How old are you? Online, I mean. For example, I’m 23 in real life, but there’s a possibility that my Online Self is only about 17.
That is what Carla Madden has made me think, after only starting to read her e-book, #SELF: Taming Your Inner Online Menace. I’m not normally into e-books, but it was already downloaded onto my smartphone when I got it, so I decided to see what it was all about. Frank, to the point and (unsurprisingly) aimed at guys in their mid-twenties. Already, I’m hooked.
The jist of the book (from what I’ve read so far) is that from the moment you register your very first e-mail, your Online Self is born. Innocent, naive and unassuming, you probably ventured around the world of Netscape and had a goofy Hotmail e-mail username. Mine was something like shadow353; shadow being my favourite Sonic The Hedgehog character, and 353 being the international calling code for Ireland – you could tell I was a bit nerdy.
After growing up in the middle-school playground of GeoCities, you develop your teen years in the land of MySpace and Bebo, before graduating to Facebook High School. All the while, your Online Self develops and changes. A reflection of your Real Self, but slightly exaggerated, as if it were a reflection of yourself from a distorted funhouse mirror.
Just like your Real Self, however, your Online Self can become weak, hurt or sick. Like teenagers who try to act older and more mature than they really are, only to make a fool of themselves, your Online Self has more than likely suffered the same fate. Your first attempt(s) at blogging are usually the most common; spilling your heart out to the masses about a heartbreak, or a fight with your parents, or that math teacher that makes your life hell. No matter how old you may be in real life, the Online You is made look like a spoiled teenager with this type of web content. And yet, for so many, it’s a rite of passage that can’t be skipped.
The more I’ve read of #Self, the more I’ve been able to associate with it. In earlier years, I would have moaned about an ex or two, without asking myself what is the point of putting this out online?! Of course, my parents would’ve said the same thing – and have done – but it’s always hard for a teenager and young adult to heed a parent’s advice.
The point is, if you’re trying to establish yourself, your Online Self is your ambassador. Make sure he’s fit for the job.
Carla Madden is the author of ‘#Self: Taming Your Inner Online Menace’, available from kobo.com. Catch her online at carlathecopywriter.com or @lifelongnomad on Twitter.
