Coffee Calm

The Online Masquerade

Blogs have the opportunity to present numerous advantages for connecting with others. The most prominent advantage that came to my mind is the physical distance between writer and reader. The blogger and reader are able to maintain certain levels of anonymity. You may ask, “How is this helping people connect?” I would tell you that sometimes, people are afraid to express themselves and/or identify with certain groups of people in public. However, as with all online interactions, there is an inherent level of mystery and a mental level of security when interacting online. I believe this can be attributed to people feeling as if they are more in control of the interactions, and that the consequences of expressing themselves online are somehow mitigated because they can always edit, delete, block, or shut down. Furthermore, people might think that they will never see the other people from online, in real life. Thus, they are far more likely to share exactly what is on their mind and hearts. However, this is a double-edged sword. With a lessened “filter,” you are more likely to see the best and worst of others.

From Facade to For Real

Being authentic and transparent in our online interactions can be difficult at times. One might try to pretend to be something that they are not, simply because no one knows who they are. I believe that this is detrimental to ourselves and society. I believe that we should all strive to be our true selves in every aspect of life. Jesus warned his disciples of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Whether or not you follow the teachings of Jesus religiously, I think you can agree that we need more authentic people and less hypocrites in our society today. So, perhaps you need an accountability friend or some self reflection times…or both. Either way, you should aim to be the change you want to see in the world. It starts with you.