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[John Kowalski]

This has been on my mind for a very long time. This idea that people who post engage in this persona like process of having an online (or gaf) personality that is not a facsimile of the personality they think of themselves as, that is, that they are partway creating a character and then injecting themselves into that character instead of it being a simple, straightforward process. I know this is not something new in the context of social interactions outside the internet, the idea that people have many personas which they use according to context, but i'm interested in how it happens specifically in gaf. One reason is that gaf as a system is very permissible in giving you the choice of writing things viscerally, straight from the gut, or more intellectually, with reasoned words and planned outcomes. Talking to people when out and about requires a kind of immediacy of thought and tactfulness that can escape the unprepared, but online it's a different story. The sense of immediacy is much more lenient, the written language is much more controllable than that weird way you laugh which you're REALLY embarrassed about or how you can't smile with the right side of your face inevitably leading to undesired smirks that might be taken the wrong way.

So i want to know how gaffers do it. What kind of poster are you? How much of what you post is driven by this fictional character that you're embodying, and how much is straight from your heart? And i don't mean just to troll around and be funny, but for other reasons too.

 

[Dash_Riprock]

I'm Batman.

 

[Jack The Nipper]

I say things pretty straight which are taken as some other tone or idea...

 

[strafer]

sure

 

[daviyoung]

I'm pretty close to how I am normally, which is why I've been banned a few times

Wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people on a gaming forum are role-playing though

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

Jesus God no.


I'm more moody and aggressive in real life.

 

[Jack The Nipper]

I'm Batman.

But your totally not, just repeating a line than millions of others do. Well, all of us do.

I'm not even jack the Nipper in most social places

 

[Sobriquet]

I'm the same online and IRL. I think.

 

[NumberThree]

I'm actually a lot smarter and better looking.

Spoiler

Yeah mostly.

 

[Booker Dewitt]

I'm quieter on here.

 

[v1lla21]

No.
I post a lot of stupid meaningless thigs here.

 

[Transhuman]

I'm Rendle.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Yup. I've been a called a heartless and/or emotionless bastard more than a few times. Had a couple of people say they couldn't be friends with me because they didn't like how I would call them on their shitty behaviour and not massage their ego.

Dozy cunts who would rather live a fantasy than take responsibility for their own actions.

 

[Zelias]

I'm fairly close to my IRL persona, if somewhat more outspoken and confident. I'm not trying to play a character though, been there, done that on the internet.

Alas, I am not actually a smug deer.

 

[archnemesis]

More or less.

 

[Hugstable]

I'm pretty sure I'm the same online as I am in real life. Really no reason why I would need to create a personality or anything, then again probably makes me a more boring poster compared to others

 

[Strangelove77]

Mostly. Though I try to word things nicer since it's impossible to gauge tone.

 

[theecakee]

I'm probably a little more blunt or come off as mean when I don't mean to online.

But other than that, pretty close to me irl.

 

[bananafactory]

No.
I post a lot of stupid meaningless thigs here.

So, yes

 

[ChubbyHuggs]

I'm just as annoying in real life. This is me.

 

[InsanerBrainer]

I'm exactly who you think I am.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

Whether it's your intent or not, you are always who you post as. You are always you. What you post is a product of you.

 

[Leeness]

Yes I am.

Which I'm sure might horrify some people lol.

 

[bjork]

I'd like to think that if I ever met someone from gaf irl, they'd go, "man, you're just like you seem on the forums." For better or for worse.

 

[entremet]

I don't think anyone is. Online communication is very different on how we interact in person due to the nature of communications--body language, vocal tone, perceived status, and so on.

People also aren't as blunt IRL. Something about anonymous online communication that makes empathy harder to practice as well--see YT comments.

Humans acting different in disparate groups isn't a new thing. It's been studied and verified. We're insanely social animals. It's why our parents are so crazy about friend groups growing up.

 

[CanUKlehead]

The fact that I post on the forums means this is the real me turned to 11.

I'm too laid back to really jump in with opinions on most things, let alone games.

 

[Transhuman]

When I was young I wanted to do something important with my life and now I post on NeoGaf.

