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Do you hide behind your computer?

I can say whatever I want because they know me as "coolguy88".

I can say whatever I want because they know me as "coolguy88".

So it’s recently occurred to me (after spending countless hours online) that people seem to get bolder and act differently when they’re using an alias online.

For example, you’re more apt to call someone out if you strongly disagree with someone online by merely typing in a response on an Internet message board. Or, you might fulfill your fantasy by posing as a famous actor to try to get the girl of your dreams to notice you (OK so this really didn’t happen but I’m working on the screenplay).

But why? Why do we get bolder behind a screen name? Why does having a different name and complete anonymity make us speak our minds? Is it fear? Fear of what?

This entry was posted on October 8, 2009 at 2:45 pm and is filed under General with tags , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

5 Responses to “Do you hide behind your computer?”

  1. Travis Bickle Says:
    October 8, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    I think we become bolder behind screen names because they’re like wearing masks. Wearing a disguise, whether a new face or hidding behind a screen name, is liberating. You feel freer to do or say what you feel because you know the consequences won’t be directly applied to you if your identity is unknown.

  2. Lori Says:
    October 8, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    Isn’t that borderline, cowardice? Are we all just a little reminiscent of the scarecrow? I mean, other than saying something important that might cost us our lives if it’s found out that we said it, why hide?

  3. Travis Bickle Says:
    October 13, 2009 at 8:03 am

    It isn’t borderline cowardice. It’s full on cowardice. Its sad when people need an excuse or disguise to be themselves.

  4. JDO Says:
    October 13, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    Well I am gonna have to say the reason we say it because, your parents tell you all the time if YOU have nothing nice to say then dont say anything at all. So YOU become someone else, and say what you want. Now as someone else you take your fury out on someone else, as someone else. Im not gonna say its cowardice, but I am not going to say its not because it kinda is, but at the same time its just fun you get to see how people you know, and love act toward someone else.

  5. Just Me Says:
    October 15, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    i don’t have any thoughts on this but that photo looks like jose in accounting. haha

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