Internet Vulnerability

How much of the stuff we share on the internet would we actually share with a person in real life? I'm referring especially to the poetry section. I was reading the beginning of a poem by OkCityKid (which I thought was pretty good) and then I thought what it would be like if he was right there in front of me reading it to me. That would be really weird! Or maybe just weird for me?

I know I could be a lot more vulnerable and uninhibited in my life of direct experience. Maybe that's why I read and post a lot on forums.

Well poetry in itself is a bit different from how we typically behave... a bit like an over exaggeration that we may find necessary or useful in some respect. Some find it even more beneficial to express the poetry verbally, or even visually which starts to transfer over into the playwright category, while others may simply want to leave it up to others to interpret it however they can.

The internet is very much a place of release, and I gravitated toward this forum initially because I felt no one wanted to hear what I have to say. Forums force people to listen. I still feel as though almost no one gives a shit about anything I say, but I've since learned that if people aren't willing to simply listen to me, then they aren't worth my time anyway.

By being more "vulnerable and uninhibited" do you mean just being yourself? Being what you want to be? Because when I hear "vulnerable and uninhibited" I think of that person at a party whose had a few too many and might be going home with the wrong person. That's not something anyone aspires toward, I don't think.

I try to be as much myself on and off the computer, but I do find fewer barriers on a computer than I do off. The down side is that online I am being perceived very one dimensionally, whereas off I am better able to express myself in a variety of ways and the depth at which I am perceived is much greater.

By vulnerable and uninhibited I mean not thinking twice about what you say or do but just doing it. I imagine the short term of being like this would initially be very volatile as far as your relationships go but after a while, if you had the will to maintain it, would level out and become much closer to the reality you dream every night.

Quite right. People fear change and if a person changes their behavior it is often received with hostility. If you can declare the change in some way, it can reduce the volatility and hostility from those close to you, but you may have to re-learn how to handle acquaintances and strangers.

On the internet, pretty much everything is already met with hostility no matter what your behavior is, but the worst thing that happens is computer viruses and identity theft which is rare and can be fixed.

There is a LOT of hostility on the internet in general. Maybe that says something about people.

On the net there isn't a face to the words you say, and many behave like totally different people. The net makes things impersonal, and many a times we fail to connect with what we said, and what is being said, no?

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On the net there isn't a face to the words you say, and many behave like totally different people . . the net makes things impersonal.

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very perceptive but why does it make such a difference? Is it like the mask we keep in a jar beside the door?

I find that the net offers a place to talk without the restrictions of societal curtsies. I think that one can accredit some of the hostility to it but I find that places on the net give me more criticism of who I really am. Which I find very useful off the web.

Cturtle- What I meant was that online, we aren't as obliged to keep to the social contract. Yes, I think it is like a mask. We can choose to slap on different ones. It's a mask (or a few) we put beside the keyboard. Personally I hate people who do this.
But it gives some a chance to be who they can and will never be in real life.

I do believe the Internet allows us to become an unabashed version of ourselves. Considering the main reason we are so insecure is initially because of how we appear (which is understandable, since we can only judge by appearance until we look deeper) and the Internet takes that primary fear out of the picture.

Ta-da~! Fears are gone.

My main concern with all that though... if that it's gone too far.

Two parties- those who take off their masks and those who put them on.