Mooclan
Forum God
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2012
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A worthy question, when put into the hands of a worthy writer.
“Who are we?”
While it may seem simple and inconsequential at a glance, if you delve further into the meaning, you may find a few surprises.
While I myself can’t answer that question for you, I can definitely answer it for myself, and perhaps that can give you a lead on how to think about it on your own.
Online, we often appear to be someone other than who we really are. A smart and sassy young adult online might actually be a shy, hesitant adolescent with a tendency of running away from social environments. Or perhaps it’s the other way around, and a seemingly meek fellow online could turn out to be an outgoing football player on his school’s team. How you appear online, and how other people remember you, all depends on what you choose to show.
I, personally, prefer to exhibit the side of me that no one ever sees in real-life. Online, I come across as an opinionated person who is intelligent and knows it. On the contrary, those who meet me face-to-face can easily reach the conclusion that I speak very rarely, and when I do it’s either something harsh and scathing or overwhelmingly intellectual. It's only those who know me well that will unearth the warmer side of me.
With social medias like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the majority of users only post things that showcase the brighter side of their lives or their sense of humor. Whether it be an amazing meal that they just had, a wonderful date they went on, or a funny story from their day, a common theme that can be found among posts is bright, happy, and funny. Rarely do you ever see someone posting about their parents’ latest argument, a miserably boring class that they just had, or a foul meal that they were served, unless they can find some way to inject humor into it.
By limiting what other people see and read, we limit what they can remember. After all, you can’t memorize a document that you never read, and you can’t be friends with a person that you have yet to meet. By not exposing the negative side of our lives, others can’t know about it.
When you create a “Positive-Only” identity, eventually even us ourselves will forget about things.
When recounting the tale of your latest adventure, if you fail to document that time when you got lost in the forest, then in 40 years when you’re telling your grand-kids about the time you went camping, you might not remember about it, and will simply fail to recount it.
Like this example, if we post exclusively about the positive side of our lives, then anyone else – sometimes even our future selves - won’t know about it. Others who know us won’t know what really happens in our lives, unless they get the information from another source, such as being there themselves.
This can be compared to celebrities and their lives – we may think that it’s all sunshine and butterflies, but think again. Generally, they don’t expose their less-than-wonderful side, like the days that they are stuck in the recording studio filling out paperwork or when they got stared at by a creepy stalker across the room. When they do post, generally it’s about things more cheerful or exciting like their latest beach day or a cute bunny that they saw next to the road.
What we put out on social medias can really affect how people think of us, and our “social media identities”. By excluding the content to uplifting messages, we may give off the idea that our lives are always cheerful and trouble-free. Or by constantly posting about only the latest tragedies in your neighborhood or family, people might assume that we’re surrounded by awful things every day, even if we’re not.
Keep in mind that sometimes, Internet forums can be counted as social medias.
Think about what you post, and how it makes people view you.
**I wrote this blog post in a Social Media computer class, and I was given a prompt, to which I replied with this post.**
I'd also like to take this thread and provide three examples of how and why I view certain people in certain ways.
One clear example is Blazerboy | Noah. Those of you who've seen him around the forums probably know him as a slight weirdo with dark tendencies, and that's how he prefers to be seen. However what most people don't realize is that he's actually a cheesy romantic. (I found out this by going in TS with him a few times. I laugh when I think of him being romantic. Pfft.)
On the forums, BitoBain is a fellow who I personally see as, essentially, a super-genius. When he posts, it's usually something so intellectual and informative that I just sit there and scroll through it, thinking to myself "I bet he's in all AP classes ;-;" (In this case, I think BitoBain's online showing is the same as IRL.. scarily smart, like "omg pls tutor me" smart.)
For those of you who've been on the forums for at least a few months, you'll probably know darkrai202, who ended up getting forum-banned (and then created an alt ._.) He had a sense of humor that implied that he was a "class-clown" type, someone who wasn't particularly respectful but was also good to have around for chuckles. That was the impression that he gave off on the forums, but who knows? I never really got to know him well, but for all I know he could have been a "quiet-nerd" type of person in real life.
And of course I can't leave out Mr. Zaex, who's just swaggin' downtown with a girl on each arm. I don't even know how he does it.
So, how do you think people view you? c:
And what's your take on social medias? Is there anything you'd like to change in the way you present yourself or the way people view you?
