Anonymity in Today’s World: A Conversation

[tenor]

Hey, guys ! So I wasn’t really sure where else to put this, whether it be under General Discussion , Entertainment Discussion , or Chicken Smoothie Discussion . . . but I have found myself diving into my college town’s app “YikYak”, and I find somewhat of an obsession in being anonymous.
The same thing here on cs, really.
I love myself, but being able to display different personas to a community has been something that I don’t really know how to rationalize or explain.
I don’t know how many people will relate, but the judgement-free idea of Anonymity just really calms me down, and I know I’m decent with words, as an English Major, and I’d like to think that my morals and my personality are both agreeable.Speaking in person, I’m surely a jumbled mess. I grew up with a speech impediment, so I already have a bit of hesitancy when speaking face-to-face with someone, but being behind a screen calms all of those anxieties.

I feel it may be dangerous, at a certain point, for I don’t want to exclude myself from the real world?
I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but I figured it could be a topic of discussion, and may be relatable to some.

If this is not allowed, shoot me a PM or Report it so it can be taken down.
All love

[chisei]

OP, i feel like you may enjoy watching black mirror

part of what makes the internet and anonymity so appealing is that you can choose how you present to people rather than being given a set default that others have to judge you with (and customizing irl is expensive lets be real 💀)

tbh i think you’re fine as long as you don’t become a neet/shut-in, but you might find at some point it no longer becomes a persona and a part of how you are/extension of you

[tenor]

I do genuinely find myself to be more honest to myself with the assurance that no one will judge me behind a screen. I have never been recommended Black Mirror, but I did hear about it fondly in high school lol! So I’ll actually check it out, if you feel like it may align with this idea of conversation.

College life had proven difficult coming in as a third-year transfer student halfway through the school year for spring semester, so it has been nice making niche ‘friends’ over the internet that relate to me, and still give me the opportunity for social interactions, even if through a screen and not verbally or physically immersive. It’s odd to think about how emotionally attached one can get to another, even without knowing what route they are going with their portrayal of themselves on the internet.
I just love interacting with everyone from different places in life, and hearing all of the differing opinions of those who aren’t afraid to show their true colors because they have no fear of being displaced in their outside reputation.
It’s truly a wonder, and as you can probably notice, I’ve become somewhat passionate about it, haha

[niko.zimm]

I feel the same. on the internet, I go by a general rule of keeping my online persona and real-life self separate, in terms of names and any key identifiers (photographs of myself, my home, my location... pretty much common sense for someone wishing to remain anonymous). I suppose this forces me to interact with people face-to-face in a way, because I yearn to share my true self with someone. my only remedy to your situation is to join groups/clubs in real life and meet like-minded people. I can't say it's a foolproof method, but it will prevent you from being a shut-in, if that's what you're afraid of.

[♥ mizu]

i absolutely agree. there's something so weirdly gratifying about just being able to.. talk to anyone practically judgement-free. frankly, i love how you can just completely change yourself online - how you type, your vocabulary, etc., they're all up to you. it's oddly satisfying, for some reason? it's nice to know that you can always start fresh.

i have the same problem with jumbling my words irl as well, it's quite annoying! typing is definitely a lot easier and being able to look over your words BEFORE somebody else hears/reads them is a huge perk lol. i'm glad that somebody else feels the same way!