Your Online Personality vs Your Offline Personality

[SanityNotIncluded 335]

Hey folks,

 

As many of you might be aware, anonymity tends to have "interesting" effects on people. A shy person might suddenly become a stand up comedian and a Reddit user might inadvertently sprout a fedora.

 

Whatever the case, we tend to act differently online to how we act in real life. I (and seemingly many others) find this interesting, so I thought I'd create a thread for people to talk about the differences between their online and offline personalities.

 

My personality isn't hugely different here, but there are a few things:

• I use the greeting "hey folks" a lot on the internet, whereas I would never say something so corny in real life
• I'm actually a lot more shy on the internet than I am in my day-to-day interactions. In the real world, I have absolutely no problem going up to random people (or groups of people) and just casually talking to them. However, on the internet I find approaching people to be extremely awkward. In all honesty, I think it's mostly to do with the fact that what we write online is semi-permanent - meaning that you get too much of a chance to scrutinise what you say/write.

 

Anyway, I'm interested to hear from others so do fire away.

[Pinkamena-Pills 6,838]

I am who i am online.

 

However offline im still me,just dead silent.

[Azure Envy 1,092]

Ditto. Offline, I'm a bit more reserved, but otherwise the same.

[K.K. Slider 391]

Offline I have a life to live. Online I can be whoever and have a laugh in the process. Two completely different worlds that don't mix well.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Big Brother

[Teller 360]

I'm a pretty vulgar person offline.

 

I also form longer, more coherent sentences when I'm actually talking.

[OptimisticNeighsayer 471]

 

 

I'm actually a lot more shy on the internet than I am in my day-to-day interactions. In the real world, I have absolutely no problem going up to random people (or groups of people) and just casually talking to them. However, on the internet I find approaching people to be extremely awkward. In all honesty, I think it's mostly to do with the fact that what we write online is semi-permanent - meaning that you get too much of a chance to scrutinise what you say/write.

That seems to be the opposite of most of us internet users.

 

That being said, I'm mostly the same person online that I am in real life, except

 

1) because of the text format that allows me to collect my thoughts more coherently than as in an on-the-spot conversation, I'll tend to use more "intellectual" language, some of which would make George Orwell cry,

 

2) I'm far more likely to disparage myself offline than offline, because I know that people can just ignore a whiner while in real life someone has to respond, and

 

3) I'll just say more in general, for the same reason as #1. 

[Discordian 6,013]

The only real difference between online and offline for me is that I'm much quieter offline. I'm much more outspoken, as well as well-spoken, in text. Not for any great reason other than it's just easier to form my thoughts while I'm typing rather than trying to talk.

[PegasisterJayfeather 397]

Online I am more friendly and happier...The internet is a great place for me to wind down and laugh and smile with kind people.

Offline I am more lazy and stubborn to people, and usually I don't do anything productive except draw cats/ponies

 

[mars 4,861]

According to my real life friends, Destiny is:
"Brutally honest, a really loud person, not afraid to speak her mind, kinda rude (but hey, she's nice to us), really funny, super smart, and vulgar."

According to my online friends, Destiny is:

"Pretty nice (but sometimes mean), honest, loud, really funny, vulgar, and smart."

 

yep

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

Online Personality

 

- I'm more relaxed and openminded, eager to meet new people, or start up chats

- My artistic vibes get more boost

- Not as afraid to speak my mind

- Talk alot about my husband

 

Offline Personality

 

- I'm tense and stress mainly due to that I'm at work and not on the computer and family situations going down at the moment

- I don't feel as confident in my art vibe

- I'm more careful about how, or who I speak to

- Cuddle and socalize with my husband every chance I get when I'm not online or working.

[Banul 3,831]

I'm WAY more outgoing online than I am offline

 

I try to talk the same way online as I do offline. Only difference is that, offline, I have a habit of saying "man" after every sentence. Sometimes I think I talk like a hippy. I also stutter alot offline.

 

Forgot to mention: I curse like a sailor offline. Don't do that so much online

Edited June 29, 2014 by Banul

[Rainboom Dash 1,055]

I'm a lot more relaxed online as there are lots of people with similar interests to me I can talk to. Not so much offline.

[Deathstroke 1,564]

I'll make it simple: online=nice 

                                  In real life=even more nice 

Edited June 29, 2014 by Saudi brony

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

I am a lot more loud and out going in person than I am online, I am also told that due to my size I am fairly intimidating. Offline I also tend to be a lot more helpful and observant.

As for speech, I talk a lot less "pg-13", as my speech tends to be flowing with colorful military curses.

[Khaoios 1,970]

The only real difference between online and offline for me is that I'm much quieter offline. I'm much more outspoken, as well as well-spoken, in text. Not for any great reason other than it's just easier to form my thoughts while I'm typing rather than trying to talk.