“Who are we?”
While it may seem simple and inconsequential at a glance, if you delve further into the meaning, you may find a few surprises.
While I myself can’t answer that question for you, I can definitely answer it for myself, and perhaps that can give you a lead on how to think about it on your own.
Online, we often appear to be someone other than who we really are. A smart and sassy young adult online might actually be a shy, hesitant adolescent with a tendency of running away from social environments. Or perhaps it’s the other way around, and a seemingly meek fellow online could turn out to be an outgoing football player on his school’s team. How you appear online, and how other people remember you, all depends on what you choose to show.
I, personally, prefer to exhibit the side of me that no one ever sees in real-life. Online, I come across as an opinionated person who is intelligent and knows it. On the contrary, those who meet me face-to-face can easily reach the conclusion that I speak very rarely, and when I do it’s either something harsh and scathing or overwhelmingly intellectual. It's only those who know me well that will unearth the warmer side of me.
With social medias like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the majority of users only post things that showcase the brighter side of their lives or their sense of humor. Whether it be an amazing meal that they just had, a wonderful date they went on, or a funny story from their day, a common theme that can be found among posts is bright, happy, and funny. Rarely do you ever see someone posting about their parents’ latest argument, a miserably boring class that they just had, or a foul meal that they were served, unless they can find some way to inject humor into it.
By limiting what other people see and read, we limit what they can remember. After all, you can’t memorize a document that you never read, and you can’t be friends with a person that you have yet to meet. By not exposing the negative side of our lives, others can’t know about it.
When you create a “Positive-Only” identity, eventually even us ourselves will forget about things.
When recounting the tale of your latest adventure, if you fail to document that time when you got lost in the forest, then in 40 years when you’re telling your grand-kids about the time you went camping, you might not remember about it, and will simply fail to recount it.
Like this example, if we post exclusively about the positive side of our lives, then anyone else – sometimes even our future selves - won’t know about it. Others who know us won’t know what really happens in our lives, unless they get the information from another source, such as being there themselves.
This can be compared to celebrities and their lives – we may think that it’s all sunshine and butterflies, but think again. Generally, they don’t expose their less-than-wonderful side, like the days that they are stuck in the recording studio filling out paperwork or when they got stared at by a creepy stalker across the room. When they do post, generally it’s about things more cheerful or exciting like their latest beach day or a cute bunny that they saw next to the road.
What we put out on social medias can really affect how people think of us, and our “social media identities”. By excluding the content to uplifting messages, we may give off the idea that our lives are always cheerful and trouble-free. Or by constantly posting about only the latest tragedies in your neighborhood or family, people might assume that we’re surrounded by awful things every day, even if we’re not.
Keep in mind that sometimes, Internet forums can be counted as social medias.
Think about what you post, and how it makes people view you.
**I wrote this blog post in a Social Media computer class, and I was given a prompt, to which I replied with this post.**
I'd also like to take this thread and provide three examples of how and why I view certain people in certain ways.
One clear example is Blazerboy | Noah. Those of you who've seen him around the forums probably know him as a slight weirdo with dark tendencies, and that's how he prefers to be seen. However what most people don't realize is that he's actually a cheesy romantic. (I found out this by going in TS with him a few times. I laugh when I think of him being romantic. Pfft.
)On the forums, BitoBain is a fellow who I personally see as, essentially, a super-genius. When he posts, it's usually something so intellectual and informative that I just sit there and scroll through it, thinking to myself "I bet he's in all AP classes ;-;" (In this case, I think BitoBain's online showing is the same as IRL.. scarily smart, like "omg pls tutor me" smart.)
For those of you who've been on the forums for at least a few months, you'll probably know darkrai202, who ended up getting forum-banned (and then created an alt ._.) He had a sense of humor that implied that he was a "class-clown" type, someone who wasn't particularly respectful but was also good to have around for chuckles. That was the impression that he gave off on the forums, but who knows? I never really got to know him well, but for all I know he could have been a "quiet-nerd" type of person in real life.
And of course I can't leave out Mr. Zaex, who's just swaggin' downtown with a girl on each arm. I don't even know how he does it.
So, how do you think people view you? c:
And what's your take on social medias? Is there anything you'd like to change in the way you present yourself or the way people view you?
