What is the difference between your real world self and your virtual world self?

We’ve had questions like this before, and many people say they are the same in both worlds. But for those of you who are different, how are you different? Why do you think you are different in the virtual world?

I am different. I say many things in virtual reality I would never say in reality. I would never talk about my love life in reality. I don’t talk about my mental illness in reality. I don’t really share the depth of my political views in reality. I do not share my philosophical thinking nor my spiritual experiences in reality.

Why? I think people would shun me or laugh at me or both in the real world. They’d think I was crazy, and no one would take me seriously. I need to make a living and I think that my views would make me come across as unreliable and irresponsible in reality.

In the virtual world, where I am anonymous, it doesn’t matter. You might think I’m crazy, but you’re more likely to be entertained than threatened. You can’t take my job away because you don’t know what I do. So you don’t have to worry about me. The virtual world is like an alternate and separate reality. Safe for people to be who they really are.