This week’s lecture was about the online self. When thinking about what is the self, one might asking questions such as; who am I, what is my voice, do I recognize it? In the lecture, we worked based on John Suler’s article “The Online Disinhibition Effect” from 2004, an article that gave some valuable and valid points. Among these, I found both the positive and negative disinhibition aspects interesting. Reflecting upon it, there are so many layers of the positive and negative behavioural changes. For instance, people on the internet tend to often feel more comfortable to express themselves and share personal information online, because they can hide behind a screen, which can lead to increased openness. At the same time, can the hiding behind a screen lead to bullying and aggression.
In the lecture, I learned a new term called ‘solipsistic introjection’. When the concept of solipsistic introjection was explained to me, it became clear what it means. I simply did not know that the concept existed to describe that ‘action,’ or whatever you want to call it. Furthermore, I got familiar with the term ‘dissociative imagination’, which combines the solipsistic introjection with the escapability of the online world magnifies disinhibition. An example of this could be a violent videogame, where there is no psychical threat as it is “just a game”.
Overall, it was an informative lecture in terms of concepts, as I was introduced to many new and interesting ones. Looking at my website, I am still struggling to get it to work optimally. It lacks on finish and personality in the form of appearance, and it needs better content structure and organization. However, I got some buttons to work today that were not working yesterday. And as long as I am making progress, even if it is small steps, it is a positive thing.
