by Lee Leon

Created on: March 03, 2009

People seem to think it strange that there are sheep online, but I think they just do not properly understand the true nature of the world that they inhabit. True, in that domain people call real life (or IRL, as those people who like TLAs say), you don't come across many sheep outside of the fields and farmyards, but this virtual world that so many inhabit now is not nearly the same as real life and anyone who thinks that it is, is not only misleading themselves but, also, leaving themselves vulnerable to exploitation and harm in a world which appears relatively safe, but conceals dangers which are not only very real, but can also be difficult to understand and, therefore, prepare for.

What dangers are there?

Generally, the main dangers involve interaction between the virtual world and the real world, ultimately. One of the issues, however, is that people do not fully understand the true nature of the real world which is, partly, virtual in nature. For example, money is mostly a virtual concept (although goods are generally not) and identity, beyond the circle of people who actually know us face-to-face, is also virtual.

But, by far, the biggest virtual component of the real world is inside our heads. We interact with the real world using the model of the real world which we have built over time from personal experience. The model is sophisticated and detailed, but it is based upon a real world which follows a particular set of rules. It is not so easy to adapt this to a world where social interaction is strong, but the normal social cues and physical identities are not. Our normal interaction with other people tends to be largely emotionally based. Emotional interaction tends to break down when the normal conveyers of emotion; facial expression; tone of voice, etc. are absent and we have to rely on simple words, not spoken but typed.

The simple fact is that we are different people online. I know many who claim that they are the same person online as in real life, but they are just deluding themselves. Online interaction requires us to interact with other people and to express ourselves in very different ways to those which we are used to. A result of this is that success in the online virtual' world depends upon a different set of skills, especially when it comes down to communication.

What happens is that people adopt a persona online, which better suits them express themselves. The person inside might be the same, but the external person, the interface with

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