Internet Socializing

[aerocrystal]

Hello.

What, in your opinion, is the difference between a typical Myspace or Facebook user, someone who uses this forum, or someone who uses 4chan?

If you use a number of the sites mentioned, does your behavior change and why?

What do you think makes someone well-liked on any of the sites previously mentioned?

Anything you have to say is valid, but just so that you are aware, I may be quoting your screen name for an anthropology project. Thank you.

 

[RioDragon]

The difference? Hmmm... Well, you don't have to be vain to be on a forum. Almost everyone who makes a MySpace does so to talk about their life rather than their actual thoughts on important topics. And the few people that do post about important stuff like politics and religious views get flamed rather quickly afterwards. Forums are a lot more freeing with anonymity, as well. Because you don't feel required to put every bit of personal information up.

Yeah, sometimes forums are stupid and discuss pointless stuff. However, I find the best moments are just being able to be as honest as possible about almost anything without being under too much personal scrutiny. Having previously had MySpace and Facebook accounts, I'd have to say I like forums better... At least when you make friends on a forum, it's about someone who understands you rather than someone who just wanted more faces on their friends list, or thought you were 'hot'. :/

 

[Mitsuki]

Let's see...from my viewpoint, I find that myspace users have different reasons for having an account. Typically they are viewed as the group who wants to be "popular" when really, that is not the case for many people. Others use myspace and facebook account in order to keep contact with family, friends, co-workers, and the like. Typically they set their profiles in private in order to prevent unwanted "friend" requests. They can't be bothered with strangers who add random people for the sake of popularity. So there's good and bad sides when it comes to these sites.

As for forum users, it's a little more complex. I do think that people post for many different reasons as well, but it is much more than that as you gradually spend more time with the members and discuss interesting and stupid topics around. As people gain "post counts", they are naturally excited at the idea that they are slowly on their way to gaining popularity, depending on the contents in their posts. Some try to be more cheerful when they really are not, while others will show their real mood through the tone in their posts. It happens, but not always.

My point is that there is more freedom to be anyone who you want when it comes to forums. Myspace and facebook is more of the real deal (although that's also not always the case), while forums gives you the choice and chance to become someone that you are not and not worry about fraud characteristics because typically, when one joins a forum, they don't know anyone personally. It's a whole new identity and screename, and sometimes people will post opinions that are actually the opinions of others and not their own. This is just one of those instances where a member will say anything and jump the bandwagon just because everyone else is saying or doing it.

So the question is, why post at all? Again, some do it to gain popularity among others and fit in. Or perhaps show them that they can be as witty or smart as others as well. Or maybe because it is really is genuine fun for many members and they do love posting their OWN opinions. People have many different reasons, so in the end, it really is up to the individual. Some may have their own intentions while others may not have any intention at all but to just have fun and be part of a community.

Everyone's behavior changes, that's a given. But I will have to say that my behavior here and in myspace is actually quite the same. I've never really thought about it before, but I know that when I am not really in the mood to talk, post, or give comments, I'm typically withdrawn and will only watch the activity around here. Same in myspace. I'll switch over to a new tab and my attitude remains the same. I'll click on my friend's profiles and read their blogs and comments, but I will make no attempt to make it known that I had visited their page.

 

[RioDragon]

(Nice to see you, Mitsuki. xD)

Yeah, I guess forums are a bit more dynamic when you think about it that way, through multiple points of view... You really should think of it as like a more close-knit community than MySpace or Facebook. People can eventually figure out each other's quirks through the way a person posts... Consistencies/inconsistencies accounted for... Personally, I like to believe that everyone on a forum is as brutally honest in their opinions as I can be, but, that's rather selfish and presumptive of me, in itself. xD

Still, despite all the doubts and pessimistic outlooks I have on so many aspects of life, I like to believe that a forum is a place where people can just sit back, relax, and speak their honest-to-goodness thoughts and opinions, even if it is sometimes obvious that is not the case.

 

[Bun]

The difference? Hmmm... Well, you don't have to be vain to be on a forum. Almost everyone who makes a MySpace does so to talk about their life rather than their actual thoughts on important topics. And the few people that do post about important stuff like politics and religious views get flamed rather quickly afterwards. Forums are a lot more freeing with anonymity, as well. Because you don't feel required to put every bit of personal information up.

Erm, what? If you're speaking in a general sense about the difference between having a myspace account and having one on a forum, then yeah, maybe that statement holds some truth to it, but I think it might better to look at it from an individual standpoint.

Take me for instance--I have a myspace (and a facebook!); however, I am far from using it to whore myself out, posting blogs about my daily life, snapping pictures of myself on a night out on the town with my tits hanging out and alcohol flying every which way, with over 4000 friends on my buddy list that I don't even know 3/4ths of... In fact, mine is quite the opposite. The only reason I have it is so that I can keep in touch with people I don't have the privilege of speaking to (be it through some other means of communication or face-to-face) on a daily basis. This is just one example, though, as I can only speak for myself.

As for the forum thing, yeah, I'll agree about the anonymity thing, but people can be just as, if not more so, vain on a forum as they are on a profile site. I know PLENTY of people from various different forums who, all the did was, talked about their life and every little thing that was happening in it. But I'm pretty sure the reason was because of that anonymity they had that they felt comfortable in doing so. They weren't just "Katlin" from school, they were "Princess Kairi", Global Moderator with a snotty attitude who banned anyone who dared to pseudo-mod in her part of the forum.

And that in itself, to me at least, makes forums just as equal, if not more so, a means of allowing someone to pose as being vain with the added power of being able to control people (should they be in a position to do so).

