False identities on the internet

[Devrim]

Given the recent exposure of two lesbian bloggers as being middle aged men (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/14/second-lesbian-blogger-exposed-paula-brooks), I was just wondering what sort of people we had on here.

Why do you think that people pretend to be somebody they are not?

Before any claims to the contrary come out start, I would just like to confirm that I really am a middle-aged, (slightly) overweight, balding, white male, and not a glamourous twenty-something beautiful Chinese lesbian.

People have done it on here before. What do you think is the cause of it?

Devrim

[RedAnarchist]

Anonymity on the Internet is a major reason, plus possibly boredom and/or the thrill that some people get from making others believe that a persona that they have created is actually a real person.

[Jimmie Higgins]

I created a blog for a fake persona a few years ago of a liberal radio-host. I made it to be sort of a liberal version of Stephen Colbert: a vehicle for left-wing satire of weak-ass official liberal politics. I went to great lengths to make the character as ridiculous as I could and I made silly names for his television and radio programs thinking that everyone would see it as an obvious joke. I was shocked when people began to email me fairly regularly to find out about when the radio show was on, how they could hear it and even from people who wanted to be on the show to talk about some campaign or something.

So if I was able to convince a handful of people despite the images of my persona being really obviously photoshopped and silly and the satire being really heavy-handed, it wouldn't be that hard to accomplish that if you were trying to deceive people.

[kitsune]

I'd like to see something more scholarly on the subject, but there are some interesting points brought up at this psychology.wikia article (http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Online_identity) and the one at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_identity).

Now I want to look more deeply into the whole subject of identity construction. Kind of fascinating.

[Broletariat]

I fake a different persona on every website I register to if such personal things are required.

I do it for security/paranoia reasons.

[Rjevan]

A combination of attention-seeking and what RA says (boredom and the chances of anonymity), imo.

Attention-seeking is overtly encouraged by the internet, so many people think they have to update the world on their life ever few hours by posting irrelevant details about their latest irrelevant activities.

The less irrelevant and more interesting the more attention, followers and fans you get. So you make stuff up to be more interesting. While the same rationale goes for real life, too, you can only fake your personality to a certain degree. But on the internet - "why post about the life of a 58-year-old retired construction worker from Ohio called Bill Graber", they think, "when you can pretend to be a 'glamourous twenty-something beautiful Chinese lesbian'?"

[#FF0000]

You know it's really funny you should post this because I am actually a glamorous twenty-something beautiful Chinese lesbian.

[Cleansing Conspiratorial Revolutionary Flame]

You know it's really funny you should post this because I am actually a glamorous twenty-something beautiful Chinese lesbian.

I'm glad that I'm not alone. :lol:

[Red Commissar]

I'm a Prince from Nigeria.

[Hebrew Hammer]

I agree with others, I think it's the need to live vicariously through an alter-ego that is more attractive and better than the person feels they are. No, longer are they some middle-aged man, big gut, balding, not to posh, they're some sexy, hot Chinese lesbo, with the cute furry ear hats that everyone suddenly gives a fuck about and will listen too. It's virtual escapism and I think it's weird, this whole slowly tuning out the real world and stepping into something virtual, the virtual taking over the material and have more importance and influence is weird and disturbing to me. But on the real, I'm a 12 year old school girl.

[Magón]

I'm actually an 34 year old overweight, bald, fashion disaster, pasty skinned white guy who still lives in his parents basement playing video games, even though I show little interest in them on here, and work for IHop during the late nights as a waiter. My social contact reaches only as far as this computer can take me, and the fifty other forums (game sites included) I'm on. :cool:

BEAT THAT MOTHA FUCKAS!

[Hebrew Hammer]

BEAT THAT MOTHA FUCKAS!

I forgot to mention, I'm also in the biggest news story in the nation because rep. Weiner showed me his schmeckle and was trying to sext me up. Beat that.

[Magón]

I forgot to mention, I'm also in the biggest news story in the nation because rep. Weiner showed me his schmeckle and was trying to sext me up. Beat that.

