Do you take the internet seriously?

Started by seeker October 15th, 2010 8:58 AM
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  • 38 replies

seeker

Ireland
Seen November 1st, 2019
Posted May 20th, 2018
10,593 posts
14.1 Years
This question, could mean many things, but what I'm aiming at is whether or not you get emotionally affected by the goings on of the internet or your participation. Do forums have relapse on how you feel as a person? Perhaps you care dearly for people you meet online, or start internet relationships, do you feel that they can be as important as the ones you make in your own life? Do ethics have relation to what you do to or with others online? Take the question further if you wish to, but specifically, I'm concerned with the area of the emotional inflictions the internet has upon your being.

Uecil

Unknown.
Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted May 7th, 2021
2,567 posts
13.5 Years
I take the internet to seriously, I think.
I'm on it every day and I take most things seriously to be honest..
If someone on the internet said something nasty or bad towards me then I would usually just shrug it off like nothing.



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Chikara

ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ

Age 31
Female
Missouri, why? ◉◡◉
Seen April 11th, 2021
Posted March 27th, 2021
8,284 posts
18.6 Years
I take it seriously depending on the situation. There's different levels of seriousness.
Welcome to the internet.

If someone's having a serious personal problem, I'll do all I can to help them out and get them through it.

But if it's just plan butthurt, get out.
Seen January 4th, 2013
Posted October 21st, 2011
1,804 posts
13.8 Years
if anything i actually take the internet more seriously than i do the real world. the internet is its own universe and the people behind the screen are very real whether they're portraying authenticity or cloaking themselves in a false persona- there's a level of psychology on the internet you're able to explore that's difficult to touch irl. the internet has introduced me to more realism than i could have ascertained in 'the real world.'

as for the emotional aspect of "taking da internet 2 srsly," i'm not one to take much offense to anything which is just a part of who i am, and i don't hold different expectations for the level of sensitivity people generally show on the internet from the level of sensitivity people show irl. but i do have friends online i'm devoted to and care for, and i do take those friendships very seriously (not seriously as in ALL JOKING ASIDE seriously as in i cherish them U_U).

Timbjerr

T-o-X-i-C

Age 36
Female
Texas
Seen May 30th, 2022
Posted January 28th, 2016
7,415 posts
19.7 Years
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Since the Internet is quite literally my only social output, the friendships I make online are a lot more valuable to me than the friendships I have irl. However, you have to take everything you read on the Internet with a grain of salt or else you'll be trolled like there's no tomorrow. XD
Age 29
Seen November 5th, 2017
Posted November 5th, 2017
3,499 posts
14.9 Years
I take individual friendships seriously. There is an actual human being I am communicating with, just because it isn't face to face communication doesn't make that human being any less real, so I don't see why I should consider the relationship to be any less real.

As for forums, or strangers on the internet. I don't them that seriously at all. Some people seem to have difficulty understanding that, and I'm not sure why. People can build friendships over the internet of course, but I don't think anything else that occurs over the internet should be taken seriously at all.
There's quite a lot of talk around "cyber bullying" how hard is it to hit that block button? Or just not go on to the website where you're getting harassed? Or better still, stop being overtly sensitive and realise it's just some jerk who thinks it's cool to talk crap whilst sitting behind a screen. Some people need to realise that it's not that serious.

But then again I don't take strangers in reality seriously either. I don't think interaction on the internet is any less real, because it's still a form of communication used by living, breathing human beings. I tend to be more laid back on the internet simply because I can just walk away at any time, whereas within reality your actions can have some nasty repercussions. Although seriousness is a personality trait that isn't just exclusive to either your real life or your "cyber life" and I think those that take things on the internet too seriously are likely to take things seriously in reality as well. Although there is a slight line due to the nature of the internet, where people are a lot more open and can be a lot more hostile; those that have been using the internet for a while have learnt to just laugh it off, whereas some youngsters that are new to the internet might take it as if someone had given them a death threat in reality. When it comes to situations like that, the internet clearly needs to be taken less seriously.

I don't take it any more or less seriously than interaction in reality when it comes to individual relationships. Otherwise, the internet is just a game to me.

SIN1488

Dedicated FluoroCarbons :P

Age 31
Male
Orange County, CA
Seen January 9th, 2012
Posted November 6th, 2011
1,139 posts
14.9 Years
Sometimes I tend to take stuff on the internet too seriously (Y so srs?/???), and sometimes I mess around a lot.

But if there's a debate about something I am interested in, or if someone mentions they have a problem of some kind IRL, then I take things seriously.
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Piplup-Trainer

This is my custom user title.

Age 31
Male
Europe. Many people haven`t heard about the country in which I live.
Seen November 18th, 2011
Posted August 3rd, 2011
228 posts
15.5 Years
Ah well...to be honest...
There are some people on pc who I really like to talk to! xD

Sometimes they get kinda more important to me than my irl-friends xD
This sounds weird, but it`s true.
Here an example : If someone is sad, then I try to talk to the person...to cheer him up.

