That Other You

Last week I read Dr. Aboujaoude's book.  It was interesting, easy to follow but very disturbing.  If you think that an e-personality is something only virtual gamers have--guess again.  According to Dr. Aboujaoude, if you're using technology that in any way depends on the Internet, you have one.  Even if all you do is email, you have an e-personality.  Or if you only text on your cell phone.  The more involved you become online, the more likely your e-personality is quite different from your real personality.

This book warns about the ways our psychologies are changed.  Some of them seem inconsequential.  Others are glaringly detrimental.  The Internet is not going away.  And while many good things come about because of the connectedness the Internet provides at near instantaneous speeds,  there are down sides. 
The anonymity of online interactions brings out the worst in people--everything from rudeness and name calling to lying and cheating.  Emoticons and texting have created the assumption that abbreviations and incomplete sentences are acceptable forms of communication.  An overload of trivial information leaves us feeling knowledgeable about everything when it's much more likely that we know a tiny bit about a lot of things and nothing of great substance about any one thing.  The implications of all of this is far reaching and worth some thought.

Of course, our fast paced lives, lived at break neck speed thanks to the ubiquitous online umbilical cord, leave us very little time for thought.  Turning it off is a start.  Set aside time every day where the computer is off limits, the cell phone is actually off and do things in your very real life.  Think, play, have a conversation with a friend face to face.  Remember when your parents used to tell you to "Go outside!  Play!"  Well, that's my advice.  Go outside your electronic house and play!  Live and enjoy your real life.