Do our online personas truly reflect who we are?

While it’s more important than ever to be cautious about what we post and how we want ourselves to be represented online, we can’t actually control what other people are searching for or how they’re perceiving us. It’s only normal for them to search us; it’s where the majority of our hidden activities are able to be seen. Many use it to post photos of what they’re up to or what they’re into. Not only that, it is a major form of communication for relationships of all types. But is this a fair way to get to know someone or perceive someone? Is what people find on your social media platforms an accurate portrayal of who you truly are?

Well, over the past 20 years, the world as we know it has been taken by storm through the beginning of social media. According to Comscore about 90 percent of U.S. Internet users visit a social media site each and every month more then once. Because we live in such a largely global-society, creating and maintaining an online presence has become extremely relevant in promoting individual brands and expanding our social network. As we know, perception is everything; especially in the world of internet. In terms of perception, we all have an ideal self. We all wish to maximize our careers, our profession, and desire to be like those who we discover to be most successful. As the use of social media continues to evolve; the concept of presenting our ideal selves versus our real selves has become more and more predominant on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Skype, Voodoo, Vine, Tumbler, and etc.

As research and many analyst suggests, your “real self” is what you are (your attributes, your characteristics, and your personality). Your “ideal self” is what you feel you should be; much of it due to social and environmental influences. From a societal standpoint, research and surveys show that many of us are driven by rivalry, achievement, and status; hence, the creation and long portrayal of our ideal selves.

Knowing that, reflect on the idea of social media sites, and how we consider our profiles to be presentations of who we are. Therefore, through communication with the social standard, the real and ideal selves intersect; and the ideal self is at least partially actualized. In essence, our online selves represent our ideals and eliminate many of our other real components.

So the question we have to ask ourselves is: Are we really presenting who we are or are we presenting an idealistic version of ourselves? Ultimately it has been argued that the social media effect creates a false sense of self and self-esteem through the use of likes, fans, comments, posts, etc. For many social media users, it is an esteem booster, which explains why so many people spend so much time on social media. It provides many individuals with a false sense of self and an inflated sense of who they really are. The deeper we dig and the more we research, it still comes to the same result of: will we truly ever know the millions of online personality versus the real ones? This question has been baffling me since the day I joined my LEP 400 Internet and Identity Online class. With all the tests and research results proving that we display different personalities online than opposed our real life situations; our real life is still being judged regardless of the falsehood of ideas we dream of and share to the world.

During this class and throughout a series of well thought questions, this idea has started to intrigue me deeply. In one discussion particular, we discussed a test and applied this test to our online profiles. It is called Apply Magic Sauce.  This is used widely by HR departments and employers to determine a candidates personality and discover who they are as a person. Not only does it impact a persons future, it also plays a heavy role on perceptions and the ideas people choose to see. For example, I applied this Magic Sauce test to my Facebook profile; the results were almost  100% inaccurate.

According to the magic sauce test I am 26 years old, 13% feminine, more impulsive and spontaneous than 64% of the population, display more trust and teamwork than 88% of population, am more emotional and easily stressed than 52% of the population, have no major religious preference, more liberal and uninvolved in politics, more intelligent than 75% of population, and lastly, more happy with my life than 68% of the population.

For starters, I do not get stressed easily at all. It takes a very heavy load or life event to make me stressed. I am also not very emotional. I usually keep my emotions to myself and rarely show them. I am only 20 but like to believe that I act way more mature than what my age reveals. I also feel as if I am very intelligent and I truly do not have a specific religious preference. I usually have the same schedule as well. Not creating a very spontaneous life for myself.

The magic sauce test was very intriguing to read and discover the “so called self”  based on a tests calculations and systematic combination result.  In the article, Telegraph of London has given to the project, it says, “Some things about it are interesting and some are a little scary, in terms of what computers are capable of.” That wraps up exactly what I am feeling and thinking. It is harmless fun to view it and look at it yourself, but I fear that if jobs and other future markets start acquiring this test, it will place us into a large sample and leave no room to variation. Every human brain registers and views things differently. One person may like something because it’s funny but others may like it because it relays a special message and is not funny. Everyone likes and doesn’t like things for millions of different reasons. So how can we possibly jumble it all into one test and know exactly what individual people are thinking? 

