Why is Boards so different from the "Real World"

danh789 · 22-04-2011 10:22AM #1

More specifically Im referring to After Hours. The people I have come across here seem worlds apart from the people I come into contact with face to face. Has anyone else noticed this?

A few examples. If you were to believe AHs not one person still respected the traditions of Good Friday. Yet in the "real world" most people I know will be staying off meat and drink today. And these are college students. Also the amount of begrudgry here at times is baffling. Yet people excuse this by saying its pub talk. Never once have I gone to the pub only to spend the night b!tching about Bono and Tubridy etc. I go to the pub to have fun. F**king hell if my mates did spend the night moaning about these people I think I'd shoot myself!

Look at the Religion Census thread. A landslide victory for "No Religion" yet I'll be shocked if Catholism gets less then 70% in the actual Cencus. So how can there be such a difference?

Has anyone noticed any other examples of this? Why do you think people behave differently on forums?

krudler · 22-04-2011 10:23AM

danh789 wrote: »

More specifically Im referring to After Hours. The people I have come across here seem worlds apart from the people I come into contact with face to face. Has anyone else noticed this?

A few examples. If you were to believe AHs not one person still respected the traditions of Good Friday. Yet in the "real world" most people I know will be staying off meat and drink today. And these are college students. Also the amount of begrudgry here at times is baffling. Yet people excuse this by saying its pub talk. Never once have I gone to the pub only to spend the night b!tching about Bono and Tubridy etc. I go to the pub to have fun. F**king hell if my mates did spend the night moaning about these people I think I'd shoot myself!

Look at the Religion Census thread. A landslide victory for "No Religion" yet I'll be shocked if Catholism gets less then 70% in the actual Cencus. So how can there be such a difference?

Has anyone noticed any other examples of this? Why do you think people behave differently on forums?

keyboard+ anonymity= internet assholes.

I should know, I am one :pac:

Really though, most of my friends would yak about the same things people chat about on here, its why I like this site, I can talk about games, religion and blasting people with various substances all on one handy site. Theres a massive amount of pisstaking on this site, especially on AH, so people have their regular boards personas and then their AH one too. but its all part of the fun of posting on here.

Snakeblood · 22-04-2011 10:25AM

danh789 wrote: »

More specifically Im referring to After Hours. The people I have come across here seem worlds apart from the people I come into contact with face to face. Has anyone else noticed this?

A few examples. If you were to believe AHs not one person still respected the traditions of Good Friday. Yet in the "real world" most people I know will be staying off meat and drink today. And these are college students. Also the amount of begrudgry here at times is baffling. Yet people excuse this by saying its pub talk. Never once have I gone to the pub only to spend the night b!tching about Bono and Tubridy etc. I go to the pub to have fun. F**king hell if my mates did spend the night moaning about these people I think I'd shoot myself!

Look at the Religion Census thread. A landslide victory for "No Religion" yet I'll be shocked if Catholism gets less then 70% in the actual Cencus. So how can there be such a difference?

Has anyone noticed any other examples of this? Why do you think people behave differently on forums?

It's a different social group.
For example, of my friends in real life:
70% are atheist.
100% think Tubridy is some sort of ****.
100% never talk about Bono positively or negatively
100% think Good Friday is stupid.

Now, would you ask why your friends don't feel the exact same as my friends? Or would you just accept that different people are different?

miketv · 22-04-2011 10:27AM

To be fair, as time goes on Tubridy is getting very annoying.

danh789 · 22-04-2011 10:29AM

Snakeblood wrote: »

It's a different social group.
For example, of my friends in real life:
70% are atheist.
100% think Tubridy is some sort of ****.
100% never talk about Bono positively or negatively
100% think Good Friday is stupid.

Now, would you ask why your friends don't feel the exact same as my friends? Or would you just accept that different people are different?

Im not just talking about my friends though. Also relatives, work colleagues, classmates. The majority that I know seem completely different to the type of people on Boards. As I said the religion question on the census is a perfect example of this.

Barna77 · 22-04-2011 10:30AM

What do you mean with real world? Is this fake?

Coriolanus · 22-04-2011 10:32AM

Sounds like your friends are cúnts OP.
I don't post like that on the rest of boards though. As someone mentioned above most people have two boards personalities. I think most ah'ers are normal productive contributors to other areas of boards.

Mr. Loverman · 22-04-2011 10:52AM

Boards.ie has a disproportionate number of nerdy/geeky/socially awkward types.