Besides that, there are more people on the internet who understand my humour than people irl. PokeCommunity and MSN became very important to me because I can relax there and kinda just "be free". xD

I can make people laugh, some people on pokecommunity like to talk to me, people on pc make me laugh and talk to me...and the most important thing is that there are people who I really trust a lot.

I might be here on pc since November 2007, but I really started to talk to people on March 2010, I`m talking more to them since June 2010.

And yeah, I don`t know how to describe it...but pc (= PokeCommunity) is a beautiful place in general. This site also tought me something about people. There are also people in the world...who are just like you! xD Or similar to you. Or the opposite.

People, who understand you and who like to spend time with you, who care about you a lot and also make you laugh! xD
Idk...but pc is just a beautiful place to me. Idk how to explain it in another way xD
I LEFT PC!
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Short summary :

2007 : ROM Hacking - asking some questions regarding Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire
2008 : Trading - mostly to complePokemon keDex in Pokemon Diamond until 2009
2009 : Battling - battles without ev'd Pokemon until 2009, competitive battles until 2010
2010 : Chatting - talking to pc friends, but more often on ut more often on MSN), having a good time
2011 : Less activity - it dropped more because of Windows Live Messenger and Facebook

Stellar

Minior used Cosmic Power!

Age 31
Female
outer space.
Seen December 7th, 2022
Posted November 27th, 2022
870 posts
14.1 Years
The friends I've made on the internet are some of the best friends I've ever known, so in that regard, yes, I take the internet very seriously.

As far as general content goes, no, I'm very rarely affected by anything I see or read on a personal level. Unless it's a hot issue for me, of which there are very few.

RivalGator

I hate them all.

Male
Europe
Seen January 24th, 2016
Posted January 24th, 2016
777 posts
13.6 Years
In many ways, yes and no.

When it comes to my own friendships with other people, of course I do. I have made closer friends with online people than I have real life people. I could actually trust most of the people I have met on this site alone than the people I grew up with in school. Actually, most of my closest friends are the people I have met online. Some of the ones that I would really actually care to drive across towns and cities and go to other countries to visit and hang out with.

The only thing I have a hard time taking seriously are actual relationships on the internet. I just don't believe people should be finding love on the internet. I believe it happens, but when you can't cuddle with people and you can't walk with them and kiss them and actually know for a fact that who you are talking to is a real person, I get a little skeptical. Especially when they start acting really stupid things of you as if they really have a right to do anything. They don't. People try to control other people's lives through a computer, and I dunno. That just seems dumb to me. I used to take relationships (dating) like that seriously when I was like, 12/15, but it just kind of got old after I found out what having a real boyfriend was like.

I think it just depends on the situation. I don't really take n00bs way too seriously, but if people can actually type right and do things right then I can take them seriously. The things I do for fun and the games I play I take moderately seriously. Most of the times rules of website I take seriously until people start thinking that they are professionals and that they are much better than everyone else. I dunno. I find it hard to be intimidated or actually be serious when people in 'power' in forums say, 'Do this and you will be punished'. Sounds like they're too high and mighty on themselves and honestly they're no better than the people they wish they 'ruled' over. lol.
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Zebeedoo

Always remember to smile. ~

Age 28
Female
Northern Ireland
Seen March 7th, 2023
Posted December 3rd, 2014
989 posts
14.4 Years
I take it seriously, yes. .__.

I've met plenty of great people here. A few of them have helped me with irl problems I've faced in the past. In saying that, if someone I've met online is in need of some help, I'll try my best to cheer them up.

As for emotional stuff... yeah. If someone says something to me I don't like, I'm very likely to get upset over it. It's very much the same irl too.



Age 29
Male
Seen June 1st, 2013
Posted April 27th, 2013
2,276 posts
14.4 Years
To a point. I try and treat people like they really exist, like I was talking to them in person. If a web-goon comes along and starts trolling or whatever, I just respond in kind.

But you know, when Gymnotide told me I was on his ignore list, I almost shed a tear. ;_; I knew the whole time it's stupid to get upset over something like that, and after a little thinking I got over it. I still want to apologize to him, but it's not a major emotional issue. I guess my point is I have it in my head that it's dumb to get too emotionally invested over any random person (especially on the internet in it's current state), but I'm still not all the way there.
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Guy

just a guy

Age 31
Male
Florida
Seen March 26th, 2016
Posted January 22nd, 2014
7,127 posts
14.7 Years
It depends. Like said, there are different levels of seriousness when it comes to the internet.

The close friends that I've met over the years through the internet, the ones I know I can go to for anything, are those I take the most serious. We talk on a more personal level than I would normally not do with someone over the internet. I can truly connect with them, and even though it's over the internet, I feel like I still know them for who they are and what they are like offline. They are the ones that I'll take my time to help out if they need it, and be there for support like I know they would for me.