Many people in the class comments discussed how the test was either accurate or not. I struggled with the idea that the test could even be remotely correct for anyone! However, we all display different emotions online for very different reasons. The video below discusses the types of personalities we display online and what they mean.

With all the research and questions about online identities out there, one rapidly expanding area of psychological research is the study of how participation in social media affects everyday relationships, behaviors, and influences real-life identity.

Scientists are discovering that what an individual says and does online influences everyday relationships and behavior. “Researchers have known for a while that individuals give unique cues about who they are with the things they own, clothes they wear, things they say and do. However, though these cues are informative to knowing who someone truly is, they were not always so easily accessible to our entire social network,” says Lindsay Graham of the University of Texas, Austin. “Now with much of our lives being lived online, and the boundaries having been blurred between who sees these cues and who doesn’t, it is all the more important to pay attention to the kinds of impressions we are giving off to those around us.”

In a set of recent studies, Psych Central examined 50 randomly selected cafes and bars in the Austin area and looked at the profile pictures of people who attended those establishments using the social networking site Foursquare.com. Just by looking at the profile photos of the frequent patrons for each location, observers were able to assess the personality of the average patron (extraverted, likeable, narcissistic), the activities likely to occur at the establishment (drinking, surfing the web, flirting), and the atmosphere or “vibe” of the location itself (sophisticated, clean, classy, etc.).

So with the researchers finding evidence that personality and specific types of attributes affect how we display ourselves online, it boils down to the question of… Does our online persona truly reflect who we are?

My final answer is no. There may be correlations in profile pictures and statuses/places on Facebook but there is no correlations in the results of likes, personality tests, and true brain activities. The human brain surpasses over 40,000 thoughts a day. Keep in mind every human brain surpasses over 40,000 different thoughts than the person standing next to them or across the world. The National Science Foundation has been studying the human brain for years and still cannot fully understand how each and every brain runs a different idea and thought process. So how can we possibly correlate “likes” on Facebook or words in a status to a humans personality and their real self? I truly believe it is an unreachable task. To study every single human brain and dissect every thought is impossible.

Many people share, like, or post information on social media sites for approval, attention, or simply for communication and excitement. That may show the depths of their soul and how they are feeling, but what they truly believe in, their interests, and their real personalities do not shine through a computer. Any employer or business that believes in online personalities as a reliable source for selecting candidates is making a major mistake. Any person who believes they know someone based upon technology and what they see online, is also making a major mistake.  Our online selves represent our ideals and eliminate many of our other real components.

 

Check out these sources and amazing articles below!

“#selfiesteem – Online Personality Types.” YouTube. YouTube. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

Green, Kay. “The Social Media Effect: Are You Really Who You Portray Online?” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

Koifman, Natasha. “Do Our Online Personas Truly Reflect Who We Are?” The Huffington Post. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

“Research Areas.” Nsf.gov. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

“The Facebook Test: Does It Really Work?” The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

Barney: Incredibly more than “just a dog”

Have you ever had thoughts that you wouldn’t have been able to share with the world? Well, I most definitely have. I think we all have. You feel so vulnerable and uneasy. You have no one to talk to without passing judgments.

However, for me…those gigantic, innocent, sweet brown eyes are there looking at me without a judgment. Barney fills me with admiration, makes me feel courageous.

Even when tears flow from eyes because of pain, those big brown eyes stare at me with a comforting wimpier to let me know I am not alone. Days when I am filled with excitement, those big brown eyes look at me with joy and warmth.

I truly hope one day I can be as great a person as my dog thought I was. Barney taught me to appreciate the little things, love unconditionally, never give up, and believe in your surroundings. Barney truly is in dog years his knowledge is impeccable. He holds lessons I never could have been able to understand and trust. As I opened my heart and became a friend, I truly learned what humanity really meant by “man’s best friend”.

