We've talked a lot about how our Facebook profiles are an electronic identity of ourselves. But one really important thing to remember is that our profile depicts ourselves how we want it to. We decide what to share, what to leave out, and how we actually portray ourself. But because we can pick and choose what our profile says, how can you really know someone if they are deciding to leave specific details out? All of his reminds me of the MTV show Catfish. The show investigates online "couples" and sees if they are actually real or if their Facebook profile is fake. Some people get their heart broken because they find out that their online girlfriend/boyfriend is fake; aspects of them are real, but their profile is depicting someone else.
I think one thing we really need to keep in mind is that an online profile cannot replace a real person. No matter how much information I share on my Facebook profile, someone who hasn't met me or gotten to know me in person, will never know the real me.
This is an interesting entryway into our discussion of the connection between online Self and real Self. Wasn't it last year that some college football star was revealed to be "in love" with someone who didn't really exist? So this is a vivid example of the way these two identities are quite different. I could even see this as a paper topic!?
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