Your personality online and offline

[Remy]

Do you find that you act differently online than offline? I personally know some people who are quite different on msn compared to in real life.

As for me, I think I appear more chippy on forums than offline, since I obviously won't post anything if I don't feel like talking, which is not all that rare in real life. Socializing for too long wears me out and I'm more comfortable than most with alone time. (power to the introverts )

Instant chats mimic my real life personality quite well however.

[Blakqsh33p]

I think I am generally the same offline as I am online. I might show more of my personality within a one on one conversation than I do in group conversations.

It also depends on the subject we are talking about, if it's serious, naturally I would be in serious mode, but if it's a fun subject I loosen up a bit

[AlTaboo]

I often come off as a jerk while online, or arrogant. Because people can't see my expression and mannerisms. So I do act the same, I speak my mind either way, but being Italian I have a lot of facial expressions and gestures that get missed.

[AngelicDemonic]

I'm a touch more of a jerk online, I'll admit it.

I'm a bitch IRL too, but I'm more likey to not keep it in check if I'm online.

[Mogget]

Mostly I'm about the same IRL as online, though I'm a bit more upspoken about my political and religious views. Here, though, I'm a lot more prone to dispense advice.

[Hitchhiker]

IRL and Online I USED to be really different but then my online personality sort of merged into my IRL personality... haha. It's weird.
Like online I'm more impulsive and flirty and I curse more... IRL I USED to be more shy... so it's sort of a good thing that they are 'merging'

[Bibliophile]

I am much more helpful and understanding online then I am with people I dont know in real life. I also am much more cheerful online then in real life just due to the fact that I try not to come online in a bad mood.

[QuestionMark]

lol I sound uber dumb online, but IRL I'm..well...very smart...it freaks people out sometimes. I'm more introverted, deep, and weird IRL...it's not like a pretend to be a different person or something, I just come across as more bubbly and superficial online xD Hopefully they'll merge like Hitchhiker

[redstormrising]

i think i am generally about the same both online and offline

[Owen]

Ooh, nice topic!

I find I'm often more eloquent online than offline. (I don't use the term "real life" because I see no reason why our online experiences shouldn't be considered real, but that's another matter.) Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm sitting here with a thesaurus and some kind of "guide to sounding smart" as I type things. My large vocabulary and mastery over grammar is something that does show through offline, but it's easier to put it to use in a medium where I can carefully consider what I type, weighing the pros and cons of certain words before I post my message in its totality (which is why I'm not a fan of chat rooms or IM'ing). While I'm typing a message, I often look up words I'm unsure of, either online or in my computer's built-in dictionary, which allows me to be more sure of myself when using uncommon words. (I never do it just because I can, though; when I use an uncommon word, it's because that word has just the right connotation to convey what I'm trying to say.) Offline, however, I can't say to the person I'm talking with, "Give me a second while I look up this word to be sure I'm using it correctly," so I'll often just substitute it for a more common but perhaps less appropriate word.

I'm also more expressive online than I am offline. I'm hardly an effusive person offline; I tend to keep my emotions to myself unless they are positive emotions and some good can be done by expressing them. Online, however, though I might not be the most gushy poster out there, I do deliberately display more emotion in what I post. I do this because of all of the things online interactions lack (tone of voice, body language, facial expressions, etc.); without those cues as to what emotion motivates my message, the person reading it has to make an assumption about much of what we are trying to say, like whether we mean it sincerely, sarcastically, humorously, etc. For that reason, I use things like exclamation points and smiley faces, things I wouldn't use if my offline personality and my online personality were identical, because they specify what emotion motivates my writing, and they can help someone understand that I mean something sincerely and seriously when it could be misconstrued as insulting or sarcastic.

I'm also not nearly this long-winded offline. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I can see people getting bored with me offline.

[Colton]

I would say I'm probably more rude offline then online. Hahaha. Probably because I like everybody on here. Bu for the most part, I'm usually nice and happy(:

I do have my moments though. On and off-line.

[QuestionMark]

I agree with Gamer am I, displaying a large vocabulary is often translated as verboseness. And yes, Chat Rooms provide an extremely efficient way of talking to others, yet communicating more viscerally or spontaneously can often lead to serious conflict. It's often more beneficial to think through what you are saying when communicating online.

^This is an example of what I'd probably say IRL, however online I can switch back and forth between 'text' talking, and being more serious xD

[thatkiidsean]

I relised on the internet im more outgoing and I feel I can be myself than offline (:

[Kidd]

I think I'm the same on and offline, maybe a bit perkier offline. Usually I'm only at my computer when I'm bored or sleepy, or working on something for school.

[Eric]

I don't think there's much of a difference between online me and offline me.

[FJ Cruiser]

I'm definitely more articulate online. I have time to choose my words more carefully, and I can describe my thoughts and feelings in a lot more detail.

In social situations, I'm not exactly the most talkative or insightful person all the time, but I'm not introverted either. In online forums, I'm able to choose which topics I want to talk about and I'm not sway to group dynamics, so I think I come off as less reserved.

[Allegro molto]

Online, I seem to be hyper-emotional, perpetually in a "good mood" (i.e. the (over)use of emoticons) and easy to talk to.

Offline, I come across as (but am not necessarily) cold, insensitive, pessimistic, extremely quiet, lacking emotion and intimidating.

[Shmoe]

Offline, I am very spontaneous, controversial and sometimes offensive. Offline, You can learn some one and fit them into a 'type' so quickly, You soon don't care what they think or do. I notice that I'm more comfortable with my self offline then online. Online, Most other people are more open, comfortable, they think more about what they say and become more complex and interesting. So Online, I censor myself to what ever you see here. I usually love playing the devil advocate but after seeing the problems other people face here and the help they require I decided to play nice and be as appealing and thoughtful as I can be.

[Nazo]

Main difference for me is the inability to truly express sarcasm online.
I rarely use anything else offline. (<-P.S. Not sarcasm.)

[MonsieurGodiva]

The only significant difference between me online and offline, at least from what I've observed, is that on forums I have a strong tendency to say "...in my opinion..." when stating my beliefs or "...if you don't mind me asking..." when posing a question about someone's personal life. In my mind, I suppose, if I were to be talking about something subjective in real life with someone, unless otherwise noted, I would be stating my own thoughts; likewise, if I didn't feel comfortable asking something, or I got the impression that they would find me rude for doing so, I simply wouldn't demand such information from them.

Other than that, though, I believe my demeanor is fairly consistent.