Yeah, sometimes forums are stupid and discuss pointless stuff. However, I find the best moments are just being able to be as honest as possible about almost anything without being under too much personal scrutiny. Having previously had MySpace and Facebook accounts, I'd have to say I like forums better... At least when you make friends on a forum, it's about someone who understands you rather than someone who just wanted more faces on their friends list, or thought you were 'hot'. :/

Let's think for a minute, hypothetically speaking, that the entirety of the internet--no matter where you go--is one big melting pot of liars, frauds and...well, gosh, I dunno, just about anything else you can imagine . Therefore, wouldn't all sites, be it a popular one like Myspace or Facebook or a lesser known, genre specific Final Fantasy forum, act as an outlet for people to create a facade with the anonymity of the internet?

I don't think any corner of the world wide web is safe from people who want to portray themselves as someone else; if anything, not who they really are. Because if you truly want to, you could fabricate an entire different personality, different look, different everything; Google is a good first place to start looking for pictures. Or what about Flickr, or Myspace even?

All that being said, I'm guessing that not everyone does that. We just don't always see those options as being a possibility, after all. But for what reason, I'm not really sure.

 

[RioDragon]

I sorta covered all that in the post before yours. ^^; Well, some of it, anyways... I hold no real liking for Facebook or Myspace, though I have several accounts myself. I rarely used them, and only made them in the first place to either please my friends who wanted to see me on there (most of which I had contact with in person anyways, so I really saw no reason) or to promote a band I started that never really took off because the members were always busy doing other things.

Personally, I believe it is rare that someone creates a Myspace account for the reasons you've stated, which is actually an honorable endeavour. I, myself, have had a large number of friends move away with which I have no contact, so I understand where you're coming from. However, based on the majority of its users, it seems to me like a festering pit, one I would not want to stay in for too long...

What little time I spent on Myspace, I've pretty much had everything common to Myspace happen to me... Some retarded jailbait chicks wanting me to add them to my firends list because they're 'sexy', a group focused around marijuana trying to invite me in, etc. And all I ever did was talk to what few of my friends I knew the accounts of. I like to keep my accounts public in the event that another of my friends might find me, but I still don't want the hassle of idiots. :/

 

[der Astronom]

Your expression doesn't change; you are who you are. It's just the way in which they let you express it. For example, MySpace lets you put music in your profile, so that may appeal to people who express themselves with music better; Facebook doesn't (at least to my knowledge anyways). If I were to meet you through MySpace, and got to know you from the music you posted in your profile, it might be easier for me to appreciate and learn about the music you listen to, and possibly be friends with you. With Facebook, you can list the kinds of music you listen to, but it won't appeal to me unless I know what music you're talking about.

I did, however, find an interesting application on Facebook, which lists all the video games you own and play--you could meet more friends with similar interests in similar video games that way more easily than you might on MySpace, since the video games they list are much more detailed and categorized. I guess that's another example. Since Facebook has a bunch of different apps though, I guess it's easier for people on Facebook to express themselves--there are more ways of doing it.

I like people for who they are. Whether or not they use Facebook or MySpace does not affect what I think of them. Their choice of what they choose to express themselves with is irrelevant to whether or not I think they might be good friends. And this is impossible to know without interacting with them on some level. The means by which this is done is not important.

 

[Shu]

*this is a personal look at it*

Well, I would say Facebook is a little bit more commercialized. It first started as a networking for College students. I actually started an account there, it tended to be an easy way of communicating with my friends at school, rather than texting every hour of the day. I had many problems with it though over time, but before saying anything about them, facebook was an easy way of saying... "hey let's go to the Ole Miss Baseball game this thursday...." "hey let's go to Jason's (using names that are not my real friends names, in order to protect) house this thursday.." "Hey I'm heading to New Orleans with Ashley and Kailey, we need a guy or two to keep company to!.. " So off I went..

Well I've been asked it all, but honestly Facebook got way to personal in many ways for me. I mean I broke up with my ex, so when I did I was like... wait a minute.. now all her friends still have me face booked... so what am I going to do but be spammed with "hey , you're an ... " blah blah. I mean I don't mind people know what I'm doing but since people knew pretty much everything about me thanks to Facebook, I was like... heck I need space...I mean I had like 200 people.. I was fake to every day of my life, hardly any of them I could say that are "good friends" just... good drinking buddies.

So Myspace was the next stop. An old friend texted me out of the blue while I still was networked to Facebook, and asked if I would get on. I told her yea.. but when I saw the music and stuff in people's profile.. This is what truly intrigued me. I went ahead and made a profile, and kept the profile linked only to close friends... (instead of 200, I have 35-50). I am able to express my opinions freely, and sometimes I can actually drum out a good blog. (face book did not have blogs) I still keep my profile open to the public as of today, but only add people that get to know me, before adding them.

Forums are more of an annonymous thing.. I don't feel more superior to anyone.. or inferior, I just usually use forums as a "hobby." Mostly to talk about games, movies, and nothing personal. That's the personal difference.

 

[GolbezXIV]

I'm not really sure how it works. I just talk to people and they talk to me, and I lose track of which websites various people are from so i put them on MSN but some of them use AIm and and....yeah it's quite tricky.

But it's worth it. Cos of the nice people. ;p

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

Myspace just seems to be one of those things you get because it's the 'in thing', I've met few people who have got it for other than that reason or a popularity thing...the amount of pc4pc bulletins I see is unreal. x_x

Forums on the other hand are there to bring everyone together because they're interested in the same, or similar things to other people. So forums to me seem more of a general view sharing/debating/discussing type of community whilst the Myspace community seems to be a popularity thing...*looks at the people with over 1000 friends x_x*, bar 3 or 4 I know everyone on my friend list personally or via this forum.