Thesis: The internet has nothing whatsoever to do with anonymity

[Dervish]

idlehands said
Negative attention is still attention. Ever wonder why people getting ragged on hard stick around to argue or get beat up on? Because at least for that moment, they're not being ignored.

Depressing sentence of the day has been brought to you in part by...

All in all, I liked that short essay of yours, mdk. I personally never really worried about being anonymus, I usually stick to my screen name 'cause I tend to like functioning in my online groups and screen names are far more fun and easy to remember than real names.

Minor point, though, is an online handle can still be a form of anonymity because your online persona isn't necessarily who you are in real life. Being faceless kind of gives you more wiggleroom.

[Uskglass]

mdk said
Case study.

Make a list of people from RPG who you think were total jerks (It's okay, I'm on the list, I understand, that's fine). Now as you all know, we just experienced a big crash/migration/extinction-type event, and everyone had to re-register -- so, what I want you to do is, go through that list, and see if you can identify anybody on the new site.



What's up with that? Well -- the answer's both simple and fitting. Rather counter-intuitively, the people you perceive as jerks (there's probably a better word) their identity on the internet. We didn't change our names -- we didn't even THINK about changing our names. Or if we did change, we picked something that was already familiar to us, something that already constituted a part of the identity we'd already built. It's the opposite of anonymity -- we all, pretty much unilaterally, held onto the recognizable structures we'd built to define ourselves in a community.

What is that? , sir. And it's fantastically meta. It's the entire internet. Every YouTuber starts his livestream with 'Hey this is *kratos2312 or whatever bullshit*.' Nobody's making us self-identify -- heck, nobody remembers anyway, shit, I have no who the last Borderlands streamer was that I watched, but he certainly gave himself an introduction, and offered a few links to other videos. Those same guides probably would be more helpful if, rather than mixing in your own personality, you just cut right to the chase and showed where to unlock the Dubble Hornet or whatever the hell...... so why?

I mean it's not a trick question. We want to be identified, even on the internet. The people who scream for attention -- tell you what, let's use me. When I make a fuss, it's not because . It's the opposite of that. You see me and, saaaaaay Brovo. You see me and Brovo start up a semintellectual debate and you have to wonder 'how can that possibly be fun,' and yet time and time again we just . Why? Because Even when it's futile. It's like when two kids find some long sticks and play Star Wars with each other -- it's 'you be Roe and I'll be Wade and for a few minutes we'll feel like we're the ones that matter.' And the longer you keep it up, the more convincing it is, to you as well as to everyone watching.

Now if this sounds vaguely sad and pathetic, I'm writing it wrong. That old adage that says 'Reading can take you anywhere!' is a bunch of bullshit. Reading can take you ringside, but only writing lets you throw a punch. And writing is . And the internet is fantastic, for those same reasons. You can be beacon of social justice, if you put the work in. You can be the cool interceding voice of Ace. You can be that guy who posts, and everyone rolls their eyes and says 'Oh, that Naruto is such a weirdo!' Or you can be, you know, a sexually active 13 year old, we had that guy here once, hey, whatever floats your boat man, I don't judge. It's a role. It's an identity. It's a character and it's a part of you. That's better than reading. Reading licks these nuts, this is writing.

And sure, you expect that, here, on a roleplaying/writing website. But look around. Isn't this the whole internet community? Isn't this Reddit? Isn't this twitter? Isn't this facespace and mybook and huggle+? They're all doing what we do -- albeit without the class and dignity we manage around here (ha, wait, I'm posting this in spam? Okay, pretend I'm posting in RP discussion and then dignity. Or don't, and.... fuck it whatever, shut up). It's not anonymity. It's got nothing to do with anonymity. The internet is about being someone as hard as you goddamn can. Sort of like being the biggest Giants fan around. Sort of like being the best sales rep on the floor. Sort of like being the smartest kid in class. Sort of like being an aspiring writer.

Sort of like life.

In the context of RPG, I think this is all very true. Our beloved website, though, while perhaps not going so far as to call it a statistical outlier, is certainly an atypical case study to contextualize the entire internet in. Among the spamily especially, most of us have spent multiple years getting to know each other. Anyone who is outright rejected from the group has stopped trying long ago, and we're left with a core community that knows, likes, and respects each other even when we act like we don't. For nobody in Spam would restarting with new anonymity hold any appeal, because they're already part of the accepted group and there's little or nothing associated with them that they feel some kind of shame about, or any desire to escape from. There are exceptions -- I know at least one person who restarted with a new name -- but for the most part I think my analysis holds true.

