Forums are a hobby for some, a refuge for others, or a just a place to hang. But I'm curious about the ways in which the forum affects sense of self or behavior offline.
Has being on this forum changed the way you view yourself when interacting everyday irl? Does it change the way you behave or react to others because of your experiences here on the forum? In other words, do you relate differently to others irl because of your interaction on the forum?
Once again, excellent questions.
The forum does not in any way affect how I see myself when interacting everyday, even in the past when I was here. I used it as a way to get more in-depth and play with my personality type, different modes of expression, and my feelings that I never get a chance to explore. But I was extremely casual and didn't really consider everyone here as much as I could have. I wish they had put something on the front of the page that says the expectations here are really, truly "business casual" and not "laid-back". Because my "laid-back" is very different from a lot of the people here.
"Does it change the way you behave or react to others because of your experiences here on the forum?" : I react differently to the forum itself and to the members. I don't say much, but I enjoy reading about everyone else. Its a very, very "Fe"-based/biased forum I came to learn. Much more so than Ni. At first I thought I could be free to express some of my feelings without giving too much away, but over time I think it was too much. I've grown to pay more attention to what others are saying, and now I use it as a "road-guide for improving business casual Fe-style" so to speak. And I just get bored and post some stuff I'm checking out. People are very sensitive here; much more than I had at first suspected, so in a way it helps me to get in touch with my "sensitive"-side I guess. But I can't do it too much. And there's nothing to gain from it other than, preventing embarrassing myself in some way. It doesn't though affect any way how I react or interact with people outside the forum. Outside the forum, I'm a very different person. I don't get a chance to talk to people very much, and when I do, it's all formal, work-related, or related to studies. I thought here I have a chance to kick back, but I realized over time, that's not a great idea. Most people here seem to be from Europe or another culture or something, and I feel a lot of times how I come off when I'm just being playful, sarcastic, or whatever at the end of a long day as "insensitive". But after reading a lot of threads, I do like a lot of the people here and respect them. They show me that people are deep down, regardless of issues/biases, are good and just trying to do the right thing.
