Sta.sh
...which I kept and refused to spend because i
! Thank you very much!
Writing this journal, I feel I prematurely posted it. The goal was to get others talking about the writing process and how they approach it, but the emphasis became my work, which is a no-no! So with that in mind, here are some questions to take into consideration (and a silly one, because why not).
I would greatly appreciate it if you could please volunteer to help me with a research assignment. The assignment studies online relationships, communication, and friendship. Please note me your survey if you have time.
(Please be as detailed as possible!!! Submit in comments.)
1. How often do you use the internet and what do you use it for?
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
Please include:
Age:
Relationship status: married/single/seeing someone
Region:
(Please be as detailed as possible!!! Submit in comments.)
1. How often do you use the internet and what do you use it for?
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
Please include:
Age:
Relationship status: married/single/seeing someone
Region:
It really depends on my schedule, or how busy school/work gets. Normally, an hour or so a day, though usually in short chunks at a time. Taking two minutes to check an email, etc.
I use the internet for emailing, getting in touch via Facebook, chatting on MSN, Deviantart, research, and random searching. A wikipedia article a day keeps my trivia hole full.
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
Friends from real life, both those I need to get in touch with, and those who are far away; Artists from around the world, to share ideas and see what kind of art people are making; a random selection of other friends met along the way.
I've established some good corespondants, and certainly a lot of 'online' friends, as well as kept up old relationships.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
Oh, well that's a tricky one. In many ways, the internet allows one to feel the 'ultimate' state of connection; Facebook status updates let you know when anyone blows their nose, and Twitter takes it a step further, and everyone can know everyone and one click to the left can send you on a long and winding journey from which you emerge 5 hours later, head spinning and ass sore.
The thing with text messaging and Facebooking and Myspacing is that, although you reach a point of super-up-to-the-minute knowledge, you start to lose the human touch. People add you on Facebook as a friend but don't talk to you at a busstop, because you aren't actually chums. Everyone wants to be connected, but in a more abstract, safer way. Remove the human element, and it almost becomes like a video game; full of characters.
Still, there are many fantastic people, especially on DA, that I would never have me had it not been for the internet. I may never talk to them face-to-face, but still feel a strong connection and kinship. It's no different than the penpal my Grandma kept for 70 years; they only just met in person, but have known each other nearly all their lives!
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
You need to look into someone's eyes as they speak, watch their little idosyncracies, and how they hold themselves to get the full package, especially when it's a romantic connection. A lot of people that I've talked to online give completely different impressions in the real world.
In a way, the web lets you be 'unhinged', and perhaps truer to your thoughts, though I still feel that really knowing someone requires face-to-face contact (again, especially when it's a romantic relationship.)
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
Face to face. Always face to face. I loathe telephones; is that silence anger, laughter, confusion?;and always feel anxious, even when talking to friends.
Online conversations can be very enriching, but you have to rely on ridiculous things like emoticons and caps lock to convey strong emotion. You have to depend on your words, and, without a voice behind them, the tone can get completely lost (especially when it comes to sarcasm.)
Face-to-face... well, you can see so much emotion in someone's face, in how they hold in or let it all out... pain, amusement, love are not things that you can truly express with
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
Again, a tricky question! Well, I think that since most of my online activity is on Deviantart, people get to see what I create, and therefore get a good idea of my inherent vibe. I feel the same way about other artists on this site. In the real world, people often look at me with a puzzled expression when they see something I've made, because it 'doesn't suit my personality.' Go figure
Well, it's odd, but I'm more likely to post something intimate and personal online, because I don't really know, of have to face, the audience. It takes much more courage to face those you know well than those you've never met before. How twisted.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
The internet is a necessity, and a great gift. There are so many people I'm happy to have met online, and, even if we never meet, I still value their friendship and opinions. There's more to a relationship than a face, but it still helps to put everything into context.
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
Most of my time on the internet is on this site, in truth. It's fascinating, and full of fun characters. In all honesty, I'm more likely to talk about something on Deviantart then in real life, or even on Facebook, as I don't know most deviants in the real world...