It's true, you never know what's happening on the other side of the screen. So, when I say close friends, it's limited.

As for what others may think of me, I couldn't take that as serious. If they don't know me, much less it being online, then how I couldn't take it to heart? Just like I wouldn't be serious enough to judge someone without getting to know more about them. So, judgment on the internet is hard for me to take seriously - not when neither parties know nothing about one another or what they may be going through at the time.

There has only been one or two cases where I become emotional over the internet though. All of them having to deal with personal issues with my aforementioned close friends. I never cried or anything, but it just struck me harder than usual things (even offline) do...
Age 28
Seen April 7th, 2014
Posted April 2nd, 2014
3,977 posts
15.8 Years
Yes and No.
I take the internet seriously when I need to, and I don't take it in at all when it starts to joke around with me. Like everyone's already mentioned, there are different levels of seriousness when it comes to the internet. All of the people here are real and no different from anyone else; I take my relations with the people I talk to on the internet as seriously as I take my relations with people in real life. It can sometimes make you laugh, and even make you cry. And sometimes, everything is just a load of crap, which you don't need to bother with. I've known some pretty awesome people, and I've met some real jerks; I've had plenty of issues, and dealt with them. So yeah, I guess I do take the internet quite seriously.
More like do I care about things here at PC compared to everywhere else on the internet? I've never really fully been apart of or liked an online community until I came here. Everywhere else on the internet is just fun and games and I don't take anything seriously in that area. I do though take some things on PC seriously.

For the most part it would just be the people who I've really talked to here. I generally tend to like a variety of people and there have been a few people here who I really enjoyed talking to. Although I don't talk much with those same people I still like them and I do feel slightly angry/annoyed if I ever see someone else saying something bad about them. I even feel like I should get on the defensive for people who I have never even talked to before, but I find to be "my kind of person." I have never been one to openly express to people that I care about them though so it's probably not apparent at all.

As for everything else I tend to not really care. I generally like to make people happy and if I see someone being treated unfairly it stirs something in me, but besides that not really. In some ways I think some people here could use a dose of not caring so much. It just seems like a little much to always be up in arms about certain things here.

Elite Overlord LeSabre™

On that 'Non stop road'

Age 97
Shimoda City
Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted January 25th, 2022
9,705 posts
15.5 Years
In some ways, yes. I've seen the best of people and the worst of people online, whether it's their real personality or just a mask. I've met some amazing and helpful people online, but I've also dealt with some truly despicable people on forums besides PC. I don't let it dominate my life, but it does affect me somewhat.

Elite Overlord LeSabre™
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Age 30
Male
In the bottom left corner of your screen
Seen January 21st, 2011
Posted November 1st, 2010
422 posts
17.1 Years
Erm, yes and no.

On one side, you have access to everything from the latest world news to a tweet saying that cookies are delicious. With a few clicks, some people are capable of reading things that weren't meant to be released to the general public yet. When said information is released, it could start a revolution that could change the world in a matter of days.

On the other hand, you have the Pancake Mix video. XD
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Cold Fusion

When you laugh, you gain luck.

Age 27
Earth, England
Seen March 19th, 2012
Posted March 19th, 2012
1,180 posts
14.3 Years
Being on the internet and talking to people who I have become friends with gave me a chance to see for real life that I could be sociable when I wanted to be and it's helped me grown because of this. I used to be a person who wouldn't speak at all, now I'm a different person and the people I talked to here made me realise this, because of this I cherish those strong bonds I have or even had if they've wandered away into my past of being on PokeCommunity for the time I've been here. In that way I'm serious about my internet life. But, if I argued with a person on PokeCommunity specifically, then no, I wouldn't be that hard hit down. I would be the one thinking that they're too far away to harm me and on the internet, when you argue, it's all just silly miniature words!

Close friends or not, I don't care on the internet how I'm rated to peoples standards. They'll like me or they won't. It's as simple as that. If people dislike me, they can ignore me or even state that they have a dislike, I don't mind. It's a person who I most likely will never meet, they can rate. They don't know me online properly never mind offline; I don't know how I could take that type of thing to heart. It would be dumb to do that, I believe. I just can't take a strangers opinion seriously.

But, when it comes to internet love relationships, gawd, I don't understand them. An internet relationship is fake. You may have feelings for the personality you see in front of you but when you meet them it could be completely different personality altogether. Nobody should be looking for a love life on the internet in my opinion, you will find that somewhere in your life time when ready. There have been people who have met on the internet and been happy, but I don't think that's going to happen often, it's merely a coincidence in a way. Wouldn't it be better to do your lovey dovey stuff in reality instead of adding your little *'s (or whatever you use) to do it?

But never have I cried over an internet fight or personal matter, I'm not one to cry anyway, neither am I one to get emotional over something. So really, I never take much seriously anyway.

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