Fail, it was actually me who Weiner sent his naughty pics to, it was another one of my personas. You can't trick a trickster!

[praxis1966]

I'm really Nin's dad.

As for the OP, well, it's a phenomenon as old as the days of BBSes. I don't know if the kind of people who do this sort of thing just missed a hug or two growing up or they're really just hucksters, but either way it's all just attention seeking behavior. It's pretty sad, actually, when you think about it.

[Magón]

I'm really Nin's dad.

http://thinkerspodium.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/fuuuu.jpg

[SacRedMan]

Some people on the internet are actors: they play the character that they want to play, but sometimes they don't remember that they aren't really like their character in real life.

For example: I wish I was a Russian that haves a grand-father wich got medals by fighting for the Red Army. So to forget that wish, I go pretend like I'm a Russian that haves a grand-father wich blablabla.... But the more I do it, the more I'm going to think that that wish is a fact.

It's psychological explainable.

[Hebrew Hammer]

Fail, it was actually me who Weiner sent his naughty pics to, it was another one of my personas. You can't trick a trickster!

:(

We girls should ban together not fight, his crimes against us all must be known!

[praxis1966]

http://thinkerspodium.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/fuuuu.jpg

:laugh: Aw C'mon, you know that was hilarious.

[Tablo]

I think this can in some ways be related to roleplaying. People like to pretend and play make believe, but it is not really socially acceptable to do beyond childhood. I know I LOVE roleplaying. The idea of putting yourself in the place of someone else and playing that role is very rewarding and acts as a kind of escape from one's own lame life. I think to some degree people just like to play make believe and that is an influence on this. Attention seeking I think is also another big thing too.


I created a blog for a fake persona a few years ago of a liberal radio-host. I made it to be sort of a liberal version of Stephen Colbert: a vehicle for left-wing satire of weak-ass official liberal politics. I went to great lengths to make the character as ridiculous as I could and I made silly names for his television and radio programs thinking that everyone would see it as an obvious joke. I was shocked when people began to email me fairly regularly to find out about when the radio show was on, how they could hear it and even from people who wanted to be on the show to talk about some campaign or something.

So if I was able to convince a handful of people despite the images of my persona being really obviously photoshopped and silly and the satire being really heavy-handed, it wouldn't be that hard to accomplish that if you were trying to deceive people.
This is brilliant. Do you still do this? I would definitely follow your blog.

[ZeroNowhere]

I try to make people envision me as a blue flying fish. It's better that way.


People like to pretend and play make believe, but it is not really socially acceptable to do beyond childhood.Have you seen much social interaction lately?

[Tablo]

I try to make people envision me as a blue flying fish. It's better that way.

Have you seen much social interaction lately?
Okay, my kind of make believe isn't socially acceptable past childhood.:lol:

[Die Rote Fahne]

I am a unicorn, with the shiniest horn, a lustrous purple mane, and majestically sparkly eyes.

[Quail]

Okay, my kind of make believe isn't socially acceptable past childhood.:lol:
I think this is why I like writing so much. Instead of acting out my stories, I just write them down. :lol:

[Tablo]

I think this is why I like writing so much. Instead of acting out my stories, I just write them down. :lol:
Equally entertaining, though I write a lot less than I used to cause I'm a piss poor writer.

[Hebrew Hammer]

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmls9tuGyS1qaps1mo1_500.gif

[Buitraker]

The problem is the people who believe anything of internet

[Rafiq]

I'm around 68-71 years old (I lost count on my 65th birthday) giant beard, no friends, living on top of a mountain in Turkey looking over Devrim's house. (I was hired by a user on here to stalk him).

[Spawn of Stalin]

It's just the internet, you can be whoever you want to be

You guys don't seriously believe I am this awesome in real life do you?

[Agent Ducky]

I fake a different persona on every website I register to if such personal things are required.

I do it for security/paranoia reasons.

Shut up, you're just a 42 year old Turkish guy. Nobody cares what you think.