It isn't a good representation of the average Irish person.

krudler · 22-04-2011 10:55AM

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

Boards.ie has a disproportionate number of nerdy/geeky/socially awkward types.

It isn't a good representation of the average Irish person.

Who's socially awkward? I got out every other weekend and have a good group of friends, doesnt mean I cant post on here all the time (advantages of an office job with no blocked sites :pac: )

Mr. Loverman · 22-04-2011 10:57AM

krudler wrote: »

Who's socially awkward? I got out every other weekend and have a good group of friends, doesnt mean I cant post on here all the time (advantages of an office job with no blocked sites :pac: )

I didn't say everyone was socially awkward. (For example, I'm not.)

Have you ever been to a boards beers? I rest my case.

Mr Benevolent · 22-04-2011 10:57AM

Ah them plain country folk. Who else heard the Deliverance tune when they read the OP's post?

FesterBeatty · 22-04-2011 10:59AM

Its not that different, someone asked me in a meeting the other day what should we do - and I said blast it with piss!

...only 1 guy got it and laughed!:D

22-04-2011 11:02AM

Confab wrote: »

Ah them plain country folk. Who else heard the Deliverance tune when they read the OP's post?

Patronising generalisation for the f*cking win there Confab

You're the only one who heard Deliverance.

Feeona · 22-04-2011 11:03AM

FesterBeatty wrote: »

Its not that different, someone asked me in a meeting the other day what should we do - and I said blast it with piss!

Well that would be a viable solution if you worked in a jellyfish factory as I do *takes note*

CrazyRabbit · 22-04-2011 11:03AM

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality
Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see,
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little
low,
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to
me

22-04-2011 11:05AM

danh789 wrote: »

Why do you think people behave differently on forums?

I'm not a "people," I'm a Black Swan. Oh, wait...

Blazer · 22-04-2011 11:05AM

See link below for reason

http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/215499488_8pSZr-L-2.jpg

orourkeda · 22-04-2011 11:05AM

We can **** off coked up hookers and get a blow job every time we eat steak. We get durka durred regularly having had our jobs taken because we got blasted with piss.

krudler · 22-04-2011 11:06AM

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

I didn't say everyone was socially awkward. (For example, I'm not.)

Have you ever been to a boards beers? I rest my case.

Yeah, it was full of people having fun and some hawt women

AnonoBoy · 22-04-2011 11:12AM

I think there's probably quite a few people on boards here who will be observing the religious part of Good Friday but they tend to keep quiet about it because the mob mentality especially against religion on After Hours can be ugly and unpleasant at times.

People use forums in general as a place to bitch about things because it's not the same as a pub conversation - you can vent on here and then step away from it. I doubt people carry most of these moans down to the pub with them - with the exception of a choice few.

Although having said that I don't know anyone in my circle of friends who will abstain from alcohol and meat today (aside from the vegetarians).

Snakeblood · 22-04-2011 11:24AM

danh789 wrote: »

Im not just talking about my friends though. Also relatives, work colleagues, classmates. The majority that I know seem completely different to the type of people on Boards. As I said the religion question on the census is a perfect example of this.

I was filling out the census for my girlfriend, and the question reads 'Are you a christian' (or something to that effect. She said yes. I said 'Do you go to church' 'No', 'Do you pray' 'No', 'Do you actually believe in god' 'Not really, no'. People can go with snap answers. A lot of people think being baptised, or being raised in a faith, even if you don't believe it, makes you that faith. Which it might technically do, I suppose, but I don't really find it to be a compelling argument myself.

The majority of people you know, though, are not on boards, then. Or not vocal on boards.

fando · 22-04-2011 11:28AM

danh789 wrote: »

More specifically Im referring to After Hours. The people I have come across here seem worlds apart from the people I come into contact with face to face. Has anyone else noticed this?

A few examples. If you were to believe AHs not one person still respected the traditions of Good Friday. Yet in the "real world" most people I know will be staying off meat and drink today. And these are college students. Also the amount of begrudgry here at times is baffling. Yet people excuse this by saying its pub talk. Never once have I gone to the pub only to spend the night b!tching about Bono and Tubridy etc. I go to the pub to have fun. F**king hell if my mates did spend the night moaning about these people I think I'd shoot myself!

