Does Anonymity Breed Unconditional Friendship?
 

The Internet gets consistantly torn down as a social medium becuse anybody can hide behind a username and make comments, but does this work the other way around?

Looking at the "Pictures of Us" Thread, I see an incredible and wonderful diversity of people here and I have to admit, (before the forums anyway) if I met some people here by chance, face-to-face in public i'm not sure a frienship would immediately be ignited. I'm sure there are people out there who feel the same way about me.

Has our anonimity bred unconditional frienship?

If there's one thing Avatar and these forums has taught me, it's that you shouldn't judge a person on apperances or because they belong to a particular 'group'.

It's the person inside that counts.

Anonymity can certainly have both bad and good effects. In out case, since we got together by a common cause or way to see things because of Avatar – it is definitely a good thing.

However, in other situations anonymity can lead to really bad things – since you can basically say whatever you want without any penalty.

For a good example on how anonymity can lead to different things, look no longer than 4chan. Some things that has been made there has been terrible, and some things has been really good – all because several people can gather together anonymously.

i can say for sure, that it can, and i have done it on more than one occasion, here, and other places.

Having a certain amount of remove, does allow you to be more honest, then with someone in real life. its actually pretty cool.

It goes with a persons integrity. It's one of those things that is difficult to build and can be completely destroyed in a moment. For me it is a violation against myself to say bad hurtful things. I don't think I will ever visit 4chan. Thanks for the warning. I have a feeling that I might have a hard time washing away the smell. Life is short and I just don't need that.

I'm not sure how to describe what follows and I think I may choose the wrong words. I find the anonymity limiting in many ways. It just feels superficial on some level. The depth of connection is low on some levels. People come and go with just too much ease. It's a conflict for me, because I have been deeply affected by some of the posts from those I will likely never meet in the real world.

I try to be pretty honest in real life. There are times that I bite my tongue and stay silent both here and in real life. Honesty can be hurtful as well as helpful.

I feel that in the end the anonymity is over rated. I have made friends on other forums who live hundreds or thousands of miles away. I have met several of them mainly because I tend not to be anonymous. I use my name there. I only choose the Na'vi word Txen here because it seemed more appropriate. Otherwise I would be Carl Leonard and stand up. It takes more courage to post as your true self.

Yes, it does. It's unfortunate that the anonymity of the internet gives some people a "no holds barred" attitude toward other people...it's too easy to forget that there is another human being on the other side of the screen, and a lot of people are wary of sharing who they really are, afraid of being hurt by those people (a justified fear, in my opinion).

I agree that the anonymity can be a good thing, too, though...it removes the filters we inevitably develop with people in "real life" (maybe "in person" would be a better description? Typing back and forth is still real life :) ). It forces us to get to know other people through their writing, alone, and even though that has its own limitations, you read enough of what someone has to say, you will get a feel for what they're all about, and once you have that feel for the person, the other aspects become much less important, I think.

Very interesting topic :) (and I'm Barbara, it's nice to meet you! :party: )

Even though we are anonymous on the Internet, simply by joining a forum you are making a statement about yourself - More specifically about a certain Like or Dislike.

If you think of how you deal with making new friends in real life, you start off with simple questions like "What kind of Music do you like?" in an attempt to get some common ground.

Since websites tend to be specialised or themed, much of this done for you. This being done for you means you are already on a certain level of friendship with that community (all be it might be a low level friendship to begin with).


I also think this is appropriate here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/334452/ift.jpg

I completely agree.

There are so many people here who I consider really good friends, some of who I've never actually seen, some who I have. I've ended up talking to people, just brought together by a single shared experience, and many people now know me better than just about anyone I know IRL :)

This also reminds me, I need to post a picture on the pictures thread :P

Jamza, the image isn't working for me through this forum, but I was able to copy the link. That is one of the funniest things I have seen for a while.

It is true that a common interest in an internet forum or even in real world places is a great ice breaker. I have many real world friends that I originally met in forums. It's just a bit easier to make that transition if you at least put your location out there if not your name.

Great post, ma tsmukan.