Fortunately still by my side and forever in my heart.

Future Planning

When we were 6 years old we were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. Of course, I answered a doctor, vet, princess, and miss America. When we graduated high school we were asked the same thing. Of course, I answered, “I have no idea.” Now, graduating college, we are asked the same dreaded question, “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” This time… I answered the question a little differently. I answered by saying, “Why does it have to be the rest of our lives? Why do I have to know right now what I have planned for the rest of my life?” Basically, after all the preaching and educating… here I am… still wondering what I want to spend the “rest” of my life doing. A princess and miss America really does not seem suitable anymore and being a doctor simply sounds too extravagant. So… now here I am/here we are. College graduates without a future life plan.

Is this bad? No, I do not think so. I/we may not know as much as the CEO of a company, or a business major, or a lawyer, but I do know we have plenty of time to search and explore. To travel and love. To communicate and dream. To cherish and share. And feeling the excitement of not knowing what my future beholds gives me more excitement than a 6 year old girl hoping to be Miss America. My future and “rest of my life” lies ahead of me, and I don’t have a job, I have an imagination that will take my places I never could have dreamed of. Everyone’s future and happiness is truly in the eye’s of the beholder.

 

Xmas is upon us!

Where to begin?!?!?! I LOVE Christmas! I always have and always will. I have of course already started shopping and decorating. My roommate Bethany and I decided to decorate the house. Needless to say, the boys were not too excited. Their girlfriends even pitched in a little bit and assisted in helping us totally deck out the house in Christmas gear! Taylor, who hates decorating for any holiday, inspired us to decorate his room while he was gone for the weekend 🙂 We thought it would really raise his morale and boost that holiday spirit. Oh, were we successful 😉

The Christmas tree is in the process and the guys offered to hang lights (we forced them). Once the Xmas tree is up, presents will begin to fill the space between the floor and the tree that virtually disappears on Christmas day.

But, Christmas is not all about presents and decorations. Growing up I did not get many presents and I was okay with that. What made me fall in love with Christmas was the joy in the eyes of many. Since I was a little girl, my mom would take my sister and I shopping, she would tell us to pick out two toys each that we really liked. Of course, we would get SO excited. It was an early present (the only thing we really cared about at ages 6-10)! However, my mom dropped a bombshell that truly changed my love for Christmas. Once we got home she would tell us to get wrapping paper and tape. Of course we did, we were so excited we each got two new toys! After she made us wrap them she would tell us to go put them on the right side of the Christmas tree. Eventually time would tick by and we would be begging to unwrap the presents we had already picked out and desired to have so badly. Once it rolled around to Christmas Eve, she would pack us in the car and tell us to grab the gifts from the right side of the tree. The first year she did this we were so confused. She wouldn’t tell us anything and we couldn’t have OUR gifts. After our car ride, we arrived at the Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. My mother made us take our two presents we picked out and give them to someone else. Every year we do this. The first year we did this I felt neglected and was so upset. By the time I was old enough to realize those two presents I thought I needed so badly, changed someone’s whole Christmas, I never once took for granted the presents and love I received every Christmas.

I will continue to do this with my children and hopefully my children will do it with theirs. At first it seemed like the cruelest thing in the world, but now, it was one of the best experiences I could have ever asked for. Walking into a Children’s Hospital and being able to give them hope and strength is a one of a kind feeling. Christmas is not all about gifts or money, it is about worshiping the life you have and the joy you can bring to others. I will always have a special love for Christmas. And, shortly, my roommates will understand it as well 🙂

 

 