Please include:
Age: 20
Relationship status: single
Region: Canada
About 8 or more hours a day, im not always in front of the computer but im used to left my i.m. as “away” expecting incoming messages from friends and coworkers.
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
Romantic interest, friends and family, im also in contact with people outside my country to practice my english.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
At the beggining i feel a little disconnected, the internet is too impersonal for me but once i know the other person good enough im able to notice the other person changes of mood (even without emoticons) I also hate phone and cellphone for the same reason i prefer face to face communication.
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
By allowing me to meet persons outside my country in an easy and unexpensive way.
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
Some times is easier for me to expres myself by i.m. but i like to talk face-to-face because discuss some subjects by email or i.m. is coward.
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
I only have one blog, and i like to keep it real, but when im writing i always think twice the order of my words so i always sound more polite when im writing.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
Im not into long distance relationships (of any kind) but i must admit that i have meet very special and interesting people by online communications when this happens i try to meet that person “offline”
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
I´m still prefer a cupo f coffe and a nice talk
Age:27
Relationship status: single
Region: agnostic
For about 8 hours a day usually on DeviantArt or working on art.
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
I communicate with various people on Deviantart and about 5 friends on MSN.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
I actually feel more connected when talking to people online. I don't like using the telephone, and am not very social so it's a bit akward in person or on the telephone/
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
I actually believe I know most of my online friends very well. I think the internet hinders strictly online friendships by not letting you have the physical contact (hugging, eye contact etc). I believe it hinders romantic partners in the same way.
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
I think emotions are better expressed through phone or face to face communication. It would be like saying "That party was out of control last night" and meaning it was awesome, but the other person could think you meant that it was too much to handle.
I communicate differently online verses real life because I usually think things through more online.
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
I feel the present real me better online. I feel like I let my guard down more online. I don't divulge much on the internet or in real life but I guess I do talk more online than in real life.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
I feel more comfortable and less shy online.
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
I usually have a DeviantArt window up all the time, refresing my messages every 10 minutes or so, sometimes looking up stuff. I feel I express myself better in my art on deviantart, but my opinions better in real life.
Age: 20
Relationship status: Single
Region: California, USA
Everyday, at a minimum of 5 hours, in separate chunks. Most of the time, I use it for dA and LiveJournal, blogs, news, celebrity websites, fan-fiction, a lot of video watching via Hulu.com, and general goof-off stuff. Also, I'm taking an online course for high school this year, so I spend some time on that site as well. But I usually don't use the internet for school unless specifically told.
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
Most of my communication with people online takes place here at dA or via e-mail. Some of my friends here on dA I know in real life, but I don't see them anymore because we attend different schools. But I also have friends whom I've never met. I haven't developed any romantic relationships, but I would be willing to try it out.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
I feel less connected with people. Because if I make a person mad of upset at me, and they don't tell me, it's harder for me to know because I don't see/communicate with them daily in real life. If they stop talking to me, I'm kind of left wondering, "Was it something it said?" And yes, said situation could happen in real life, but it's a lot easier to confront people in real life because you'll most likely get an immediate answer.
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
I believe that I don't really know the person well. I mean, I may get the emotional/mental side of them, but there are way too many aspects that can't be expressed on dA that I don't know. Like, do they snore when the sleep? Do they eat the Oreo whole, or do they split in half and eat the filling first? Do they twirl their hair when stressed? Also, I'm like having a physical relationship, so the fact that I can only e-hug people bums me out.
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
I think I do. Emotions is not a tangible thing, so you need to have good diction to correctly present what you're feeling. Also, I think it's better to write down the emotions, because a lot of times people think I'm feeling a particular emotion, but I'm really not, and it's all because of my body language. But it all depends on how you present the emotion. Without body language, something can seem mean when the person was only being sarcastic. So, in conclusion, I'm careful about how I word things so I don't come off the wrong way.
