Guess who's procrastinating on his studying? :P

[quadruplify]

I'll do an actual RL post later this week, but for now, some things that have been gnawing at me lately that I need to get off my chest

Comments

[neonstilettos]

Heh, funny you should mention that stuff about the internet and people on it-- earlier tonight my girlfriend (who I met on the internet) and I were lol'ing at some ridiculous article on Slate that tried to argue that long-distance relationships were awful and doomed to fail because they were bad for the environment and made people "anti-social". It was every bit as WTF-y as it sounds.

Because I've never understood the distinction between "people you meet on the internet" and people you know "in real life" (a term I hate, btw, as it implies that people are somehow "not real" when they're using the internet). However, I have noticed that in recent years there's been less stigma attached to online relationships of all kinds, and I'm sure that as time passes it will lessen further. I don't suffer from social anxiety or shyness, but I still really enjoy and value my interactions with people online and have met some very close friends there.

[quadruplify]

a term I hate, btw, as it implies that people are somehow "not real" when they're using the internet

Which explains why a lot of people feel you can -- and ought to -- get away with trolling/bullying/the like, because, "It's just the Internet!" Nevermind that the Internet is a part of real life, and that the people using it aren't just pseudonyms and icons. >_>;

[neonstilettos]

Yeah, especially when that's coupled with anonymity, allowing people to feel like they're "getting away with" something.

Personally, I make a point of not saying anything to someone online that I wouldn't say to their face in person.

[quadruplify]

Personally, I make a point of not saying anything to someone online that I wouldn't say to their face in person.

Me too. Obviously I screw this up sometimes -- no one's perfect, after all -- but it's a good rule to live by.

[strawberrymello]

So, um, what's an ES major?

/shot

[quadruplify]

Environmental Studies, with a focus in environmental policy. I don't like it as much as I thought I would. :PPP

[strawberrymello]

Ahhh. See, the only thing I could think of was Exercise Science, and that seemed...not right.

[poisontea]

Oh, no, what is TF fandom doing now. 8(

BUT YEAH, SERIOUSLY. See, Transformers has always had problems with quite a few things (LET'S CREATE A SEXY FEMALE TRANSFORMER TO CATER TO THE ANGRY FEMINISTS why was that the IC explanation), I'm not gonna deny that. I still love it anyway

[quadruplify]

See, if something is a mix of progressive and problematic, I'm inclined to like it more than if it was just mostly problematic -- because if something is made up of elements that are mostly problematic, eventually I'm going to be overwhelmed with them to the point where it's going to make me not want to enjoy it. I think this is partly why I like Avatar so much -- an all-POC cast, female characters that are more than just love interests, awesome characters who are also disabled and of different body types, etc. It's not perfect, of course -- after all, it's still very orientalist, not to mention no non-straight characters -- but those things don't hurt the show as much because there are a lot of other things to counterbalance it. As opposed to something like LoGH, where homosexuality is treated as a joke, female characters are rarely seen in clothes other than aprons or "femme fatale"-esque dresses, most of the cast is white (even though one of the main characters -- the one in my icon -- is a POC), etc

[dragoness22]

hearing some of the stories about how people have gotten really close with people they met online, or even meeting future boyfriends, has made me a little bit depressed as well; I know I'm still a little bit socially awkward/anxious/unavailable even online

I hear you loud and clear with this point... I envy the connections like this other people have made because while I have a few really close friends through WoW and a very few friends on lj and twitter who I talk with/comment back and forth with regularly, I always feel like most of the people I encounter are forging tons of really deep relationships, ones that spill over into rl with gift/craft exchanges and then there I am, just that lurker who watches it happen and occasionally makes really dumb comments >.<
I was thinking of doing the ontd_startrek secret santa this year to finally break that barrier...

[quadruplify]

I totally feel the same way; I get depressed when I see all these deep connections forged online, and I'm completely on the outside of those. I mean, yeah, I have a couple of people on LJ whom I've gotten fairly close to, but I still envy those who, say, have met their SO(s) online.

Maybe getting involved in fandom more would help, like actually writing fanfic. Which shouldn't be the main reason one should write fanfic, but I've always wanted to get my hand back into writing again, so.......

[childings]

While I certainly feel like the friendships I make online are "real" in every sense of the word -- being around someone in person is a lot different than talking to someone over the internet, and I feel a lot less lonely when I'm physically around people than when I'm talking to someone online. That's not to say that I devalue the friendships I have with people over the internet, but we're still really far away from each other. I can't hear the voices or laughter of these people or enjoy a meal with them :(

[quadruplify]

I get what you mean about needing to be physically around people -- a lot of times, I feel the same way. But for me, it's hard to, say, be involved in a conversation with a group of friends IRL because I often feel shut out, and awkwardness happens a lot. With the Internet, I can think about what I'm going to say before I say it, and when I am in a conversation, I don't feel as lonely or isolated as I do anytime I'm in RL.

[childings]

Unfortunately, I don't feel like the internet really helps me when it comes to impulsively saying things without thinking first