Internet Anonymity....

Ever notice how the internet is like the ultimate cocktail? I worked as a bartender for a long time, so I know what I'm talking about. The guy who had a rough day at work, and has one too many at night so you take his keys, pin a note to his shirt and call him a cab. But in the meantime, he has insulted your staff, you, and the guy sitting next to him. Why? Because alcohol lowers your inhibitions. It's dangerous in that way. In the same way, the internet is dangerous too. It affords you this veil to hide behind. The normally meek and mild mannered individual suddenly becomes the chat room spitfire. People say things they would never say to someone's face, just because they feel like they can.

So, I got to thinking, what is it about the internet that people find so intriguing that they have to suspend all sensibility and become someone who they aren't in real life?

The answer I came up with : the internet feeds needs for people. Different needs for different people. Some people crave human interaction during the daytime while they are "stuck" at home with their kids. Some people like to update their stock portfolio automatically all day long. Some people are addicted to internet games. Some people are addicted to, well, other internet things. But then you have the people who are either : a) so downtrodden in their daily lives by others around them, b) meek and mild and never say a work in their real lives, despite the way they are treated (by a spouse/significant other/parent/etc), or c) mean-spirited in real life AND internet life. THESE are the people who crave the internet anonymity. These are the people who hide behind names like "wildcat64" and "hellraiser." They are the people who "speak their minds" and expect others to just get out of the way or agree. They are the people who make it their daily business to go about spouting hurtful things to strangers they've never met. Does it make them feel good? I can't say. I can only imagine that it fills some void for them. The only thing I can say is: at least they aren't saying these things to peoples' faces. And I take some small comfort in the hope that the majority of these people don't act that way in their day-to-day lives. But I worry about what causes them to behave that way. And I really don't think there's any way to fix it.