Is It Really You Or Someone You've Created?

"Wild Card"

"By the artist showing both as he sees his true self and as he wishes to be seen, self-portraits can at once expose and obscure, clarify and distort." "Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism" by Christine Rosen

               Lets step back and take a look at our Myspace or Facebook page, look hard. Can you be honest with yourself and identify whether or not this person you portray is you or a fictional character you've created in hopes of luring in the specific crowd you imagine yourself being a part of? Unfortunately this happens all too often, from manipulating a camera angle to appear more attractive or weigh less, to creating an entirely false character to have a distant yet intimate relationship with a person you wish to have in your life but feel they would reject you had they figured out who you really are or what you look like. A good example is a new show called "Catfish," where the host receives emails about a people who wish to find out who they are really talking to online and eventually gets them together. In some of these stories the person has been in contact with this mysterious person for years sending provocative photos, spending hours on end chatting, and even saying "I love you." They are constantly told that the mystery person's webcam is broken, or they are too busy to meet up. Only to find out its a 300 pound low-life, living out of a basement, addicted to social networking under a false identity.

                However, sometimes it's just a small portion of the profile that is carefully constructed to make the user seem more enticing. You must be careful what is posted as "the truth" because you could lead someone on just to end up hurting them or even making a fool of yourself. Cliche' or not, honesty is the best policy because, quite frankly, if you pose as someone else, you'll attract some people that you enjoy and some not so much. You risk actually taking on these false traits and soon losing who you really are and opening yourself to a lot of confusion. Why not try putting the "real you" on Facebook? It is those weird flaws, quirks and imperfections that make you an individual and who you are. There is nothing wrong with being YOU. Some will love it others hate it but, that's how you accumulate real friends and meaningful, genuine relationship. In the end that's all you ever wanted.. right?