do i have an online persona?
I was watching some YouTube videos, and I came upon one that talked about the fact that a lot of online personalities have a persona or a character they play and show off to people online.
Then when you actually meet these people in real life, they're someone completely different. It made me think. Do I have an online persona?
My automatic response would be no. Then when I thought about it for a bit longer, I would say kind of maybe?
The answer may not be so black and white.
While I don't think that I have a fake personality, I also don't think that I show all of me on my blog. I try to write about as many of my interests as possible, but there's also a lot I don't talk about.
I feel that people who know me in real life can come read my blog and say that the way I write and express myself is similar to how I am in person. But someone who only knows me through my blog, might be caught off guard by how I am in person.
They might not realize how many tv/movie/book references I make in a conversation or even how easy it is to amuse me and make me laugh. They might not realize how quickly I speak (I honestly can't help myself).
The list can go on and on.
While I write about my thoughts on certain subjects, there's a lot I don't write about. There's a lot I don't share. Sometime I decide to share something months after I had dealt with the actual turmoil that my life can be sometimes, and what I write may gloss over how difficult something really was for me.
While it may be fairly obvious to most, that no one is only what they show online, as a blogger, it might not be as obvious. I'm a blogger that writes posts like journal entries. They're very raw and personal.
And I feel like if you combine who I am on my blog, on Instagram, and my Youtube channel, you would have a pretty accurate idea of who I am as a person.
While I might not change who I am as a person online, I definitely don't show all sides of my personality and interests.
It's funny, because even when you hang out with certain people, certain sides of your personality can shine through more than others. It's not that you're being fake or have a persona, it's just that you're allowed to show different sides of you to different people.
I feel like blogging is kind of similar. In regards to my blog, I'm still me, but I'm only showing certain sides of me and my personality. I think the same can be said for makeup influencers. While they love makeup, that's not all there is to who they are!
To my other fellow bloggers, do you feel like you have an online persona? Let me know in the comments down below!
Sending you love, strength, and positivity.
I don't really think of it as a persona, but I'm definitely more precise online. In real life I'm very quiet and awkward, but on a blog I have time to put together exactly what I want to say it, and how I want to say it.
I feel like I often say the wrong thing in real life and don't even realize it (I used to watch my youtube footage back and be like "wait I said what!?")
It's so true that we aren't the exact same with every person we interact with. With some people we might be more silly, or more serious and thoughtful. As you said it's just showing different sides of ourselves at different times!
Great post! This is very thought provoking.
That's true too, and I never thought about it! When I write a post, I'll write a rough draft, then go back and check it over and reword some things, and then if I have time, I'll do it one more time. I have time to figure out my thoughts and express myself the best way I can, but in person I'm way more awkward and sometimes having the words to express myself properly. Thank you so much for reading and your thoughtful comment 🙂 ! x
And I don't think there's anything wrong with that, it's great that we have a chance to present exactly what we want. I don't think that makes it any less real! 🙂
Omg this is what I try to explain to everyone!! Different people bring out different sides of your personality. That doesn't mean you are two faced or fake! I am definitely different around different people, and I love that! This is such a great post!! xx
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I'm so glad you liked this post! I'm so sorry for the late response! I get so many notifications that it all just gets hidden, but I just found out that there's an "unread" section! Thanks so much for reading and commenting 🙂 xx
I think we definitely have different personalties depending on who we are with. Like I have a business persona, where I am much more professional and don't swear at all, as opposed to my friends where I am much more outgoing and let f-bombs drop frequently.
As far as online, I actually feel like I am my most honest and personal self. I express myself the best through writing. (so that could maybe come off as a bit emo) I have people who know me outside of blogging, and they will read a piece and then text me saying they never knew I felt that way or was struggling, or that really resonated. I can be vulnerable in ways on here I cannot always be in person. (something I am working on) Not sure that that makes it an online persona, or just the inner workings of what makes my mind click. 🙂 <3
Thank you for commenting such a thoughtful comment! I'm the same way in terms of work. I think I am pretty true to myself on here too! Like you said, I have friends who sometimes message me telling me they never knew that I felt a certain way about something, and while I do find it sometimes weird to talk in person about stuff I write online, it's comforting to know that I'm being my true self regardless. Thanks again for commenting and telling me about your experience with our different personalities! x