In my Media and Society class, we discussed a myriad of theories and how they relate to us in professional, as well as personal ways. As a designer, potential clients and colleagues will visit your company site and “friend” or “follow” you on social networking sites. But, what does your site say to them? Are you presenting yourself in such a way that they would sneer at the idea of hiring you? Or are they so impressed by your “online behavior” , that they have to get to know you better? I’ve been to personal blogs where I was impressed by a designer’s work, but was put off by their attitudes or the way they presented themselves online.
This type of behavior falls under the Online Disinhibition Theory. This theory states that while online, some people self- disclose or act out more frequently or intensely than they would in person. This is because there is a level of anonymity and a lack of face-to-face interactions between people. Some people feel the need to over share because they feel invisible or less judged. Others feel invincible and don’t really care if they offend or mistreat others through online communications.
In this day and age, technology has given people a way of communicating with others in other countries. We shouldn’t waste that time pretending to be something we are not just because we can.
References:
Suler, J. (2004). CyberPsychology and Behavior. In Liebertpub.com. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/1094931041291295?journalCode=cpb
PsyBlog. (2010). Six Causes of Online Disinhibition. In Spring.org. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://www.spring.org.uk/2010/08/six-causes-of-online-disinhibition.php