirely depends on the extent to which the poster intends to reveal about themselves.

    Some people choose a persona to remain anonymous and go to great lengths to disguise themselves, obscuring their IP, nationality, gender, etc. Others are happy to share intimate details about themselves and their families.

    I am wary of making judgements about the people behind the words that appear on a screen, prefering to take what they type--for better or worse--at face value and engage (or, not) with that.

    I have met quite a few people personally after only knowing them via the Internet, and have almost always found that my expectations were confounded in at least some way in every case. Communicating clearly is extraordinarily hard, and doing so without the benefit of being able to see someone's face, hear their voice and observe their reactions and expressions makes interactions online especially fraught.
    Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to silverlifter For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 10th, 2020)

  4. #3
    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    6,617
    Thanks
    7,796
    Thanked 11,042 Times in 4,011 Posts
    Rep Power
    22

    Default Re: Online persona

    I've gotten quite good at sussing out the personality type of a person from what they present online, and am usually not very surprised when the opportunity to meet in person presents itself. Indeed, many people use the relative anonymity of the medium to obfuscate their true natures, but in my experience time will usually illuminate the persona as it is.

    When I came into the pen world, I specifically used my name as my handle, which had not always been the case. It has been my intent to be precisely who I am, whether it is from behind a keyboard or face-to-face in RealLife. I am confident that those who meet me for the first time are not confused.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

  5. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Jon Szanto For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 10th, 2020), Lady Onogaro (February 11th, 2020)

  6. #4
    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    6,617
    Thanks
    7,796
    Thanked 11,042 Times in 4,011 Posts
    Rep Power
    22

    Default Re: Online persona

    I don't agree with your assessment, but that is perfectly fine with me. There are far too many people that I have known virtually (first) and then in RealLife and the number who did not match my basic perception is very, very low. I don't doubt my observational acumen at this point. And, to not put too fine a point on it: sometimes it become abundantly clear that a person is purposely masking or hiding their true self. I don't have to worry about matching my observations because I essentially avoid that kind of evasive personality.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

  7. The Following User Says Thank You to Jon Szanto For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 10th, 2020)

  8. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    6,658
    Thanks
    2,027
    Thanked 2,189 Times in 1,419 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Online persona

    No one is in typed words only
    What they are in wholeness in person.
    We see through the internet glass
    But darkly.



    Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

  9. #6
    Senior Member Fermata's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    488
    Thanks
    187
    Thanked 598 Times in 298 Posts
    Rep Power
    8

    Default Re: Online persona

    Quote Originally Posted by TSherbs View Post
    No one is in typed words only
    What they are in wholeness in person.
    We see through the internet glass
    But darkly.



    Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
    I have met a few writers through work and their personalities were just what I had expected from their written work because really I dont think you can easily hide what you really are. Same thing with people on here, some you would hug, some you would shake their hand and others you would cross the street to avoid.

    Only been fooled once and it has been on my mind for months. A extremely warm and friendly man, the most polite, warm and civil person you could ever want to meet, best friend to everyone. Turned out to be a liar and a fantasist. Fooled me completely and I normally think myself as a good judge of character although often naive it has to be said.
    Last edited by Fermata; February 11th, 2020 at 04:26 AM.

  10. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    SFO USA
    Posts
    1,375
    Thanks
    13
    Thanked 1,113 Times in 573 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Online persona

    It seems many are thrown off by the bow tie when worn on the internet.

  11. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Farmboy For This Useful Post:

    Chemyst (February 11th, 2020), Jon Szanto (February 11th, 2020)

  12. #8
    Senior Member Fermata's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    488
    Thanks
    187
    Thanked 598 Times in 298 Posts
    Rep Power
    8

    Default Re: Online persona

    Quote Originally Posted by Farmboy View Post
    It seems many are thrown off by the bow tie when worn on the internet.
    Minimal swipe rights for bow tie wearing men

    Even less for women.

  13. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Fermata For This Useful Post:

    Bzzer (February 11th, 2020), Chemyst (February 11th, 2020), TSherbs (February 11th, 2020)

  14. #9
    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Where pigs run free!
    Posts
    4,003
    Thanks
    6,233
    Thanked 3,428 Times in 1,716 Posts
    Rep Power
    17

    Default Re: Online persona

    Quote Originally Posted by Empty_of_Clouds View Post
    I don't normally do "Lounge" as there it doesn't attract much traffic from what I've seen. However, this question does not really fit in the pen side of the forum.


