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So here is a subject I’ve touched on before. I know many of you don’t know me or never talked to me. And you know what...that’s ok. It’s ok because in my world with my people I rock. And I’m sure you do in your world too. However, that is the point of today’s blog. Your world vs. mine.
In today’s society I keep in touch with 95 percent of my friends by an online means. Fubar, Facebook, IMs, or some such. Now I’m talking about people I have met, talked to, interact with in what we will now refer to as “real life”. But wait I also correspond, message, poke, smile, bling what have you to my “online friends” What is the difference?
What is the difference indeed? I have a few “online” friends I actually physically care about. We’ve never met in person, we don’t pick up the phone and call every single day, and I don’t send them birthday gifts or Christmas presents. And vice versa. But I don’t do that for most of my own damn family. SO what makes them any different than my cousins that I barely talk to most of the time? I don’t lie to my cousin just because I haven’t talked to her in 6 months. I don’t pretend I have a better job, life, fiancé or etc. just because I only talk to her online and I didn’t see her at the last family reunion.
Because of the Catfish movie I’ve been doing some serious thinking and talking with a lot of my “real life” friends. So now I guess I wanted to talk to my “online” friends about it too. If she would have done this “in the real world” wouldn’t she have been arrested for identity theft? Impersonating too many people? Fraud? But because it’s a “virtual world” she was allowed to impersonate over 20 people and there will be no jail time. Just some poor guy’s broken heart. Why is that ok?
I hear people talk about their online persona. I realize to many of you this is a game. And in a way it is a fun game to get to know people. But where do you draw the line? At what point do you go too far and start hurting real people? Emotionally, financially, mentally you cause some serious pain to someone. And in your mind it’s ok because it’s all just a game or it’s not really you.
I don’t do or say anything on my page that isn’t me. I try to be very honest about me and what I do and who I am. I talk to real people on fubar and Facebook. Some I may never lay “real” eyes on but it doesn’t matter. They are my friends. They are my close friends and I talk to some of them more than I do my own damn family.
If you’d lie, cheat and steal in your real life then this isn’t about you I guess. But if you only do it online because the people aren’t real to you. Then you kind of suck. No you a lot of suck. People on this site have made me laugh, cry, sad, mad, curse and many other emotions. Does that mean it’s where I spend all my time? No but it is real time when I am here. And it’s real people on the other side of the screen.
So when you play your game or your “persona” remember this, on the other side of that sb, message, photo, is a real life human being. They have struggles, problems, sadness, joy, and happiness just like you do. And when they say they care some really mean that. Others don’t. But doesn’t that happen in your “real life” too?