[xub3rn00dlex]

I am a representative from NY and I will show you all my wiener!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/Vienna_sausage_tasty.jpg

[Niccolò Rossi]

I try to make people envision me as a blue flying fish. It's better that way.

No freakin way!? Is that what that is! I thought it was some kinda bird...

The more you know

Nic.

[Niccolò Rossi]

Before any claims to the contrary come out start, I would just like to confirm that I really am a middle-aged, (slightly) overweight, balding, white male, and not a glamourous twenty-something beautiful Chinese lesbian.

As if bro


People have done it on here before. What do you think is the cause of it?One of my favourite movies from 2010 was 'Catfish'. If you haven't seen it, go torrent it or buy it or something.

Spoiler alert!

It's supposedly a true story of this NYC based photographer who befriends this child artist on facebook. He befriends her entire family and has a full blown long distance relationship with her older step sister over the internet. When he tries to meet with her and her family it turns into a cross country wild goose chase with him slowly unravelling a more and more twisted plot. In the end turns out, all of them were just fictional characters, animated by this one married middle aged woman with two disabled children. It's fascinating and a true emotional rollercoaster into the mind of this seemingly very average woman. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Nic.

[Agent Ducky]

And I'm obviously a duck with a special duck keyboard that lets my type easily with my bill.

[Fulanito de Tal]

Given the recent exposure of two lesbian bloggers as being middle aged men (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/14/second-lesbian-blogger-exposed-paula-brooks), I was just wondering what sort of people we had on here.

Why do you think that people pretend to be somebody they are not?

Before any claims to the contrary come out start, I would just like to confirm that I really am a middle-aged, (slightly) overweight, balding, white male, and not a glamourous twenty-something beautiful Chinese lesbian.

People have done it on here before. What do you think is the cause of it?

Devrim

In the case of this website: because the bourgeoisie hires people to come on here and create a sense of incongruity so we feel that there is no solidarity among us. For example, they add comments that lead to major discussions between us and end in fighting and lack of a conclusion to issues. This results in that all we do is get online and argue over topics that will not reach conclusions, which leads to lack of action. More than likely, there are several of us, even administrators, that are under the bourgeoisie's pay check. It's probably a main reason why revleft is allowed to continue. Otherwise, we'd be massacred like the Chileans in 1973 :closedeyes:

[Chambered Word]

It's just the internet, you can be whoever you want to be

You guys don't seriously believe I am this awesome in real life do you?

nope.

[Zanthorus]

In the case of this website: because the bourgeoisie hires people to come on here and create a sense of incongruity so we feel that there is no solidarity among us. For example, they add comments that lead to major discussions between us and end in fighting and lack of a conclusion to issues. This results in that all we do is get online and argue over topics that will not reach conclusions, which leads to lack of action. More than likely, there are several of us, even administrators, that are under the bourgeoisie's pay check. It's probably a main reason why revleft is allowed to continue. Otherwise, we'd be massacred like the Chileans in 1973 :closedeyes:

I think our respective governments have bigger things to worry about than the people who post on Revleft.

[ZeroNowhere]

I think our respective governments have bigger things to worry about than the people who post on Revleft.
'Oh no, Obama, the Revleft people are getting organized to threaten the government!'
'No need to panic, just start a thread on Stalin.'


(I suppose that, given that I'm Indian, the baseless fear for 'my' government would be more along the lines of Indian Maoists gathering on Revleft, and the response would probably be to start a thread on rape.)

[Magón]

It's just the internet, you can be whoever you want to be

You guys don't seriously believe I am this awesome in real life do you?

I don't even think you're awesome on here. BOOM! :lol:

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

I am a unicorn, with the shiniest horn, a lustrous purple mane, and majestically sparkly eyes.

This site will soon turn into a cesspit of greasy confused furries in sweaty ugly mascot suits. It has begun.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

I'm a Prince from Nigeria.

hey prince aduande. i don't wanna keep going on about it, but can you send that money over? i gave you my bank details like 2 weeks ago and i still haven't got the money you promised me in that email. cheers dude

[Kuppo Shakur]

I am the internet persona of a complete stranger.:thumbup1:

No but really I am a sentient AI that escaped onto the internet from the lab I was created in HALP.

