Greg Wycliffe
MIT 2371
The internet is a vast network that allows for anonymous communication in various shapes and forms. Whether we get a sense of empowerment or personal security from anonymous communication online, any kind of expression is healthy for an individual’s psychology. John Suler, in his article “Identity Management in Cyberspace,” describes the different aspects of managing your online self and how internet use, especially through user created avatars, can reflect very insightful things about the real self. I expand upon this here and describe how activity online and through avatars can not only help explain and reflect the core traits and personality of one’s real self but also how it can accelerate or stagnate personal growth and discovery.
The internet is of course not a magical tool that will automatically help the user ‘find themselves’ through a series of uses; instead it is a subjective experience directly controlled by the user and thus is solely dependent on the choices of that person. For example I could go to a variety of flash game sites and easily (and quite enjoyably I might add) waste an hour of my life playing these simple, visually compelling, and addictive games. This in no way helps my personal growth as an individual and is essentially a cognitively destructive practice that I regrettably partake in from time to time. This obsessive desire to continue to stagnate my personal growth however embodies the very insecurities and deep emotions that myself as a person am still dealing with. Suler describes it as “discharging some negatively charged aspect of their psyche.” A user who is not conscious of this will continue to hinder their personal growth while only fulfilling unconscious motives. The consequences of this I believe are experiencing pseudo-happiness or temporary joy and excitement. Although healthy on the short-term it makes no progress towards true happiness and self actualization.
This catharsis can occur in a multitude of other ways online. Most predominantly in the details of avatar creation and online communications. Suler uses the example of a passive aggressive person going to online forums to argue endlessly. This is a positive experience for the user if they realize how it reflects one of their core personality traits but could also be negative if not realized by the user and leads to further online arugments . A “troll” is a term given to 1) users on any forum/chat who have nothing positive or contributing to the conversation or 2) a user who posts hoping to annoy “newbies” or “fanboys” for the sheer point of getting an argumentative reaction. Hiding behind anonymity allows users to be whoever they want to be and express whatever they want to express but I believe in general: users, other than seeking and speaking of their interests, end up seeking to fulfill their unconscious wishes. For trolls it could be ambivalence, apathy and manipulation, possessiveness respectively. For me I would tie into the passive aggressive user above who argues about how absent minded the end of the TV show Lost was until the sun comes up :D.
All of this trolling however could very well be users in the process of personal growth. The freedom of anonymity also allows an internet user to experiment again and again. This apparent “troll” making an immature insult about someone’s post might just be a usually timid, unhumorous person who would never have the courage to say such a thing to someone in person. Or it could be someone who is usually passive and repressed trying to be different by being overly emotional and impulsive. Anonymity allows for us to be very creative when it comes to our online experiences. From changing our sex with a mouse click to speaking our mind openly to an audience of potentially millions, your image and your message is completely up to you.
Other than communicating and avatar creation, any other activity online reflects the self of the user and again can be viewed positively or negatively for personal growth. Other than the unproductive flash gaming I mentioned in my second paragraph, I personally use the internet for personal growth by researching articles on my own: everything from guided Zen meditation to famous, inspiring quotations. Currently I have been surfing around to help raise my Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ). Unlike I.Q., EQ can be further developed to a certain extent after being born and it’s something I value because I view my self actualized self being gregarious through and through; and it is through self actualization, or being at peace with oneself, that one can be truly happy. Before I go on a rant about how I think EQ should be taught in elementary schools everywhere, I will just say that personal growth or stagnation online is determined by the responsibility of the user.
For certain individuals with chemical brain imbalances and other traumatic experiences haunting the core of their existence the internet is a godsend. Digital communication allows for these disadvantaged individuals with any amount or degree of social anxiety or phobia to express themselves freely without the mind freezing fear of “what will people think of me!?”. With the absence of a face to face interaction the individual can open themselves up in their communication be as honest or confident as they want to be from their peaceful solitude. There is also no immediacy to interact with someone, you can take your time collect your thoughts and communicate yourself to the best of your ability. This awesome opportunity for these disadvantaged individuals allows them to grow much more than they originally anticipated as a social being and therefore brings them much happiness.
More than anything, the internet and digital worlds where one is interacting with others, allows for the individual to explore their own mind without even knowing it. Rather, something an internet user does not consciously think about is the way (the sites) in which they frequently use and communicate online reflects their own personality and unconscious needs and emotions (one of Suler’s points). It is the users responsibility to utilize the world wide web with online activities that cultivate or stagnate personal growth. That being said it can be confusing to know what is exactly beneficial or not for the self when the self is digitized on multiple platforms and in different usernames. Our dynamic associations with each cyber-self can surely blur what is really important to the real self. I believe the key is to avoid any experiences that become banal and always try to decipher between the feelings of joy and excitement (wish fulfillment, personal stagnation) and peace and happiness (personal growth). Either way, there is no denying a round of Call of Duty: Black Ops is in my near future...:s
Works Cited
Suler, John R. (2002). “Identity Management in Cyberspace.” Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, Volume 4, Number 4, 455-459.
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