Oh, if I had only known then what I know now about how the world would be forever changed by that strange Internet thingie...
In activating my email account, I was asked what I'd like to have as my user name. The representative I was working with at the telecom company suggested that I use a nickname or something other than my actual name for the sake of security. So, being the dumb kid that I was, I used the only nickname I had at the time - "Big Dog", stemming from my plethora of t-shirts from BIG DOGS - for my first ever Internet handle. Not exactly a professional-sounding moniker, needless to say, but it served me well enough. Within short order of setting up the account and going online I was communicating with people by way of email (Anyone remember Eudora Lite?), mainly other locals who'd also picked up on the infantile technology. However, I was also in touch with others, people I didn't know but had encountered on the web by way of one method or the other. Some of my favorite pen pals, as it were, were a group of writers at a video gaming magazine called Ultra Game Players (which sadly doesn't exist anymore) that ran goofy ideas for games as part of their letters section. The game idea submissions were, in most cases, fairly irreverent albeit hilarious. I began firing away ideas at them and before long I had several of my submissions published (there was no cash prize involved, I'm sad to say). When asked what name I wanted associated with the publication I didn't use my real name, rather a set of pen names.
So it was that within a very narrow span of time that I'd gone from being myself to big_dog@infoave.net (go ahead, send email there - some other dope has that account now), to a set of other names which were not my own. In doing so I became part of a trend that has been an aspect of participating in the community that is the Internet since day one of public usage. That being, people quickly realized that they weren't necessarily required to operate under their own identity or, more importantly, their own personality whilst online. You might be Joe T. Bumsniffer - an easy-going, semi-bashful, introverted kind of guy - in the real world but on the web?
I AM FLAMING_SWORD917, KNEEL BEFORE MY AWESOMENESS YOU PEONS!!!!!
You're not a successful person in reality? That's okay, be a doctor/lawyer/astronaut on the web!
You can't drum up the courage to talk to an attractive girl? No problem, you can be Don Juan Suave online!
You don't have the personal accountability to express your opinions without fear of retribution from society? Who cares, you're not writing those things yourself - your alter-ego did it!
The point of all this is to say that the nature of the Internet encourages a climate of pseudo-anonymity. When people are online, they feel like they're safe because even though they are connected to the rest of the world they have a sense that they're protected, that whatever content they generate will somehow be confined to that little box or gadget by which they've accessed the web. What's more, they appreciate the opportunity to do things that they'd otherwise never do, living off the thrill of getting to be outspoken, heroic, villainous, amorous, or otherwise expressive of whatever recessive personality traits their perverted mind may be secretly harboring.
Right now you may be thinking to yourself, "If this guy is being critical of people who are on the web using made-up personalities he ought to take a look in the mirror!", and you'd be right. I didn't use my real name when I branded this blog for 2 reasons: 1) I've never been bashful about it being known that I'm the man otherwise known as Red Beard (one of them, anyway - it's not exactly an original idea for a nickname so there's obviously plenty of others who might claim it as well) and 2) "Robert's Rambling" just doesn't have the same connotation to it as "RedBEARD's Rambling". It reminds me of this scene from Raising Arizona (a personal favorite of mine).
FBI Investigator: Is it true your name was originally 'Nathan Huffheinz'?
Nathan: Yeah, what of it?
FBI Investigator: Why did you change it?
Nathan: Would you buy furniture from a place called 'Unpainted Huffheinz'?
Part of running a successful blog (or any website, for that matter) is about having a gimmick and the presentation to go along with it, so pardon my showmanship while I give you a guarantee that this isn't schtick - what I write herein is my own set of opinions, like them or not, and I'm not shy about claiming them. This is in contrast to some folks who sit behind their keyboards and act as if they're Conan the Destroyer but if you were to ever call them out on something they've done on the web they'd panic and collapse like a house of cards built on a waterbed.
There's a growing shift away from Internet handles thanks to many online communities taking advantage of integration through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter (@redb3ard - cheap plug) whereby comment sections on websites that had once been populated by faceless trolls are now suddenly made up of actual people. All this has done is given users enough rope with which to hang themselves. They may not be operating under a convenient veil of secrecy (which is a complete farce; every activity you engage in online can be traced and linked back to its point of origin) but they still feel a sense of security in that they can post prose or imagery at will without fear of retribution or reprisal in the real world. As ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso might say, "Not so fast, my friend!" Your comments follow you from the web to reality and influence the way others perceive you even though they may never meet the "real" you (whoever that may be). As I've mentioned earlier, the comfort and security that the web allows for is a terribly dangerous sensation to give into. You may not believe me but I've seen first hand what can happen when a person without enough gumption to keep their fingers off a keyboard inadvertently triggers a feud that would make the Hatfields and McCoys proud. Would those folks have had the wherewithal to hold their tongues if they were having actual conversations instead of trading posts online? Possibly, but the fact remains that they're more likely to make their feelings known because of the relative safety conveyed by not having to stand in front of their rival.
On the extreme end of the consequences of actions taken in virtual reality crossing over into real reality is the fact that more than just your reputation with the locals might be ruined by way of online activities. There are plenty of examples of people who've been convicted of crimes for having made their less-than-legal exploits public by way of Facebook, many of which may never have even been known about had they not given in to the urge to get attention or some semblance of fame from their actions.
A more identifiable kind of online activity is when something is written with the intention of being a joke only for it to be taken seriously by someone who can't detect sarcasm or humor at which point they fly off the handle with a tirade that's often more amusing to observe than the original bit of joviality had been. To the credit of these individuals, tone of delivery isn't always easy to sense when you're dealing with printed text. I think this was the intention behind emoticons which can be an asset in getting your point across - assuming the person who can't tell a joke from a genuinely snide remark can distinguish a colon followed by another symbol as being a representation of emotion, that is.
My general rule of thumb when it comes to reading or viewing anything online is to automatically take it as being either: A) Complete BS, B) a piece of content that is intended to be entertaining yet might get taken the wrong way (meaning I should probably keep my thoughts to myself and go somewhere else, pronto), or C) a desperate cry for attention that unless it comes off as being horribly legitimate in its scope should be thoroughly ignored.
Scenario A is the most easily identifiable - or so it should be, but this might just be me seeing as how I tend to function with my BS Detector set to maximum yield at all times - and should be immediately dismissed (although laughing riotously at it first is perfectly acceptable). Scenario B can go a couple of different routes but I find that unless you unintentionally get caught in the middle of a crossfire it's best to sit back and watch rather than become involved. Much like kids throwing temper tantrums, Internet-folk who get riled up will tire themselves out eventually. Scenario C varies between two extremes - on the one hand you have people who are legitimately troubled and need professional help, but on the other hand you've got people who've subconsciously identified that they can get onlookers to fawn over them if they seem desperate enough. I guess it's better than them cutting themselves with hunting knives.
My point with this entry has been to generally warn the masses of the implicit dangers of participating in online communities because having been around the web for as long as I have I feel like I know better than most what pitfalls exist (even though new ones are popping up all the time). The Internet doesn't come with an instruction manual, and even if it did chances are it would be horribly inadequate at preparing you for what this beautifully nightmarish realm of existence actually is. (I could never properly describe what residual effects my experiences online have left me with except to say it's been like walking through a mine field with rabid wolves lurking around every corner yet somehow containing huge amounts of everything you've ever loved.) It's an inviting place but one that grinds on you and, through prolonged exposure, inadvertently changes your very being. That said, you should probably take whatever device it is that you're reading this on, as well as any other comparable devices you may have in your possession, and destroy them with fire. Encourage your friends and family members to do the same, they're better off never knowing what a blue waffle is or that you never want to get invited to a lemon party or that 2 girls with 1 cup is a situation you never want to encounter...Now if you'll excuse me I have to catch up on my YouTube subscriptions and see if I can find that new Mastodon album on Rapidshare.
You can't drum up the courage to talk to an attractive girl? No problem, you can be Don Juan Suave online!
You don't have the personal accountability to express your opinions without fear of retribution from society? Who cares, you're not writing those things yourself - your alter-ego did it!
The point of all this is to say that the nature of the Internet encourages a climate of pseudo-anonymity. When people are online, they feel like they're safe because even though they are connected to the rest of the world they have a sense that they're protected, that whatever content they generate will somehow be confined to that little box or gadget by which they've accessed the web. What's more, they appreciate the opportunity to do things that they'd otherwise never do, living off the thrill of getting to be outspoken, heroic, villainous, amorous, or otherwise expressive of whatever recessive personality traits their perverted mind may be secretly harboring.
Right now you may be thinking to yourself, "If this guy is being critical of people who are on the web using made-up personalities he ought to take a look in the mirror!", and you'd be right. I didn't use my real name when I branded this blog for 2 reasons: 1) I've never been bashful about it being known that I'm the man otherwise known as Red Beard (one of them, anyway - it's not exactly an original idea for a nickname so there's obviously plenty of others who might claim it as well) and 2) "Robert's Rambling" just doesn't have the same connotation to it as "RedBEARD's Rambling". It reminds me of this scene from Raising Arizona (a personal favorite of mine).
