Do you think it is easier to Be yourself on the computer or easier to Hide yourself??

Question

Why so?

I think people tend to hide themselves more in public for obvious reasons.

I see people talking and smiling to each other , maybe they are being real, but I atleast, dont feel comfortable with people I am not on a very personal level with or have interest in.

Answer 1

I'm more real online than I am in real life.

Answer 2

It's easier to do both. Because there is a lack of personal connection some people find it very easy to open up and be honest. Other people find it easier to lie for the same reason. The lack of body language and visual cues make it very easy to lie (and you also don't know any of these people), so if a person is looking for an escape from reality the computer is a good place to do it. Along the same lines, some people find it very hard to open up about their true inner self to friends and family; it's easy to be who you truly are on the computer; nobody knows you.

Answer 3

I am myself no matter where I am. I think in some ways it's both...however, what the computer does for us is allow the parts of ourselves that we want seen to show, and to disguise the "warts and all" part. So this is truly an instance of putting your best foot forward, if that's the goal, or making a jackass of yourself (where you might not do that in everyday life) if that's what you want. So you can kind of pick and choose what people learn about you out here with little regard for developing relationships based on what you put out there. In that way, it's kind of like being able to express yourself at low social risk. You can act out several different personas, including the way you really are, and also including aspects of who you really are, or make one up to blow steam or live out a fantasy...such as having balls if you are really quite shy, or being informative when you really have no idea what you are talking about.

I think it helps me be myself in a couple of particular ways...that I am helpful and knowledgable, and I also have a lot of different weird little interests. I can find a group of like minded people who want to discuss the things that interest me online, but sometimes (such as having an answer to questions here) my "expertise" isn't needed in my offline life, or would simply not come up in conversation, or frankly, would bore my friends to death, or even worse, if these things came up, my friends would think me a blowhard or a freak.

Answer 4

I like being on this site because I can be myself without any hangups and without the fear of being 'stalked'. I use an avatar because I feel more comfortable showing a likeness of me as opposed to the 'real' me. I believe there are many other users who do the same or even invent a completely new persona and hide behind that.

Answer 5

I guess it's easier to be yourself on the computer. In real life sometimes we can't share our thought or simply say what we want to say.
Online there are no consequences (well, almost) so we don't have to pretend to be someone else.

Answer 6

I think it's easier to hide yourself.

Answer 7

It's easier to be, here on the net and in real life...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhZV6QfsFXSW6SnGi3G.xTzsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071122195908AAPSqxa

Answer 8

I'm myself on or off of here...I AM JUST ME...no pretenses or appologies.

Answer 9

i am the real person here than anywhere else on earth = )

Answer 10

I am my self every were I go