    How much do you think an online persona, as interpreted by people who only know the creator through the words they post, is a reflection of the actual person?


    Edit:

    It is alos worth asking how accurate do you think you are in determining what a person who posts online is really like in meatspace.

    With me, what you see is what you get. I'm simple like that.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

  15. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Sailor Kenshin For This Useful Post:

    Chemyst (February 11th, 2020), Chrissy (February 11th, 2020), Jon Szanto (February 11th, 2020), VertOlive (February 11th, 2020)

  16. #10
    Senior Member countrydirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Pueblo, Colorado
    Posts
    469
    Thanks
    671
    Thanked 404 Times in 189 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Online persona

    My sister-in-law is loud and shrill and boisterous in real life. She's never met a stranger. Online she is loud and shrill and boisterous and overshares EVERYTHING. She's exactly the same in person as she is online.

    My wife is loud yet circumspect and shares little to nothing in person except for with me. Online, she is pretty silent yet more sarcastic and suffers no fools.

    I tend to try to live, both online and in real life, by the maxim 'better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open my mouth and remove all doubt.'
    I use a fountain pen and a paper planner - paperinkplan.wordpress.com

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to countrydirt For This Useful Post:

    Cookedj (February 12th, 2020)

  18. #11
    Senior Member grainweevil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Cornwall, UK
    Posts
    1,572
    Thanks
    269
    Thanked 885 Times in 461 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Online persona

    No, you just lack perspective and a sense of humour. Not to worry, you're "on trend".

  19. #12
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    6,658
    Thanks
    2,027
    Thanked 2,189 Times in 1,419 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Online persona

    My understanding of "actual person" is so much larger and more complex than the limited words in a few boxes on an internet site.

    No one here knows me at all, in any real or deep way. No one here has walked a mile in my shoes. No one here has held my hand while I was hospitalized or heard me speak at church or work or at a funeral. No one had seen my art or heard me song or make music. No one's seen my work with my students or cried with their parents in concern and love. No one has heard my pillow talk or seen a bit of my dreams. Words on the internet are just that: words.

    Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

  20. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to TSherbs For This Useful Post:

    countrydirt (February 11th, 2020), Empty_of_Clouds (February 11th, 2020)

  21. #13
    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    6,617
    Thanks
    7,796
    Thanked 11,042 Times in 4,011 Posts
    Rep Power
    22

    Default Re: Online persona

    Quote Originally Posted by TSherbs View Post
    My understanding of "actual person" is so much larger and more complex than the limited words in a few boxes on an internet site.
    No one has proffered that descriptive text and dialogue is a substitute for the actual experiencing of a person, over time, in the non-virtual world, but only whether said text gives insights and suggestions as to what that person would be like. One can't look into the soul of another human through a text-based interface, but neither is it an opaque, non-communicative medium if the other party is open in their writing. In this manner, it is no different from literature.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

  22. The Following User Says Thank You to Jon Szanto For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 11th, 2020)

  23. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    6,658
    Thanks
    2,027
    Thanked 2,189 Times in 1,419 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Online persona

    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Szanto View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by TSherbs View Post
    My understanding of "actual person" is so much larger and more complex than the limited words in a few boxes on an internet site.
    No one has proffered that descriptive text and dialogue is a substitute for the actual experiencing of a person, over time, in the non-virtual world, but only whether said text gives insights and suggestions as to what that person would be like. One can't look into the soul of another human through a text-based interface, but neither is it an opaque, non-communicative medium if the other party is open in their writing. In this manner, it is no different from literature.
    I disagree. Words are, indeed, opaque. It's my profession to work with them, almost exclusively. We reach truth only once we move past language. Words are the veil, not the vehicle. Some "communication" occurs, but let's not mistake that for knowledge of the "actual person." We often don't even "know" ourselves that well.

    Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

  24. The Following User Says Thank You to TSherbs For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 11th, 2020)

  25. #15
    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    6,617
    Thanks
    7,796
    Thanked 11,042 Times in 4,011 Posts
    Rep Power
    22

    Default Re: Online persona

    Quote Originally Posted by TSherbs View Post
    I disagree. Words are, indeed, opaque. It's my profession to work with them, almost exclusively. We reach truth only once we move past language. Words are the veil, not the vehicle. Some "communication" occurs, but let's not mistake that for knowledge of the "actual person." We often don't even "know" ourselves that well.
    And all of the great libraries of the world have been a waste. And all of the spoken communication, from as small a group as two individuals to important missives meant for a kindred group to widespread calls to action... useless words.

    No, I don't think so. Maybe we are coming at this from very differing directions, but written language is one of the hallmarks of civilization. the repository of knowledge and understanding. I don't propose that by merely corresponding in a medium such as the one we are on now is a direct line to the soul and essence of every participant, and I've said as much. I'm not suggesting to know the "actual person" (as you put it) but that the insights I gain from a forthright and honest dialogue has virtually always painted a true portrait of the person I would eventually meet. On the rare occasion where a person has actively chosen to obfuscate their own true nature, by obscuring deeds or intentions or offering absolute falsehoods, it becomes it's own storyline: this is a person who lives in deceit. I am not infallible, but I have seldom been fooled by this in continuum from correspondence to meetup and acquaintanceship.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

  26. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Jon Szanto For This Useful Post:

    Chrissy (February 12th, 2020), countrydirt (February 11th, 2020), VertOlive (February 11th, 2020)

  27. #16
    Senior Member VertOlive's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Gulf of Mexico
    Posts
    3,889
    Thanks
    4,130
    Thanked 3,793 Times in 1,644 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Online persona

    “We reach truth only once we move past language.”

    Not to hijack, but what exactly does this mean?
    "Nolo esse salus sine vobis ...” —St. Augustine

  28. The Following User Says Thank You to VertOlive For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 11th, 2020)

  29. #17
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    6,658
    Thanks
    2,027
    Thanked 2,189 Times in 1,419 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Online persona

    Quote Originally Posted by VertOlive View Post
    “We reach truth only once we move past language.”

    Not to hijack, but what exactly does this mean?
    I was trying to approximate the meaning of poem #1 of the Tao Te Ching.

    Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

  30. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to TSherbs For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 11th, 2020), Jon Szanto (February 11th, 2020), VertOlive (February 11th, 2020)

  31. #18
    Senior Member VertOlive's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Gulf of Mexico
    Posts
    3,889
    Thanks
    4,130
    Thanked 3,793 Times in 1,644 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Online persona

    When posting here I do “prepare a face to meet the faces that I meet”, and yet I don’t consider this to be dishonest. Large swathes of my beady black self don’t often appear here, mainly because it’s all usually polite discourse on the amiable pastime we all come here to share.
    "Nolo esse salus sine vobis ...” —St. Augustine

  32. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to VertOlive For This Useful Post:

    catbert (February 11th, 2020), Deb (February 12th, 2020), Empty_of_Clouds (February 11th, 2020), Jon Szanto (February 11th, 2020), Sailor Kenshin (February 12th, 2020), TSherbs (February 11th, 2020)

  33. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    6,658
    Thanks
    2,027
    Thanked 2,189 Times in 1,419 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Online persona

    I didn't say books were a waste. I teach them for a living.

    I said that language is not access to deepest truths of our selves. I am trying to be spiritual about "actual selves" (the phrase in the question of the OP). The word is not the thing itself. And these posts are never or true selves. By definition. Again, no one here knows me in any true or significant way. Not even close. All others can know of me here is what this verbiage suggests. Revelation is elsewhere.

    Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

  34. The Following User Says Thank You to TSherbs For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 11th, 2020)

  35. #20
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    6,658
    Thanks
    2,027
    Thanked 2,189 Times in 1,419 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Online persona

    And for those who have suggested that "personalty" is what is meant by "actual self," well, I disagree with that too. Personality is the mask of gestures and behaviors that we wear to the world. It is a false self, variable according to how others perceive and judge us (like who is funny or mean or not). Who we really are lies far below "personality."

    Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

  36. The Following User Says Thank You to TSherbs For This Useful Post:

    Empty_of_Clouds (February 11th, 2020)

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •