Is it normal that i'm far less shy on the internet than in real life?

92% Normal
7 Comments

I just want to know if other people experience this. In real life I'm extremely shy, in every possible way. I have a lot of social anxiety. I can't talk to girls I'm attracted to. I can barely even talk to other guys. I'm also shy about my body and other people's bodies. I try to avoid any situation that involves me seeing someone else naked or someone else seeing me naked. That's why I avoid the locker room when I'm at the gym, and I'm afraid to attend a life drawing class (even though it might be vital to my career as an artist). Nudity just seems really intimate, and I'm afraid of intimacy. I don't even like to take my shirt off in front of other people (I'm male). I also tend to keep things to myself and I don't tell other people much about myself, not much that actually matters anyway.

But online, I'm the complete opposite. I have no trouble confessing my feelings for girls in Facebook chat. I actually did that once, and I ended up coming onto her too strong and creeping her out. I tell people my deepest secret in Internet forums, even things that I might be somewhat ashamed of. I'm not shy about my body either. I post nude self portraits to DeviantArt, and people see them, they see my privates and everything, and it doesn't bother me at all. I think it's partly the anonymity of the Internet, how I can reveal things like my body or things that I'm ashamed of without any consequences. Also it's not as real; it's almost like I'm not interacting with real people.

Do other people feel this dichotomy that I just described?

Voting Results
92% Normal
Based on 48 votes (44 yes)
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Comments ( 7 )
  • Anime7
    10 years ago

    I'm sure this is extremely normal. There's a sort of anonymity online, you can be whatever person you want to be. You can be the troll, you can be the bully, you can be confident, you can be whatever person you want to and then change the next day. I think you pretty much answered you own question already since you're aware of how anonymous things are online. Plus like you said it's not as real.

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  • Aliceee93
    10 years ago

    Yup it's far easier to talk to strangers on the Internet..
    I get what you mean though. I was really really shy once.

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    • DangerousPotatoGuy
      10 years ago

      where you also shy when you met potatoes?

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      • Snowstar
        9 years ago

        I was.

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      • Aliceee93
        10 years ago

        Nopes :) I've changed a little. I was really shy because I didn't like showing people the real me. Because the real me is actually quite weird. But haters will hate so I don't care as much now.

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  • gummy_jr
    10 years ago

    Meh...

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  • thegypsysailor
    10 years ago

    Ya think?

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