Poker Interest Continued…

Well, I did my research and brushed up on my newly found interest of the card game Poker. However, I knew in order to fully understand the game itself, I was going to have to do way more than just research and study the Poker lingo that is associated within the game. So, I came up with a game plan. This game plan included: Skittles, persuasion, Jack Daniels, a deck of cards, and my two roommates. Firstly, I had to convince two individuals to take time out of their Saturday night to aid in my current hobby. That was successful after I implemented my Jack Daniels plan. Then, I had to find “chips” in order to successfully bet and simulate and actual poker game. I searched high and low, while eating beef jerky, and found a bag of Skittles. I started to use my creative brain and decided these would do just fine in representing “chips”. And the last piece to the puzzle, cards. I was worried I did not have any…. but then I looked in the ever so wonderful “junk drawer,” which happens to harbor almost everything, and found a brand new deck. I had my persuasion down to a tee, the skittles, a bottle of Jack Daniels handy,  brand new cards, and my two roommates. I was ready to initiate the plan. Practice.

All in all, the plan was a success. I, of course, won poker night, ate all the skittles, and achieved my goal of practicing in order to get better. The World Series of Poker will see me someday. And it will not be with Skittles.

 

My newly found interest… Poker

Last night I started watching the WSOP (World Series Of Poker), and discovered I am extremely interested in this card game. The winner (find out today) gets over 7 million dollars. Even the top 4 players get over 1.5 million! Some of these guys (mostly guys), quit their jobs to become professional poker players. One of the guys in the top 4 entered the tournament for fun. He was just an amateur player who is guaranteed over 2 million dollars right now! I was just in total awe watching this all take place. I am now determined to teach myself how to play poker!

I started doing some research and found some awesome sites that teach you how to play poker and what moves to take. My biggest problem so far is knowing all of the poker terms.

• All in- Where a player has run out of money during a hand but hasn’t passed. (He must win or he is out)
• Ante- Where all the players put up the same sum of money before the cards are dealt.
• Backdoor- You make a hand that you were not aiming to make due to a late card.
• Big Bet- The size of the bet on the turn or river in ‘Limit’ play games
• Big Blind- The secondary mandatory bet in Texas Hold’em and Omaha Poker.
• Blind- Betting without first seeing cards.
• Bluffing- Making a bet or raise to win the pot when you probably don’t have the best hand.
• Board- The cards showing which are in play.
• Buck- A disc to represent the dealer.
• Burn Card- Top card in the deck discarded to prevent cheating.
• Buy In- The amount of money a players starts with.
• Call- Matching the amount of money wagered by the last betting player.
• Check- To take no betting action.
• Check Raise- To check then change to raise after seeing another bet.
• Connectors- Two or more cards in a sequence.
• Deck- The set of 52 cards.
• Drawing- You call a bet to be dealt more cards or a card in the hope of making a winning hand.

We will see where I continue on this research on my next post!

Late Night, Family, Walmart Runs

I started my long adventure of a night studying for my 9am Local Politics exam. But, of course, my fabulous roommates had other plan filled agendas for my evening.  This agenda included tacos (that smelt terrible), a new HUGE fish tank (Zach bought sharks), a lot of dancing, work out plans and a Walmart run.

Of course, I said no when they asked if I wanted to go. But, I gave into peer pressure and finally decided to just make them be quite. I initially planned on not bringing my wallet. However, my frontal lobe of my brain persuaded me differently. I brought my wallet. I ended up buying a whole case of Squirt pop, a tub of cookie dough, and peppered beef jerky. Exactly why I did not want to bring my wallet 😦

After Walmart came the car ride home. This was the part involving a lot of dancing, music blasting, car shaking, too much laughing, and expired tabs. Bethany realized her tabs were expired on the way home and she about had a stroke when Taylor (future law enforcement) told her she could go to jail for manslaughter. That’s when we decided to blast music and shake the car as hard as we could to make her stroke out even more!

Like I said, my evening of studying was overruled by my roommate deceiving motives. So now I am still up, eating beef jerky, and studying for my exam at midnight.

The Weekend of Memories

This weekend was jammed packed with multiple new adventures and discoveries. To start it off, we (Bethany, Zach, and myself) discovered that Taylor has disgusting chicken legs. I am not sure which one is worse, Zach’s hairy ape legs, or Taylor’s anorexic/disproportionate legs. But enough of that vivid imagery.

