How has Fluther changed the ways you think?

I have never been on any other Q/A sites before Fluther but I am noticing that there is a unique element to learning more about yourself in this kind of environment that exceeds learning about specific topics or getting the answers to long-held questions. I am not sure I can explain it very well though . . .

The concept of having thoughts and sharing them anonymously and then getting feedback from others (across a wide range of comprehension and compassion in their respective approaches) and then processing the feedback against one’s own world view can be quite startling. I didn’t realize how much I relied on facial expressions and tone of voice (however badly I interpreted them) as cues. There is also the real-world element of being able to decide (in many respects) whose opinions I will solicit. That goes out the window here.

My entire system of gauging people is thrown off by the medium and it has been quite thought-provoking at times. I can start to assess how much my thoughts are similar to others but it has taken much longer to read enough information from any single individual and to match it up to their user-name/avatar (not to mention the zen of the day character who shape-shifts and others with daily avatar adjustments). This is a forum wherein physical attributes that can distract are removed—historically this seems unusual.

I would say that Fluther has really helped me learn different ways to assess how I am perceived by others (I am not even talking about GAs and lurve). While this has been difficult for me at times, I can see where I have changed my thinking—I have learned to be more self-reflective (if that is even possible), I have learned to read answers without a knee-jerk reaction and to consider points of view I would never have been open to in the real-world.

While the environment of Fluther may be obvious to everyone else, Fluther has caused me to have some profound internal dialogues with real changes in my thinking.