As a blogger and social media explorer, I inhabit the virtual world of the Internet on a daily basis. In a sense it’s really not virtual because real relationships and connections are made. But the people I meet online are usually known only by an avatar, a name, a few words of comment, and perhaps a blog of their own. Real people, but filtered through digital media — as am I.
So it is always a good, though unsettling experience, to connect with these same folks without the filter of digital media. This happened to me several times this week …
- the host of a radio show read my comments, emailed me, then called me to see if I’d chat about the Miss Sister 2008 beauty pageant
- an actor playing the role of a nun contacted me so that she could portray the nun as authentically as possible
- a blogger whom I respect was at my place of ministry (When I met Julie D. of Happy Catholic that M&M commercial flashed through my mind where the M&Ms run into Santa and they say, “He DOES exist!”)
It takes a little getting used to because as with any filtered encounter (a picture, a website, a comment) one creates an image of the person in one’s mind — perfectly normal. But then when you learn more about the person, have an actually encounter with the flesh-and-blood person, it changes everything. Even a brief encounter with a real, live person can be so much more powerful than the virtual persons we are on the Internet. It gives me pause to think about how much our persons, our very presence communicates about who we are. It’s really quite cool and quite beautiful.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
It is a kick to meet someone whom you had formed an image of and they dont match it. Once I met a client whom I had been talking too for a few weeks. She took one shocked look at me and said, “Over the phone you sound nice, you don’t look nice.” I guess to her in person I look mean.
Chuck, what an awful thing to say! Hahaha.
The dynamics of meeting someone in person after only knowing them online is very interesting. I’ve gotten to know many people online for long periods of time, and upon meeting, I felt like I already knew them. This is after years of speaking on the phone, though – sometimes there’s really very little difference and luckily with the friends I’ve made this has been the case, but even so you have to get used to the physical awkwardness that the cyberworld eliminates. I actually think that, for long periods of time, no matter how hard you may try to hide aspects of your personality online, they end up coming through. You can try to not be yourself, but you wind up being yourself anyway.
But certainly physical presence can change everything, and particularly if you haven’t talked to someone that long online.
I have enjoyed meeting you, even if it is virtual (and filtered).
I just started blogging a couple of months ago and think of my blogging community as my neighborhood. I had been following a blog that I enjoyed and found that the writer and I work about 20 miles apart. That seemed to confirm the neighborhood theory. However, I found that another blogger that I share comments with lives in London. Sometimes it’s a small world and at other times it is huge.
I have very much enjoy and benefited from meeting you, even if it is only through the blogging world.
I haven’t been around in a while and just wanted to say hi.
Bill
I once personally saw blogmate in a cathedral but I was too shy to greet him. Man, it was cool to see virtual friends breathing the same atnosphere as you are.