I did nothing for Halloween, but slam chips and watch movies with Taylor and his fiancé. I got to see Bethany’s costume that doesn’t quite fit (its a little small). I also forgot to buy candy so it was a good thing Barney (the dog/Taylor’s dog) scared all the kids away.

I got to meet our neighbor’s 10 kids….which ended with, as stated before, Barney (the dog) getting out of the house and trying to love them…they immediately ran away screaming as if I was chasing them with a car.

To cap it all off we watched the movie Vacation which by the way was hilarious. In one scene the little brother puts a plastic bag over his big brothers head and yells, “GO TO SLEEP!” Well… shortly after… Taylor felt it was necessary to try it on everyone.

Between the oddly obsessive topic of legs, Bethany’s whorish costume, Barney chasing neighbor kids, lack of Halloween candy, and placing plastic bags over people’s heads….I guess the correct term would be the weekend of both horrendous and humorous memories.

Sadly I could not find any pictures capturing these remarkable moments.

Making Time

Lately, it seems as if the clock spins faster than the speed of light. Although time is what we all desire the most, we all somehow manage to use it the worst. I myself am extremely guilty of this. I place work, school, and relaxation a little to high on my priorities list. Of course… work, school, and time for yourself is extremely important, but family, friends, and the basic skill of caring should be much higher on that priority list. This year I have found myself kicking my own butt. I constantly blame it on: “Im too busy” or “There just is not enough time.” Although both of those statements are very true, deep down I know I just need to take control of time, slow it down, and treat it preciously.

I tend to find myself placing work above all priorities. Many parents wish their 20 year old kids would place work much higher on their priorities, but my parents, would do anything to kick work down a couple notches. At times I even catch myself compensating time for money. I always buy my siblings magnificent gifts, spoil my parents, and always send my grandma flowers. But, I really do not think anything would make my family happier than me coming around more. For some odd reason, time and my list of importance is hitting me severely hard this month. I am starting to finally understand that time is far more vital than money. I can always make more money, but I cannot ask for more time. It is simply something I can’t control. There is no stopping it, no freezing it and no slow-motion phase.

I hope in the near future my post will say “I have never controlled time better” or “When you spend too much time with family and you want to strangle them.” I know it will be a little bit until I kick my rear end into gear and change my current situation, but that is the most we can ask for right? Acknowledgment to change.

Our New Found Adventures

When my sister was 22 she as diagnosed with a tumor on her pituitary valve. It was not cancerous but might as well as have been. It did just as much damage being benign. With it sitting on her pituitary valve it affected the release of her hormones and pushed on the cross of her vision lines. Because of this, doctors do not think she will be able to have kids, she is losing the nerves in the right side of her face, and they cannot take the tumor out because it is sitting in the cavernous sinus and it is an operation that could paralyze or cause death within one fragment of a mistake.  We have tried just about everything… and day after day, night after night, she feels the same pain.

My sister hasn’t been able to find anything to keep her morale up and want to continue to live day after day. She can’t keep a job, can barely drive, and can barely spend time with family without feeling the pain. She recently had surgery and had a pain pump installed inside of her. It releases the correct dosage of pain medicine every four hours or so. It has been helping but we knew something else had been missing. My sister and I love horses. We use to have them and when we moved we had to get rid of them. Well my sister recently found one for sale and I like to think of it as “love at first sight.” She knew the second she laid eyes on that horse she was going to make it hers. She did just that, she begged me to buy it and I just couldn’t resist. Money is money. My sister happiness is something that money can never touch. I would pay to the end of this world to make her happy.

It has been 4 weeks. 4 weeks since we have owned Sugar.  I have never seen my sister so happy. The responsibility, the life, the work, and the sheer happiness that horse emanates from my sister is unbelievable. It is like a piece of art that has been hanging on the wall and no one ever noticed. It has been the key we have always needed. Although it may be temporary, it is by far one of the best things I have ever invested in. Sugar is our new found adventure and a beautiful addition to our family.