These days many of us have two lives. There's the real life with real friends and family and all the usual trappings of reality I shouldn't have to tell you about. I'm going to assume you're familiar with all that.
But, many of us also have an internet life completely different from our regular life, by design and desire or just to be careful. The internet is a good place to be all you can be and to present a portfolio of having been there, done that. You know- bullshit. Just like real life bullshitters, only easier to do on the internet. Abraham Lincoln famously said: "Ninety percent of what you see on the internet is lies!" That figure just seems high to me. Maybe 70 or 80%? Abe was, perhaps, more cynical than I?
My life as a Ferrerman on the internet is far more chaotic than my real life. I wouldn't have anything to do with these terrorists in real life. They just wouldn't happen to me. I've married crazy before, worked with crazy before and certainly seen crazy on the street and in the bars. Crazy is better- not as bad- on the internet. It's safer anyway.
You don't have to suspend common sense to be on the internet, but people do. I've been around liars all my life so, I'm naturally a little jaded and suspicious by experience. I like a pretty avatar but, I'm leery of what's behind it. Most good looking women are smart enough to not post their actual photo on a message board avatar. It's just kinda obvious, ya know? A pretty picture usually spells "creepy dude" anyway. I know beautiful women in real life. None of them have to troll for men on message boards. Common sense dictates to those that are beautiful, don't advertise! Just like unattractive women don't ruin the fantasy by advertising how plain they are. The same should go for men as well. If you're going to post about about yourself being a God's gift to women that, blessed with an accommodating wife who- knowing your wonderfulness first hand- shares you with other females, don't post your picture. At least try to keep people believing that, yeah, maybe he IS a corporate-stud-lawyer on a Harley....
It takes all kinds to fill up the threads. Well, it seems like all kinds... Maybe five or six kinds? I don't know but I keep meeting the same people over and over and over....
6 comments:
Interesting entry this time. Lots of creep crawlers on Topix. The really scary online creeps are those that concoct fabulous stories of being twins, separated at birth, only to be caught out as liars when earlier posts, when they first met before they were twins, surface. Even when the links are thrown at them for explanation they continue with the story for all the newbies to read and adore. If people are capable of THIS, what aren't they capable of?
Isn't it interesting that these people who claim to have such wonderful real lives find it necessary to spend so much of that life on Topix convincing people they're telling the truth?
Not to mention these same people who give out so freaking much information about themselves in an attempt to impress others then cry the loudest when anyone talks about their "real life". That takes a special kind of stupid right there.
Indeed. It takes all kinds to fill up the threads but those kinds are "priceless."
Love the Abe Lincoln quote :) I don't bullshit online, but neither do I put my life out there for all the world and his dog to see. Why would strangers care about my life? Those who care already know. That's why I don't do FaceBook and Twitter.
I don't understand Twitter at all. I know celebrities are always getting in trouble with it but I just don't get how it works.
byline: Deer Whisperer/Luke
I *think* I once read an on-line article describing categories of people under the guise of anonymity using forums.
While reading a similar reference or two that was "troll"-related back in the day, I don't think the one I *think* I read involved "trolls" per se
I shall endeavor to research come another day.
Definite similarities are prevalent in topix posters compared to those of old Yahoo! message boards.
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