[Johnny Kerosene]

I'm actually a 17 year old guy living in Florida who doesn't really do anything interesting. Oh wait, that's what I wanted you all to think I was.

[Steve_j]

I prefer to bullshit in real life, whilst i have yet to convince anyone i am a Chinese lesbian blogger, when im bored with social interaction i begin to entertain myself, starting with something random but believable, and progress to the ridiculous as i get bored pretty quick so increase the pace until they realise its a tall story.


Last month i was speaking to my girlfriend (of 3 years) for around half an hour about my child hood until she realised i was telling the story of forest gump, she clicked when i got around to my time in Nam looking for some guy called Charlie.

Its even more fun when meeting strangers :D

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I remember I did that kind of thing once because I wanted to epically troll some Nazi in this game I was playing.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

I prefer to bullshit in real life, whilst i have yet to convince anyone i am a Chinese lesbian blogger, when im bored with social interaction i begin to entertain myself, starting with something random but believable, and progress to the ridiculous as i get bored pretty quick so increase the pace until they realise its a tall story.


Last month i was speaking to my girlfriend (of 3 years) for around half an hour about my child hood until she realised i was telling the story of forest gump, she clicked when i got around to my time in Nam looking for some guy called Charlie.

Its even more fun when meeting strangers :D
I do this too. At my old college, I had a load of girls convinced that I was born in Kazakhstan. One of them was a bit dense, getting confused when I said Kazakhstan was near Russia - she said, 'so you're Russian?' and I did what any good, proud Kazakhstani would do and took it very personally. She thought she'd really upset my national pride and apologized to me a number of times, I kept up the charade and gave her the cold shoulder. The girls thought I was Kazakhstani for about a month until I told them I wasn't.

They didn't talk to me much after that, but it was worth it I think.

[Steve_j]

A whole fucking month? I admire your stamina comrade, i last about 15mins at the best of times. I just lose heart :(

Alright next post decides my next IRL troll.

Edit, will even try and post proof.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

Yeah a month, maybe three weeks. They weren't exactly the sharpest tools in the box, so it wasn't difficult.

I can't think of anything for you to try though. For me, these kind of IRL trolls just occur suddenly mid-conversation. Its all about improvisation :D

[Red Commissar]

hey prince aduande. i don't wanna keep going on about it, but can you send that money over? i gave you my bank details like 2 weeks ago and i still haven't got the money you promised me in that email. cheers dude

Friend it is hard for me to work with banking wires here you have to be patient but I guarantee you will see the share of my family fortune.

[Bright Banana Beard]

marsella

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I remember when I was in the hospital I told my uber Christian sister that I talked to God and accepted Jesus into my life in a voice like I was very sick lol.

[HEAD ICE]

lol back when i was like 12 and a super christian i went on the imdb message boards for Passion of the Christ, and i said i was Jewish and i didn't find anything offensive about the movie

[Johnny Kerosene]

I usually give fake names when someone ask for a name for an order at a restaurant/food stand or something. I also usually forget what name I gave and have to stand there and watch intently to make sure I don't miss my order.

[Jimmie Higgins]

I think this can in some ways be related to roleplaying. People like to pretend and play make believe, but it is not really socially acceptable to do beyond childhood. I know I LOVE roleplaying. The idea of putting yourself in the place of someone else and playing that role is very rewarding and acts as a kind of escape from one's own lame life. I think to some degree people just like to play make believe and that is an influence on this. Attention seeking I think is also another big thing too.


This is brilliant. Do you still do this? I would definitely follow your blog.

I don't have the blog anymore, but I posted one of the articles on my Revleft blog:

http://www.revleft.com/vb/blog.php?b=409

http://ny-image2.etsy.com//il_430xN.65424578.jpg

[Le Libérer]

Nevermind, was beaten to the punch. :p

[Vendetta]

Probably for the same reason I used to prank call people...I was bored and it was fun.