It has been speculated that our online personalities are not always genuine. I know, I know that just doesn't sound good. It is implying that we are being fake. I have thought about it and reviewed my timeline to check for inconsistencies. I'm pretty stable in my opinion. It is true that my manner of speaking is different in " text " than it is in person. That is simply because I am not reactive but being proactive. That is my conclusion anyway. You see, I think we all appear different on social media not because it is by our own design, but rather that we have the time to express ourselves without interruption. In real time people are always interrupting your thoughts with theirs ! The result is your thinking processes get contaminated and unfiltered stuff leaks out. When that happens you then have to mop that mess up. Before you know it you are off topic and talking about something else. Wouldn't it be better if we did like we do on social media ? " Post " your comment and wait to see who likes it. If you get likes, post some more about it. If someone dislikes something you can google some information like statistics or studies to backup your statement. You can even look up a quote from a really smart person and use that ! If you pick an obscure one you can even claim it as your own. Make yourself sound a whole lot smarter.
They call it social media because it is a society. Take Facebook as an example. that is a society. We may seem different on that site because that is the way we behave in that society. Many of those that we interact with in that society we have never met in person. It is also true that many of those that " know " us knew us years ago. The image we show them is often the one we wish them to see. We can "show" them what we have become. It is like seeing how a book or movie turned out. Some are surprising and others are completely predictable. Of course the biggest difference in the two societies, Facebook and real life, is that on Facebook you can choose with whom to interact. If I don't like you, I block you ! That would be a convenient feature in the real world. It really doesn't work that way though. I may succeed in ignoring you for a short time but some persist and the block is broken down. That is not to mention the real world possibility that the other person may physically interact with you, and not in a good way. So you could also say it is a matter of temperament. Restraint is a lesson that can be difficult to learn. Restraint should be exercised whether online or in person. Fortunately I believe most of us exercise that restraint when online. I also believe that is because we have he time to do so. That is to say, no one is interrupting our thoughts.
I believe that our online personalities are what we would like to be. If we could live in the social strata that we wanted that would be the way we behaved. Circumstance has placed us wherever we currently reside, and circumstances can change overnight. We can certainly influence circumstances but never control them. Happenstance will, well, happen. We all travel in social circles due in part to circumstance and happenstance. Our online circle we have a bit more control over. It is wise to approach society with caution and forethought. That is good advice whether live or online. Bottom line in all of this is, wouldn't it be great if everybody just listened to what you had to say ? Quit interrupting and just listen. The only interaction necessary is to " like " me.
They call it social media because it is a society. Take Facebook as an example. that is a society. We may seem different on that site because that is the way we behave in that society. Many of those that we interact with in that society we have never met in person. It is also true that many of those that " know " us knew us years ago. The image we show them is often the one we wish them to see. We can "show" them what we have become. It is like seeing how a book or movie turned out. Some are surprising and others are completely predictable. Of course the biggest difference in the two societies, Facebook and real life, is that on Facebook you can choose with whom to interact. If I don't like you, I block you ! That would be a convenient feature in the real world. It really doesn't work that way though. I may succeed in ignoring you for a short time but some persist and the block is broken down. That is not to mention the real world possibility that the other person may physically interact with you, and not in a good way. So you could also say it is a matter of temperament. Restraint is a lesson that can be difficult to learn. Restraint should be exercised whether online or in person. Fortunately I believe most of us exercise that restraint when online. I also believe that is because we have he time to do so. That is to say, no one is interrupting our thoughts.
I believe that our online personalities are what we would like to be. If we could live in the social strata that we wanted that would be the way we behaved. Circumstance has placed us wherever we currently reside, and circumstances can change overnight. We can certainly influence circumstances but never control them. Happenstance will, well, happen. We all travel in social circles due in part to circumstance and happenstance. Our online circle we have a bit more control over. It is wise to approach society with caution and forethought. That is good advice whether live or online. Bottom line in all of this is, wouldn't it be great if everybody just listened to what you had to say ? Quit interrupting and just listen. The only interaction necessary is to " like " me.
No comments:
Post a Comment