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
I think I present more of my real opinions and thoughts online right now. There are things I feel I can't say at my school right now because I don't know a lot of kids, and I don't want to offend them. But I can say certain things here at dA because I know how most of them feel about an issue. And luckily, if a person disagrees, they're generally nice about presenting their opinion to me. But I understand that I'm more of an exception. I divulge a little more on the internet than most do. I've posted my picture, my general location, and my real first name, where as I've heard kids at school freak out if someone mentions posting a picture of themselves on the internet. I used to give out my real e-mail account, but I've recently set up a gmail account to have more protection.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
I'll admit that sometimes I was a little more cautious before. I'm not as blatantly obvious about my location anymore. But I can't remove the pictures, or make people forget my real name. I think online relationships can be pretty cool, but I would never get really serious with a person until there was a possibility that I could meet them in real life a couple of times to judge their character better. I have a feeling it would take longer for me to trust an online relationship than a real life one. However, I've never been in a relationship period, so it's all purely hypothetical. Also, being online has been a self-esteem raiser for me. People talk to me without bias of knowing me in real life, such as how I conduct myself and how I look. So it's nice to have a place where I'm not judged by those aspects of myself.
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
The majority of my time is on deviantArt. It's my homepage.
Age: 16
Relationship status: Single
Region: US of A
I hope this helps without your research. Good luck!
I use it every day for several hours. Normally I read the news, go on one or two forums, spend my time on dA and do some research for my studies on the net. I use my online dictionary as well.
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
Being far enough from my family and my boyfriend, I communicate quite a lot over the internet. Changing countries as often as I do means that I use the internet to keep my real-life friendships going as well... just the normal amount of speaking with friends that you haven't seen for quite a while.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
I don't know. It is easier to speak to people over the internet, but I have neither facebook, myspace nor a blog. I do use messengers for the reasons stated above, not for getting new relationships. It is just cheaper than phoning into another country on the other side of an ocean!
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
Strictly online friends? You can't really know them. But then, who really knows his offline friends? I don't anyways... The internet just helps me staying in contact with the people I see about once a year. But yes, sometimes it hinders as well, especially if people just don't understand that sometimes you don't want to speak with them! But then, you can just play "offline"...
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
I like face-to-face more than online because you see the persons face, hands and feet. It makes it easier to communicate if you have sight contact. And it already helps hearing the other one. So I prefer "phone" (headset and in front of the computer... cheaper than the actual phone) to strictly writing conversations, but I like it most to actually be with the person.
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
I don't know when I feel my "real me" better. I'm still not sure that I found that "real me"... or it keeps changing. Normally, I keep most information for myself... a thing that comes with the experience that people just don't want to know more than the shocking facts. But what I say (online/offline) and my appearance (offline as well as online) are mostly thought through and have a goal why I say/do them. Sometimes it all seems like a nice piece of theatre to me and everybody is playing his own caracter. Online a bit more than offline, though.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
Well, I think I went so offtopic above that it's all in there!
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
I spend... about 2 to 3 hours each day on dA, but it's going in the background of all the other stuff I'm doing. For my opinions... they don't seem to want to go into my art. But I think it is easier to give critics on dA than in RealLife from person to person. You think it over three times befor you say someone that you don't like the hairstyle, but you only need to find the right expression on dA once you've got your opinion. So in critics I express myself better on dA than in RL and I think in other stuff as well. I find it hard to connect to real people offline so that they remember anything about you exept the shocking facts. (and my life is to full of "shocking" or "unusual" stuff so that people always forget the person behind these facts... I'm a bit tired of this behaviour)
Please include:
Age: 20
Relationship status: seeing someone
Region: Europe (actually sitting in Spain, but changing quite a lot)
Considering I work at home and my work consist of the computer *and* internet, so I'd say more than 12 hours a day.
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
Friendship, generally - and family as of late. Most of my online friendships have developed to real life friendships as well, in spite of distance between them and me.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
More connected, really. Especially since technology have enabled us (and just about everybody in my family/friends circle) to get online at any given time.
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
I'd like to believe I know (quite a number of) them well enough to trust them with my address. I would instantly *not* trust anyone who lied online (with the exception of names) about their age, status, or location. As for how it helps, I reckon it helped me weed out the liars in my real life.
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
As far as I know, there is no difference. I am a very talkative person IRL and it reflects on my online life.
