Thursday, September 11, 2008
Feelings of Isolation Leads to the Creation of a Virtual Identiti
Jennifer Egan reports that some individuals use the computer as a safe haven and create a virtual identity that sometimes reflects the true them that they feel can not be revealed in their everyday lives. Egan takes us on a journey in the life of a 15 year old boy, named Jeffrey who is struggling with his feelings of being gay. Jeffrey explains to Egan,
"I first typed the words gay and teen into a search engine
on the computer and found himself aswirl in a teeming
online gay world, replete with resources, advice columns
chat rooms, and the most critical thing he found was
thousands of closeted and anxious kids like himself. That
discovery changed his life. The internet kept him sane."
On the internet Jeffrey was able to create a virtual persona that actually reflected himself. Jeffrey felt safe and comfortable with his virtual identity. This was the only place he felt secure and could talk to people who had the same interest as him and maybe could give him advice on how to deal with ceratin situations. In the "real world" he felt their was no one or no where he could turn to. This creation of his virtual identity may have prevented him from harming himself or even killing himself. Some would contest that virtual identity is a truer image of one's self than the fascade they put up in the "real world" and creates a safe and comfortable place to turn to.
"I first typed the words gay and teen into a search engine
on the computer and found himself aswirl in a teeming
online gay world, replete with resources, advice columns
chat rooms, and the most critical thing he found was
thousands of closeted and anxious kids like himself. That
discovery changed his life. The internet kept him sane."
On the internet Jeffrey was able to create a virtual persona that actually reflected himself. Jeffrey felt safe and comfortable with his virtual identity. This was the only place he felt secure and could talk to people who had the same interest as him and maybe could give him advice on how to deal with ceratin situations. In the "real world" he felt their was no one or no where he could turn to. This creation of his virtual identity may have prevented him from harming himself or even killing himself. Some would contest that virtual identity is a truer image of one's self than the fascade they put up in the "real world" and creates a safe and comfortable place to turn to.
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Can we find our true selves online? Are virtual identities more real than our "real" identity? Can we use the web to find our soul mates without worrying about prejudice or other constraints on self-expression?
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