Reposted from my Livejournal:

Writer’s Block Question:

Have you ever said something to an online friend that you would never say in person? Do you think it’s easier to discount real feelings when a relationship takes place largely online? Can the emotional disconnect become habit-forming?

I try really, really hard to be genuine. To be the same offline as I am online– to an extent.

For me, if I know you and know you well, when we hang out IRL as opposed to online I am the same person- sometimes turned up, sometimes turned down, but I’m me. I pride myself on my witty, sarcastic humor and sometimes deadpan delivery. Most of my friends are utterly foolish and hilarious. I love this about them! That’s why I keep them around. :) I’m a straightforward person, online and offline, and I think that is what my friends admire about me the most. I really do tell it like it is, whether it benefits you or not.

I have a problem, though. With people I don’t know, I’m painfully shy, to the point of being completely mute. Chances are that I would not be as genuine as I’d like to be, but I’m a little bit incapable of bullshit. If you ask me a question, I am going to tell you what I think, honestly, but with tact. Honesty without tact is just being an asshole. In that sense, online or off, I’d probably say the same thing. It’s just that if I know you well, I’m probably going to just come out and say it, as opposed to being asked to say it.

So, have I said something online that I’d never say in person? Probably. But not often. I’m not one to hide behind an online persona. I am who I am, whether it’s turned up or turned down.

As someone who’s been online for… gosh… years, I’ve developed real friendships with the people inside my computer. I think you have to purpose to discount people’s feelings… I don’t think that comes naturally, or with ease, which is why people get so addicted to the internet. It becomes more than words on a page, a picture and a paragraph. To me, some people are as real as if they are sitting next to me.

For others, especially on bulletin boards, eBullies and eGangstas seem to run rampant. It’s like people get a lot of joy out of being as mean and crass as possible, hiding behind an anonymous name. I’d venture a guess that 99% of eBullies wouldn’t say the things they say if they were standing right in front of me. I’ve never had someone actually meet me in person and then pop off online with some bullshit. It’s grandstanding, performing for the people reading and watching.

Like anyone else, I have enemies. People my age and older who’ve had really ‘not nice’ things to say about me. Just once, I’d like to meet one of these people and ask them to repeat the mean shit they’ve said. Bet they can’t do it.