Cyberspace and Cyberselves

I understand the argument that Waskul is trying to make with this article. It could basically be boiled down to the fact that the Internet is a scary, scary place and you have no idea who  you're talking to, nor does anyone know who you are. Waskul explains the fluidity of identity of the internet and the basic ways in which individuals present their perceived identities online. However, I find that this article has a negative bias and I can think of one important reason why this is so. Waskul was hanging out in chat rooms for hours doing research. In the current Internet culture, chat rooms are comparable to strip clubs. While strip clubs are entertaining, not everyone spends all of their time watching daughters and mothers remove their clothing for the sexual stimulation of others. There a millions of people on the Internet who are finding ways to genuinely communicate with others, despite the fluidity of online identities. 

An example of a counter to the Internet's deceptive nature is the YouTube phenomenon. Thousands of people have flocked to YouTube to do away with the anonymity and bear the realities of their lives through a diary method called "vlogging". My favorite example of vlogging stems from a duo that identify themselves under the screen name of The Vlog Brothers. (I will admit, their screen name is important and helps to identify their purpose, so that's something that I agree with Waskul on.) This brother duo began creating daily videos as a way to communicate with each other and then created an entire subculture called Nerdfighteria. While the main goal of the community is to "decrease world suck", a large component of the community's communications are perceived acceptance and portrayals of the characteristics that actually belong to an individual through their online persona. In fact, it is encouraged for members of this Internet based group to engage in "real life" activities with one another, thus fighting the online identity issue.

Of course, this isn't a perfect counter example and Waskul's arguments are applicable in certain settings. However, I think it is vital to note that the fluidity of chat rooms is not completely applicable to all online interactions. The cyberself is not the scary entity it is made out to be.

DFTBA