If someone(s) you knew in real life was also a visitor here? Would your behavior be the same or would you modify it? Do you modify it anyway, given the anonymity of the internet?
I invited my friends from work. I don’t talk about some of the issues off-line w/ them, that I talk about on-line in message boards… and with them, I wouldn’t even talk about those issues on-line… but, yes, I think the anonymity of the Internet makes me feel more comfortable to say certain things…
im pretty sure if anyone knew me any irl and saw a couple posts here he’d drop me a pm. im that obviously myself.
well, I think that’s cool that you feel comfortable being the same in every setting… I think most people realize they can get away w/ certain things in one context and not in another. For example, how much you pay a prostitute does not go everywhere w/ you… if they demand more, you pay more; if they don’t demand as much, you don’t pay as much. The constant is you only give what they expect, and not a cent more. They set the standard, you keep the standard, regardless how much you really think it is worth… sometimes it pays not to be obvious, eh, zeno?
People has various characteristics but above all you should be comfortable being yourself… and If you knew someone in the net it’s up to you if you’d like to reveal yourself to that person… well, whatever just be yourself not unless your trying to fool around…
Isn’t “being yourself” a silly phrase in one sense? How can people be anything other than themseves?
ON the other hand play-acting is part of any social interaction. We put certain behaviors on display when interacting with one audience that we would never willfully display to a different audience.
So what behaviors are “authentic” and which are “inauthentic”?
I guess it comes down to the integrity between an individual’s values and their behaviors. Are your behaviors in alignment with your values? This can lead to an aversion to declare your values, if you have the inclination to be cautious. Once you declare your values then your whole social world watches you to see if you act in accordance with them.
I think that most people are not self aware enough to clearly name their values. Most people don’t know what is consistently important to them. We usual discover this by watching other people. We see their consistent behavior and from that we infer what they hold dear and what they consider insignificant.
When we do know our values and choose to act in accordance with them then we have the experience of authenticity.
Yet some approach this experimentally. They explore values by trying them on for size. They see what it feels like to values this or that. I think everyone goes through at least one stage of this kind of behavior in the course of their lives, while some people go through many.
We do have a core sense of self that must be discovered in order to live a fulfilling life. The way we discover that varies depending on the qualities of that core sense of self.
I don’t know if I would be any different. I think I would be pretty much the same. There has been a moment or two here in the forum when I’ve been more exposed than I might otherwise be, but it’s like that in any situation. At work for example, I hide a lot of my personality away because people have come to accept me as being kind of a “goody goodyâ€- I don’t want them to know that I drink and smoke, what I do on my own time… they think I’m quiet, which I sometimes am- but I have another side. (my scary, dark- vortical side! …kidding) I’m very honest here and much more articulate when writing. I sustain email relationships with people I see almost daily in my physical life just because I crave the written communication. It’s impossible to know for certain who anyone is and if perhaps maybe someone you know is here or has been here at one time or another… maybe they have just passed by and read something you wrote and you’ll never know. We’re all connected here, although we know little about one another.
The net has its’ pluses and minuses. I value consistency between what I think, what I say, and what I do. I don’t believe there would be much difference in my behavior. The only caveat is that I’m probably a bit more restrained on the net. It’s hard to get a good understanding conversing with glowing phosphors, and while I may be an obnoxious opinionated jerk in ‘real life’, I try to tone it down a bit online.
For those of you who think I’m an online obnoxious opinionated jerk, well, you’re probably right. 
JT
I would not alter my behaviour, hence I do argue theories i have with friends and other random individuals outside the forums.
I’m used to people making absurd conclusions about me, but I accept it, because i know ultimatly i will end up as avery strange individual.