FBI Investigator: Is it true your name was originally 'Nathan Huffheinz'?
Nathan: Yeah, what of it?
FBI Investigator: Why did you change it?
Nathan: Would you buy furniture from a place called 'Unpainted Huffheinz'?
Part of running a successful blog (or any website, for that matter) is about having a gimmick and the presentation to go along with it, so pardon my showmanship while I give you a guarantee that this isn't schtick - what I write herein is my own set of opinions, like them or not, and I'm not shy about claiming them. This is in contrast to some folks who sit behind their keyboards and act as if they're Conan the Destroyer but if you were to ever call them out on something they've done on the web they'd panic and collapse like a house of cards built on a waterbed.
There's a growing shift away from Internet handles thanks to many online communities taking advantage of integration through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter (@redb3ard - cheap plug) whereby comment sections on websites that had once been populated by faceless trolls are now suddenly made up of actual people. All this has done is given users enough rope with which to hang themselves. They may not be operating under a convenient veil of secrecy (which is a complete farce; every activity you engage in online can be traced and linked back to its point of origin) but they still feel a sense of security in that they can post prose or imagery at will without fear of retribution or reprisal in the real world. As ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso might say, "Not so fast, my friend!" Your comments follow you from the web to reality and influence the way others perceive you even though they may never meet the "real" you (whoever that may be). As I've mentioned earlier, the comfort and security that the web allows for is a terribly dangerous sensation to give into. You may not believe me but I've seen first hand what can happen when a person without enough gumption to keep their fingers off a keyboard inadvertently triggers a feud that would make the Hatfields and McCoys proud. Would those folks have had the wherewithal to hold their tongues if they were having actual conversations instead of trading posts online? Possibly, but the fact remains that they're more likely to make their feelings known because of the relative safety conveyed by not having to stand in front of their rival.
On the extreme end of the consequences of actions taken in virtual reality crossing over into real reality is the fact that more than just your reputation with the locals might be ruined by way of online activities. There are plenty of examples of people who've been convicted of crimes for having made their less-than-legal exploits public by way of Facebook, many of which may never have even been known about had they not given in to the urge to get attention or some semblance of fame from their actions.
A more identifiable kind of online activity is when something is written with the intention of being a joke only for it to be taken seriously by someone who can't detect sarcasm or humor at which point they fly off the handle with a tirade that's often more amusing to observe than the original bit of joviality had been. To the credit of these individuals, tone of delivery isn't always easy to sense when you're dealing with printed text. I think this was the intention behind emoticons which can be an asset in getting your point across - assuming the person who can't tell a joke from a genuinely snide remark can distinguish a colon followed by another symbol as being a representation of emotion, that is.
Scenario A is the most easily identifiable - or so it should be, but this might just be me seeing as how I tend to function with my BS Detector set to maximum yield at all times - and should be immediately dismissed (although laughing riotously at it first is perfectly acceptable). Scenario B can go a couple of different routes but I find that unless you unintentionally get caught in the middle of a crossfire it's best to sit back and watch rather than become involved. Much like kids throwing temper tantrums, Internet-folk who get riled up will tire themselves out eventually. Scenario C varies between two extremes - on the one hand you have people who are legitimately troubled and need professional help, but on the other hand you've got people who've subconsciously identified that they can get onlookers to fawn over them if they seem desperate enough. I guess it's better than them cutting themselves with hunting knives.
My point with this entry has been to generally warn the masses of the implicit dangers of participating in online communities because having been around the web for as long as I have I feel like I know better than most what pitfalls exist (even though new ones are popping up all the time). The Internet doesn't come with an instruction manual, and even if it did chances are it would be horribly inadequate at preparing you for what this beautifully nightmarish realm of existence actually is. (I could never properly describe what residual effects my experiences online have left me with except to say it's been like walking through a mine field with rabid wolves lurking around every corner yet somehow containing huge amounts of everything you've ever loved.) It's an inviting place but one that grinds on you and, through prolonged exposure, inadvertently changes your very being. That said, you should probably take whatever device it is that you're reading this on, as well as any other comparable devices you may have in your possession, and destroy them with fire. Encourage your friends and family members to do the same, they're better off never knowing what a blue waffle is or that you never want to get invited to a lemon party or that 2 girls with 1 cup is a situation you never want to encounter...Now if you'll excuse me I have to catch up on my YouTube subscriptions and see if I can find that new Mastodon album on Rapidshare.
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