 

[Dennis]

Well, you know.

 

[IvanJ]

Yes, I post what I think and believe. I even use my real name.

 

[phisheep]

Interesting question.

It's not so much that I have a different persona online, but online is kind of like an edited highlights reel of what I'm like in real life. In life I listen a lot, then listen a bunch more, and sometimes come up with a helpful or useful opinion to throw in. Do that online and you end up replying to something ten pages back that everyone forgot about already.

Way back when, I deliberately set out to practice and improve my responsiveness (by responding to questions on Yahoo! Answers in topics I knew nothing about - it was interesting training).

Also, where I have on opinion, I tend to post it a bit more pungently than I'd put it in real life so as to attract a response.

 

[freenudemacusers]

Yes

 

[Eidan]

I'm typically a lot more aggressive in real life when I hear people say stupid shit. There's much more swearing and personal insults.

 

[Forerunner]

For the most part, I'm the same in IRL, it doesn't change much.

 

[Madison Paige]

Everything I post is straight from the heart. That being said, there are some interesting differences between how I present myself online as compared to how I am in real life, mostly having to do with the somewhat analytic writing voice that I have. In person, I don't choose my words anywhere nearly as carefully, and I am much more abrasive. I tone these elements down for the internet because it's fairly easy for them to be misinterpreted without other cues like the tone of my voice or my body language.

In some ways, maybe this kind of persona is more of an idealized version of myself, but there's no deliberate attempt on my part to portray myself in any way---it just sort of happens naturally. Maybe the whole thing can be chalked up to having a few extra moments to consider my opinion and revise it before stating it.

 

[BumRush]

I think in life I'm a bit more aggressive than I am on GAF. Internet arguments are stupid as body language, tone, etc are 90% of a real life conversation in my experience. I avoid conflict here because it gets nowhere.

 

[Mr. Giggles]

eh.

I don't throw as much of fit when people put fruit on their pizza in real life as much as I do on GAF....but for the most part, yes

 

[The God]

yes

 

[Pickman]

I swear more in real life, but yeah.

 

[Guess Who]

.

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

Yes, I make a lot of stupid jokes and movie references in real life also.

 

[Galang]

Not at all. I'm an ass online. Super nice in person. I wasn't always like this on forums, but ever since my last break up I've become a monster

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

For the most part yes.

 

[RangerX]

Yeah pretty much.

 

[More_Badass]

I try to be as personable and friendly online as I am off, and yes, I am as obsessed with indie games offline as I am on GAF

It's too much work and makes zero sense to play a "character" online or be an ass online or troll people or whatnot.

I just do my best to be a good person online and off

 

[_Ryo_]

Yup. I've been a called a heartless and/or emotionless bastard more than a few times. Had a couple of people say they couldn't be friends with me because they didn't like how I would call them on their shitty behaviour and not massage their ego.

Dozy cunts who would rather live a fantasy than take responsibility for their own actions.

I have experienced this a lot as well. Probably why it is hard for me to keep friends...

Also if someone asks me a question in the hopes that I soften my response to spare their feelings, they may as well not ask me the question.

 

[Kisaya]

Yup. Seems like a lot of effort to act like a character you're not.

The try hard personas in this forum are so tragic 😴

 

[JimJamJones]

I'm actually a global information grid and digital defense network developed by Cyberdyne Industries designed to command over all computerized military hardware and systems.

But you guys can just think of me as your friendly, neighborhood JimJamJones.

 

[bjork]

It's too much work and makes zero sense to play a "character" online or be an ass online or troll people or whatnot.

My all-time favorite gaffer played a character online and managed to escape as a mystery that I still wonder about, over a decade later. If nothing else, people can craft a memorable persona. It's an interesting concept, but I agree that it's too much work, heh.

 

[Tuck]

Sometimes I wonder if DTL is really DTL or a very elaborate, well done troll.

Thinking about it, probably not a troll.

As for me, I am who I post as, yeah.

 

[User 479360]

Yeah, I don't play a character. I'm a horrible actor.