Im pretty much that same, tbh.

[SeraphStar 398]

Online I act more how I would like to offline — I'm still introverted (to a degree) but online I have no awkward feelings about jumping into a random conversation that piques my interest (whereas offline, I'd stand off to the side and nod my head when I hear something I agree with or stare blankly when I hear something I don't agree with).

 

Also offline, my speech is relegated to:

• 20% profanity

• 2% vulgarity (of varying degrees)

• 16% "Um...", "Uh...", etc.

• 40% 1st-8th grade word-level usage

• 6% big, polysyllabic dictionary words (I try to have my moments)

• 16% "... man," "... dude," etc.

 

Example: friend tells me about something bad that happened to them

 

Online Response: "Oh my, that's terrible — I'm sorry that happened to you."

Offline Response: "Aw ****, dude — that sucks. Sorry to hear that." (Not all the time, mind you, just a lot)

[Cyan Blue 946]

Online: I am weird, funny, stupid, and (sometimes?) kind of logical.

 

Offline: I am still weird, funny, stupid. And I am very social.

[Unr3alGamer 230]

Online: More open and able to speak my mind.

 

Offline: Able to speak my mind, just in a more reserved manner along with appropriate thinking and timing.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

I want almost nothing to do with irl people lol.  I don't socialize outside of family, and even then I don't care for a big fat chunk of my family. xD  I've said this like four hundred times now on these forums (which is good, I guess - used to be really reserved / borderline ashamed about it), but I'm severely obsessive compulsive with an aversion to human contact - as well as somewhat agoraphobic.  So I'm a homebody that generally stays away from public places and human traffic.  I certainly don't approach and TALK to people I don't know.  And I might even avoid people I do know.

 

Online, I'm often a shameless, un-shut-up-able FOOL lol.  But perhaps some of you have noticed this already.  Everything that's in my brain that wouldn't ordinarily escape my mouth (at least not in the company of most of the human population) has at least a chance of being typed on my screen.

[Sound Variations 264]

Online: I will speak my mind, and be a complete asshole.

 

Offline: I will speak my mind, and be even more of a complete asshole.

 

I can be a nice guy, but the mindset of most people destroys that.

[Jeric 46,834]

I'm really the same online as I am offline in general. I say in general because it's my offline persona does has more variance depending on where I am or who I am with.

 

Work - Larger shift in personality for obvious reasons.

Family .

Wife

Friends

Daughters (together)

Daughter A

Daughter B

 

Now , how I speak and present myself will be different depending on who I am with or talking to. Except for work, the shift is usually subtle. ... mostly just content and reaction based. It's there though. When I compare my Facebook posts with my friends and family to this board, they are pretty much the same. Length and conversational tone may change with the mood or energy levels, but I am who I am ... be it in the flesh or in near weightless electrons.

 

'Cept today ... apparently today I'm a guy who was married to John Travolta in a dress.

[Flutter's lover <3 8,204]

Offline I'm a much more quiet and shy person.I tend to avoid human contact with strangers, usually douchey looking teens/college kids or basically anyone bigger than me that could beat me up.  I'm afraid of a lot of things.I also generally don't talk about a lot of stuff. 

 

Online, I can be pretty talkative if it gets to a subject that interests me. I'm a lot more open about things as well, I'd talk about things,I'd generally not talk about or feel uncomfortable talking about, in real life. I tend to open up more online.

[LightningMana 146]

I've asked VinylShadow about this, since we interact both online and off~ he says I'm pretty much the same in how I post, and how I talk~

 

I have my quirky/blunt moments, emotional days, my solemn/unmotivated times~ 

[Luffstups 150]

I think I'm just about the same. My offline personality was most of the time just complete silence until I became a more active communicator online. How I talk online sort of formed the way I converse in real life, now. Although because of that, I tend to use lots of big-words and what-not, at least more than most people (in this area (apparently)) do.

It's caused more than one person to tell me that I sometimes talk like I'm authoring an 18th century biography.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

I'm also more or less the same both online and offline.

 

I usually come across as quite mature, intelligent, and responsible. (Or at least, I hope I do!) I try to be kind and considerate, I'm opinionated but always give fair reasoning, and I'm quite verbose both when I speak and when I write. I'm an introvert, but I'm not shy by any stretch of the imagination. I'm quite comfortable talking to all sorts of people, as well as being in the spotlight.

 

Poking out from underneath that is the humour, the dorkiness, the quirky habits, the silliness, the flamboyance and the drama-queen tendencies. This becomes more and more apparent the more I get to know people. (It's actually about 50/50.) I actually like to play with this contrast a lot as a teacher. I'm the sort of person students will watch and think "What's she going to do next?"

 

So yeah, quirky but mature is what I'd say I am.