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
Since I don't lie anyway about anything, I don't think there's any difference. Information: I would divulge my location (not address), age, and status - the same thing goes with RL convo.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
Self-perception: I often wonder why people hide their true selves online. While I'm not naive (been online for more than a decade), I don't think we should hide our true selves just for the sake of popularity. If you believe displaying your true self would make people not like you, then maybe you should consider taking a good look at your true self and *change* the negative qualities.
ol v. rl comm: "Do unto others what you wish to be done unto you" should be everybody's mantra.
Online relationships: There's friendship and there's casual friendships. If one can take as much precaution in online friendships as they would in real-life friendships, one can be more relaxed in their approach to online friendship while being as guarded and cautious as one would in real life. Brain should always be employed in any relationship. Having the internet should be seen as a tool, not as a gateway.
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
When not working (art or job), I'd say around 3-5 hrs.
Opinion: well, not really. I'm an opinionated person in real life, as well. So I don't see the difference in how I opine toward an online artwork or real life.
I think I probably use the internet about 3-4 hours a day, and I use it for my art, school work and to update my blog.
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
I don't think I have any online friends who are more than that, friends, but I communicate with those who I have a reason to talk to. I don't like randomly bugging people over aim or msn. Same as I wouldn't walk up to a random person in the street and bug them.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
It really depends on the person, some people I feel more connected to but then others I feel no more connected to that I feel towards a random stranger on the street.
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
I have no idea how well I know those whom I know online, as I only know what they tell me, but how is that any different to real life?
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
Usually I prefer face to face but in one-one situations, the anonymity of the internet does help.
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
I like to think that I present the real me, and I feel that it is much easier to reveal details about my self to random strangers.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
Not really, it's just another layer to the whole web of society.
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
I probably spend maybe an eight of the time I spend on the net, and I couldn't say if I express myself better on dA, as I see it as an extension of myself, most of the people I come into daily contact knowing my dA's address and all.
Please include:
Age: 15
Relationship status: single
Region: UK
1. How often do you use the internet and what do you use it for?
Every day: For keeping up with news, communication with friends, learning new things (Wikipedia), browsing art (DA), online NWN-based RPG (avlis.org).
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
Mostly, I communicate with close friends from real life who have moved abroad. Second come those whom I have met thanks to online RPG; Several of them have become people I can count on just as well as if they were my friends from real life. It is a close-knit, mature community, much to my luck.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
No, I do not feel in any way more connected. I do not necessarily feel a need to communicate for sake of communication itself anyway. On dA, I write mostly art-related Journals that might be interesting to my watchers (I prefer that instead of submitting dA News). Time to time I also include snippets from my real life, while keeping them on the funny side: I do so out of courtesy for those who take interest in me and my artwork.
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
While I have no "online romantic partners", I can claim to know several of my "online friends" very well, even intimately. We discuss our everyday lives with each other, as well as all kinds of topic of interest, just as friends in real life. I speak of "online friendship" that has grown for five years and keeps evolving. There have been times of trouble for either of us when we have wished to be able to offer comfort more than written words can do, but that has been the only limitation that has presented itself.
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
I cannot see a difference, other than the fact that I type slightly faster than I talk.
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
Little, both online or in person. If I do so with "online friends", it is a matter of time and a will of all sides to gradually get to know each other.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
The World Wide Web offers unique opportunity to communicate with like-minded people around the globe, whom one would otherwise never get to meet. However, it cannot substitute person to person real life contact.
While on the same page: It has been said time and again that the internet also makes it easier for individuals of ill intent to find victims, as one can more easily conceal their personality online. However, I believe that one can usually tell apart a "fake" behaviour online; If one is that skilled about concealing personality online, they have got to be just as skilled about it in real life.
Easy victims the world wide web can claim are children, as they are inexperienced with grown-up behaviour. Parents should take responsibility to protect and warn their children of the possible dangers in real life, as well as on the internet from an early age.
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
Half an hour a day, more often than not. I express myself through my art just as well as through my everyday real life actions (both are a reflection of the world as I see it). I prefer to keep my personal opinions away from DA unless asked to.
Please include:
Age: 26
Relationship status: Married (Mrs.)
Region: Sofia, Bulgaria, South-Eastern Europe
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online?