I'm loving the anonymity that the Internet gives me. I am a very timid and reserved person offline. Being anonymous let me really express my thoughts and feelings without as much anxiety (after all, I can just walk away from the computer)... If I couldn't have been anonymous, I think I would've gone crazy by now from trying to hold all my Avatar feelings in :P

Also, Jamza, that pic is hilarious and totally true :P

I believe it can. It is one thing being around strangers as they dont know you and you can open up to them. However, this is hindered somewhat face to face.

Now when you bring in the internet. It is people you dont know and will more than likely never meet. So for me it is much easier to "show" your true feelings. Especially in somewhere like here where we share similar interest and can really open up to eachother in a way that we might not even some close friends.

Was going to post this. The IFT holds true in most cases, but there are exceptions. Just look at this forum!

Hahahaha so true! People love to act tough over the interwebz

what does anonimity mean?

like anonymous, people do not know who you are, you are unknown.

Oh thanks for the explanation. I find people try to act tough over the internet

Anonymity generally means not being identifiable as a specific person. Generally, the internet is relatively anonymous (although in actual fact, a lot less than many people think, if you know how) - but as you can register as any username, and connect yourself to it as much or little as you like, you can often post relatively anonymously, and unconnected to to others where you may be less anonymous.

I would rather not be anonymous. I think that people would better understand what I write if they knew me as a person, because it seems I often get misunderstood a lot. But I guess that's always present when conversing on a purely electronic level without actually seeing or hearing the person you are talking with.

I came into this conclusion when I was talking with Eltu and HumanNoMore about all the problems that were going about, and I think all three of us are pretty much alike. Yet we go about things in different manners, and when you add misunderstanding into that, there will be unnecessary tension and confusion when we can't understand one another.

Maybe that's because I'm not good at converting my thoughts and feelings into words, and when I try, people always seem to misinterpret my intentions, and sometimes that makes me want to keep my mouth shut and just keep on lurking.

The only way to get better at writing those words and that is practice. I used to be terrible at it. I hope that I have managed to get to the point that sometimes I can get my point across. I have a hard time slowing my brain down enough to match the speed at which I can type. Somehow I don't think that I will ever get to the point that some other poster are able to achieve. There have been many words of beauty here and back on AF. I know that the only way I will ever be able to do so is to try.

Anonymity is very easy to do on the internet. The inhibitions that prevent us from opening up in face-to-face conversations fall on the keyboard. On here, we can speak and tell just about anything. This is a double-edged sword since it can be good or bad. I know from experience that relationships started on the internet can be real and heartfelt. It depends upon the person though. It is all built on trust. Without that, no relationship/friendship could develop. This is true if the friendship/relationship starts face-to-face or on the internet.

While the anonymity can make it easier to post without the fears and self censorship that can occur in a face to face situations, it does have a down side. Any bonds formed are weak and can get broken with comparatively little provocation. The events here of late have shown this to be true. Now I don't really know what transpired, but recently several members have left due to the whole AF and ToS issues.

For something totally unrelated. Sorry for the rant that follows.

Many say "I made great friends here." I kind of challenge that. To me it's more like "I made many great acquaintances here." When I call someone my friend it is a more enduring bond. I stand by them through good and bad. If I call you my close friend, you basically become part of my family. I'm also not a fair weather friend kind of person. A fair weather friend is no friend at all as far as I am concerned.

It's a basic limitation of the internet. The anonymity and just plain physical separation get in the way. It's not impossible though. For example I'm headed out to a gathering in the California desert the weekend after next. It is from another internet forum that I belong to. There will be about at least 30 of us and maybe more. Some are flying in from around the country. At least half of them I am happy to call my friends.

OK rant over.

I'm not so sure... There are many people who I've talked to a bit, but other people, I have talked to a LOT, and they know me better than just about anyone else. With everything that's been going on recently, I've been finding things quite hard at the moment, and people I know from here have really helped by talking, they know who they are :)

I was a bit on the harsh side with my post. I think it was a bit of a post out of anger which is almost never a good thing.

I think an nonarticulated part of what I was trying to convey has to do with time. You see I have a different perspective due to life experience. It is something that you may come to know over the many years that you have in front of you. If you are lucky enough to stay in contact over years and even decades this entire event will fade. You may even laugh about it. I know that I laugh about things in my past that were hardly humorous at the time.