I know a few people who have quite a developed persona online, they’re quite convincing though usually slightly different in reality; shyer, less composed, their face isn’t utterly immaculate, and I begin to create two separate characters in my mind when I think of them. Their username and their birth names become equally as significant and separate.
I was thinking about this the other day, and I began to worry that maybe people thought the same about me; maybe what I write on here seems false when you know me in reality. I suppose this is inescapable really, but I don’t like the thought that I appear entirely different.
Then I got sidetracked into thinking where the border between your personal life and what you share online should be. I know I would always prefer to keep you wading in the shallows instead of drowning you in endless rambling about my feelings and my problems. That was graphic. And I do the same in reality; because letting everyone know who you are all the time straight away would be exhausting and if we’re honest, very few people care. Those who do are the one’s who’ll put the effort into gradually collecting every bit of information about you as you share it with them. I think I read something similar to that on a poster with a cat on it once anyway. I think I began this with the intention of simply saying that I don’t particularly like the idea of characters and personas depending upon where you find out about those aspects of their life.