Looks can be deceiving, words can be deceiving, although in general the real me is better perceived if I stand in front of you, heh.
How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
Little, both online or in person. If I do so with "online friends", it is a matter of time and a will of all sides to gradually get to know each other.
At least once everyday, sometimes twice. It's hard to give exact hours
2. Who do you communicate with online; what sort of online relationships have you established? (Romantic, friendships, family. This can be both in real life and online.)
Friends and family. Having a romantic relationship with someone long distance, as I know, is pretty disastrous as I only saw them once a year, and if I was lucky then two or three times. Of the friends I have met over the internet, they are all purely friendship based.
3. Do you feel more or less connected to people when using online communication (blogging, texting, facebook, myspace, dA. Please be detailed.)
To those who I have known for at least six months or more, I feel connected to them, because it's given me time to get to know them, and vice versa. But this only applies, for me anyway, to those who I know on dA or IMing. I tend to use the internet to communicate with people, rather than texting or phoning them up. On Myspace, which I hardly use, I only accept friends who I know from somewhere else. If a random person adds me, then I'll decline that invitation
4. How well do you believe you know strictly online friends or romantic partners? How does the internet hinder and help your relationships?
I wouldn't go as far as saying that I know everything about them, but I wouldn't say I don't know anything about them either. It's about how comfortable you are with divulging information, and whether you trust those people. In a way, the internet does hinder relationships, because you can never be sure that the person you are talking to is actually who they say they are. But it also helps relationships because you get to know more people, most of them people who are interested in what you are.
5. Do you feel you express your emotions better via text, instant messaging, and email or phone and face-to-face conversation? How do you communicate differently online verses real life?
I know I express emotions better in face to face conversations. They are able to tell what mood you're in, just by looking at you, or listening to the tone of your voice, yet on IM, or email, unless you tell them how you're feeling then it's hard for them to distinguish what it is that you're feeling. When in a 'real life' conversation, I don't use expressions such as 'Lol' or 'Lmao', yet I use them a lot when in IMing or Emailing somebody, because like I said, it's hard for them to know if you're laughing at whatever they just said/showed you.
6. Do you feel you present "the real you" better in person or online? How much information do you divulge to the internet (blogs, social networking) and how much to real life (conversations, meetings, appearance)?
I think it's just another part to my personality. The people who I'm talking to also effect how I appear to them and the type of conversations we have, for example, there's one person who I'd just have the same conversation with everytime I speak to her, hi. U K? Wuu2?. Somebody else I know starts talking to me and we have a discussion about Enid Blyton, Cheesecake and how her boyfriends a pidgeon. Another one and all we'd talk about is either Doctor Who, Torchwood (or lack of), Top Gear, the Mighty Boosh, Germany or simply having a random conversation about something else.For me, the way I express myself, depends on the person I am talking to. If I'm talking to a person who I haven't talked to in a while. I'd act slightly less insane than I would around someone who I talked to on a regular basis. I express what I mean better through text, as when I'm talking I tend to stutter a lot, and go back to something I said previously and move around the subject a lot. As for divulging information, I wouldn't give out my address or my phone number to someone who I don't know. To the friends I met over the internet, who I trust pretty well, I'd give them the hometown, but no numbers or house names. Giving out more personal information, again, depends on the person.
7. Is there anything you would like to add about self-perception, online communication v. real life communication, and online relationships?
I think I've said all I want to say above. Talking over the internet is easier, as you don't fumble over words, and if you do make a mistake it can be easily corrected. But again, with real life communication, you know who you are talking to.
8. How much time do you spend on deviantArt? Do you feel you express yourself better in your art and opinions on dA than real life?
I think, most of the time I'm on the internet I'm on dA. Not neccasarily browsing, as most of the time I'm doing other things. I think, yes, I express myself more in my art (or in my case, fanfic), because most of my 'real life' friends, don't know I write Fanfic, or write at all for that matter, so I can post on here without fear of being ridiculed for it. Most of the conversations I have in 'real life' are about things that I don't tend to have an opinion on, so yes, I voice my opinion more on dA.
Please include:
Age: 17
Relationship status: Single
Region: England, Derbyshire