Who is that person behind the screen?

[barbara]

In another thread, there was a comment made on how people using social network sites, (such as this one) are easily hid behind their screens which tends to bring out the worse in some....well, maybe in most.

This has long been an interest of mine and I find the evolution of those who participate in social networking, particularly in political forums, is universal regardless of age, politcal leanings, sexual preferences, or any other social demographic that tends to impact groups. The only factor I see that varies is it takes some a longer, or shorter, time to go through the evolution process.

My conclusions are only based on casual observation and particpation. I have no scientific or verifiable evidence to support my thoughts. So, when this topic came up, and it was suggested a thread be started, the opportunity was ripe for me to explore the issue more.

Some reading for discussion:
Who is Portrayed in Second Life: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? The Extent of Congruence Between Real Life and Virtual Identity

Bernadett Koles, Peter Nagy

http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/article/view/2150

(if I didn't do that link thing right, please let me know and I'll try again.)