Accy Web Psycho....

Jo · 19-09-2003, 07:03

No there is not a psycho on the web, if that's what you were thinking!!
It's just that I've had an idea:
It's really so interesting to read the posts on Accy Web and see people's cyber personalities coming out. I asked myself why, if we are all anonymous, is the psyche behind the responses so utterly human? I mean, you can read between the lines anger, happiness, annoyance, showing off, frustration, "what do they think of me", mobbing, friendships, enemies etc. etc. all emotions and psychological situations that we are confronted with in real life too.
As a cyber personality you could pretend to be something you're not, but it seems to me most people are genuine and really care about being themselves, even if they are anonymous. Is that true? Are your true personalities reflected on here?
This would be a great psychological / socialogical issue.
Any of you have any experince as analysts or know a psychiatrist / psychologist or sociologist that would come on-line and analyse our cyber personalities and the cyber society we've created on this forum? Would be interesting to hear their comments......

BB · 19-09-2003, 07:47

What do you think we are going to do Jo? Start analysing each other? Tell everybody what we think of everyone on the forum. I think everyone has built up ideas of everyone else on here over time. Do you really think anyone would say anything? In the main, we keep our opinions to ourselves.

Quote:

Are your true personalities reflected on here?

Do you think if someones pretending to be something they are not, they are going to tell you any different?

Quote:

It's really so interesting to read the posts on Accy Web and see people's cyber personalities coming out

Exactly. We make our own judgements, as you will see, no doubt.

If we are talking about analysing posts, maybe we could say that this one was done to prove some sort of point, or maybe even slightly pompous?

Apart from the potential to cause trouble, I would say this thread is quite useless.

Jo · 19-09-2003, 07:56

No, I don't mean anything personal should be said about anyone, I just think that from an intellectual point of view it could be inspiring. I'd love to hear what an analyst made of some of our reactions, for example yours just now. Have you read Lord of the Flies? That's a similar situation in a way of where a new form of society grows up. What intrigues me, for example, is that we are all anonymous, so why should we care? Yet we do - it's a new form of society that didn't exist before internet. I think it's enthralling, as would anyone who has studied psychology. It's really nothing personal.

Also yes, I do think we're pretending to be something we're not. I for one, am not called Jo, is your real name BB?
Regarding your professional analysis of my earlier post, interesting the pompous bit - you see, Jo could be interpreted as being pompous, but my real-life personality really isn't pompous, on the contrary. Interesting, no?

happyone · 19-09-2003, 07:57

well what ya see is what ya get with me if ya like me good if ya dont well i am not going to stand in a corner and sulk ( will stamp my feet put my hands on my hips and shout)

HarryX · 19-09-2003, 09:12

Hmmmm

Well I ahve been on the Internet for over 10 years now.. Before that I used BBS systems (Simmilar but not as instant)

I ahve met many people that I ahve conversed with on BBS, Messageboards/Forums Usenet, IRC ec etc

100% The person you meet is never as you imagined.. Its not a matter of pretending to be different.. Its just that you can never get accross who you are no matter how many smilies you use..

You really have to seperate internet from real life.. Its not the same.. They can cross over and you can meet up.. Indeed I would like to see all us meet one day.. A Crimbo messageboard meetup maybe?  But there will be suprises and a few myths shatterd I can assure you

lettie · 19-09-2003, 09:29

A Crimbo messageboard meet up could be a laugh, but we're not all entirely anonymous on here as some people do know each other and are using real names. I know Littlemo and have done since we were about 11 years old. Although I haven't actually seen her in years we do keep in touch and chat every couple of weeks using messenger. ;D

I think that personalities cannot always be reflected in the way thing are written down, as facial expression, tone of voice etc always plays a part in verbal communication. A short while ago, I received a letter from a university professor who I had written to for advice about a project I was doing regarding HIV infection in pregnancy. The letter was very formal and sounded like he was begrudging me the time out of his busy schedule. When I finally met him I couldn't have been more mistaken, what a lovely person, and a huge help to me in my work.

Jo · 19-09-2003, 10:31

Definitely agree on the fact that writing doesn't do justice to your true thoughts and feelings. And the meet up sounds a laugh...... we could try an experiment and try describing ourselves in advance (personality and appearance), but I think there would still be surprises. It's amazing how different people perceive themselves compared to how others perceive them. I've done some courses from work at the mo and learnt some real truths about myself from feedback from others that I never would have thought.... (both in a positive and a negative sense)
what I also find intruiging with this forum, is that if you want you could sign up under different names and have fun that way, yet we all seem to prefer to throw our true feelings and personalities into it, there must be some human need behind this, psychologically speaking, it's more intriuging than big brother, but only if your'e into the psycho thing, not everyone is.

Jo · 19-09-2003, 10:31

ps I always forget to add smileys, but it doesn't mean I'm not happy!! See, even that decieves my true feelings at present........ ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

HarryX · 19-09-2003, 10:50

Smileys are so important..

Oh get lost!

Oh get lost!  ;D

Caz · 19-09-2003, 10:53

As Harry said, you've got to separate Internet from real life. People are only going to put on a message board what they want you to know about themselves.

You can only analyse people properly when you meet them in person, as Lettie pointed out.

OK, analysing what people write might contribute to what we think sometimes, but you never get the full picture.

Can't really see where we're going on this one. ???

janet · 19-09-2003, 10:58

you have come up with some good ideas jo, like how you think, as for myself what you see here is what i am like in reality. I would love to know how many other people are being there true self. ;D

Tealeaf · 19-09-2003, 11:02

Is my real name tealeaf?

janet · 19-09-2003, 11:07

tetley maybe.

Tealeaf · 19-09-2003, 11:09

Or Maybe Bond. Brooke Bond

Caz · 19-09-2003, 11:12

[quote author=BB link=board=anything;num=1063955024;start=0#1 date=09/19/03 at 08:47:11]
Do you think if someones pretending to be something they are not, they are going to tell you any different?
[/quote]

Agree with that. No point asking if someone is being their true self, or whether they are the same on the message board as in real life.

If I was trying to come accross as something I wasn't, I certainly wouldn't tell anybody! ;D ;D