On the rest of the site the answer is even simpler, because what I've learned over the last four years of RPG is that the best way to have good roleplays is to make connections. Meet people you enjoy RPing with, and then continue to RP with those people. Changing a name or trying to hide your past identity would only cause you to lose contact with your established RP partners.

[Hank]

I have both notoriety and respect. Why would I change my name?

[natsumehack]

where are the ponies?

[Dervish]

natsumehack said
where are the ponies?

In the glue factory where they belong.

[Turtlicious]

I was going to come in here and call mdk a big dumb, lol troll some more.

but he's right.

I want people to recognize me.

[Smiral]

Turtlicious said
I was going to come in here and call mdk a big dumb, lol troll some more.but he's right.I want people to recognize me.

who the fuck are you

[Griever]

idlehands said
Negative attention is still attention. Ever wonder why people getting ragged on hard stick around to argue or get beat up on? Because at least for that moment, they're not being ignored.

I highly doubt that's the reason why. The most likely reason is that it's difficult to walk away when someone is engaging you because most people feel like they have to defend themselves/get the last word in.

I don't know anyone sane who would prefer getting fucked up over being ignored.

[Lady Squee]

The only real differences between Spam me and Real me is that Spam me curses and has no problem with talking about her love life.

[Turtlicious]

Don't say that, I'll ask you questions.

Personal Questions.

[idlehands]

Griever said I highly doubt that's the reason why. The most likely reason is that it's difficult to walk away when someone is engaging you because most people feel like they have to defend themselves/get the last word in.

I don't know anyone sane who would prefer getting fucked up over being ignored.

There is truth in that, when people feel like their point isn't being understood or they wish to get the last word. But there are many people that would rather have that sort of engagement rather than have no one respond at all. A real life example would be like in a relationship in which one would rather fight and argue rather than have their SO ignore them. Seeing passion directed at them, whether positive or negative, is more satisfying than having that person act like they don't matter at all.

Whether it's 'sane' or healthy is up for debate, but it's something I've observed.

[Overwatch]

Would have changed mine, but I would have an irreparable way to get laughed outta here.

Aside... I mostly watch anyway.

[Ace of Spades]

Why would I change my name if I'm registering on the exact same site?

If I simply want people to know who I am then it's counter-productive to give myself a new name only to have to let them know it's me.

Saying that has anything to do with cherishing the name is a bit of a reach. Ace of Spades is hardly something unique and original, it's simply the title I've had since joining Spam in the beginning of 2010.

[natsumehack]

Ace of Spades said
Why would I change my name if I'm registering on the exact same site?If I simply want people to know who I am then it's counter-productive to give myself a new name only to have to let them know it's me.Saying that has anything to do with cherishing the name is a bit of a reach. Ace of Spades is hardly something unique and original, it's simply the title I've had since joining Spam in the beginning of 2010.

You are right, ace of spades is a bland name.

[Card]

The second best read I've had all day.

And it's only second because the first was The Metamorphosis.

[BlueRose]

*taps my finger tips together and ponders*

I like this post, mdk. It's making me think.

To tell you the truth, when I joined this rpg I thought for a couple of hours about whether or not I wanted to be BlueRose, a name I've used since 2009 on rpg, and you all know me by, yet I no longer use when registering for new online accounts, or GlassLotus, a name I took up a year or so later and primarily used for online gaming yet fell in love with. I decided to make both, GlassLotus and BlueRose, so that I might have a choice. However, it seems as though the choice was indeed made for me, by you all.

However, while notoriety was my reason, it wasn't for the emotional satisfaction being recognized makes one feel, I don't really care if my threads are viewed or not, but it sure does make it easier when socially interacting. You all are more likely to look at a thread if you know the poster, more likely to read a post if you know the poster, and less likely to rip a person a new one if you don't think they're new. So in my mind, why bother trying to re-establish myself? You know me, or at least most of you have some vague notion of who I am, why tear that down?

[Turtlicious]

I tapped that. ^^^^^^^^^^

[natsumehack]

I keep my name as it is, seeing that no one can fill the void I would leave if i picked a different name, and stayed out of spam.

[Cpt Toellner]

idlehands said
Negative attention is still attention. Ever wonder why people getting ragged on hard stick around to argue or get beat up on? Because at least for that moment, they're not being ignored.

I call it the Nat hypothesis.

[natsumehack]

Blitzkrieg said
I call it the Nat hypothesis.