Mountain Surfing

The Seduction

The internet can be an escape from the world for many people, and for some people it can be an escape from themselves.

The internet has become a playground for many people to act out fantasies and take on new identities that were not possible before. This relatively new technology is allowing people to indulge in fantasies in much more sophisticated and "real" ways. The internet provides the dangerous combination of anonymity, impunity and no accountability.

Online Fantasies

Some studies show that as many as two-thirds of people who socialize online change their age or gender - But it is also often taken further. A quiet teenager in an online multiplayer game could be a powerful warlock and rule over a large virtual realm. Or an adult man could pretend to be a 14 year old boy talking to adolescent girls online. Either way, spending hours a day in this virtual identity, disconnected from reality, can lead to skewed and unbalanced real identities.

Addiction?

Although some hesitate to call it an addiction, there are clearly some people who have developed a strong dependency. Often times, getting overly involved in a secondary self is just an outlet for more serious issues. Problems at home or school or shyness and social phobia can lead people to find ways to live a life free of these stresses and anxieties. By pretending to be someone else, one can feel empowered and boost their self esteem while being acknowledged by anonymous others also in the system.

This can have a negative effect, as a person finds that they can relate less and less to those around them. As people spend more time online becoming deeply involved in a virtual identity, they can start to associate themselves more with their online selves than their real selves. Feelings of isolation can be compounded and the only friends one has to turn to are those who know you in the fantasy world.

No one knows the extent of the problem. Many people who get engrossed in another identity online will be spending much of their time in their room or a basement or a dark corner of an internet caf. The relationships that can develop through online chatting and socializing can be very real and satisfying, but without face to face interaction, there is no stability or framework for trust.

If young people become too used to interacting online where anything goes and they can be anybody, it can handicap their real social skills for the future. Online fantasy role playing can be a unhealthy escape for some people who need to confront and cope with more serious issues.

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Learn more about the pleasures, and dangers, of virtual living http://www.troubleblog.com/internet-addiction/2008210/

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