Look at the Religion Census thread. A landslide victory for "No Religion" yet I'll be shocked if Catholism gets less then 70% in the actual Cencus. So how can there be such a difference?

Has anyone noticed any other examples of this? Why do you think people behave differently on forums?

It's also a cultural determinant. In my opinion in Ireland it's not really 'appreciated' to be open to the public about yourself or your beliefs (if you know they may be a bit different from the widely accepted).

To be honest it works for me: whatever is behind that smile, stranger, not really concerns me.

Orando Broom · 22-04-2011 11:34AM

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I think there's probably quite a few people on boards here who will be observing the religious part of Good Friday but they tend to keep quiet about it because the mob mentality especially against religion on After Hours can be ugly and unpleasant at times.

People use forums in general as a place to bitch about things because it's not the same as a pub conversation - you can vent on here and then step away from it. I doubt people carry most of these moans down to the pub with them - with the exception of a choice few.

Although having said that I don't know anyone in my circle of friends who will abstain from alcohol and meat today (aside from the vegetarians).

Vegetarians shiuld be made not eat carrot on Good Friday. It's not fair!!

Snakeblood · 22-04-2011 11:36AM

Orando Broom wrote: »

Vegetarians shiuld be made not eat carrot on Good Friday. It's not fair!!

They should be forcefed burgers.*

*not really, vegetarian chums!

Chuck Stone · 22-04-2011 11:39AM

IS-THIS-REAL-LIFE.jpg?imageSize=Medium&generatorName=Melting-Monkey

Seloth · 22-04-2011 11:55AM

See when your on any random internet form you assume the people to be American and therefore idiots.

Yet an Irish website...Oh no,that cant be the case we are far more intelligent and well mannered...."Pffft Jog on".Boards.ie as Much as I love it and it being a great tool is full of eejits :pac: Some peoples views on politics in AH are hilarious and religious discussions are just as funny.

And its not just certain types of people that use boards as I've seen and know plenty of every kind that do.

OutlawPete · 22-04-2011 12:02PM

I think people are the the same person online as they are offline, just that they behave differently online as they get away with it there, whereas in the "real world" they wouldn't. The cheeky, smartass, rude, abusive posters would have their arse handed to them if they spoke to people in real life the way they do online. I don't think social awkwardness has anything to do with it tbh. I would actually be of the opinion that the socially awkward ones tend not to be fucktards online.

Anonymity and the platform that is Boards can bring out the cunt in some people for sure. There are some that genuinely don't like Bono, Glen Hansard, they read the Irish Times, could be defined as 'mind-their-own-business' Atheists, never read Red Tops, listen only to Joy Division, The Smiths and Mozart and never ever ever watch Sky News - but if those 'perfect' people exist, then they would be in a very small minority and far far from the majority: which is what you would have to believe were you to accept what's posted by the 'online majority'.

Would say that the users that come across as funny, sound, sincere, genuine and where you get the impression from their posts that they are speaking from the heart and believe it to their core .. are just that very same way offline. I haven't been to any Boards events (met 6th once briefly though, sound guy) but have heard a lot of Feedback regarding them and based on that, I would suggest that 97.2% of the time: people are just precisely the same in RL as how they come across online. However, the users that portray themselves to be something online which they are NOT in real life (the type who are constantly behave rude, abusive when they a platform of anonymity) tend not to be the type that would attend events such as a Beers and for that very reason I would say too. Perhaps that's why I myself have never been to one - perhaps .. and that's just it, you never know really, not until you meet them offline.

People have different reasons for being online too, not everyone projects ALL aspects of who they are online. Some will just be online to be funny and joke and use Boards for a laugh, an escape - whereas others will use Boards as a means of support maybe and all you might see of them is one side that has health problems or personal issues etc and some that will just be angry online their life sucks and someone has to pay and so they abuse people non-stop. Then there are those who will project 100% of themselves, you get a bit of everything with them and not just a one single side to their character or one aspect of who they are but all aspects, in equal measure. They are the users that I tend to like reading posts from as you get the feeling that if someone is not afraid to show their flaws online, as well as the good "socially palatable" aspects to their character, then chances are that they are that way in RL too.

liah · 22-04-2011 12:03PM

Selection bias + anonymity = boards.

Logical Fallacy · 22-04-2011 12:06PM

Boards = a small limited section of society.

Real World = ****ing huge.

Paracore · 22-04-2011 12:10PM

orourkeda wrote: »

We can **** off coked up hookers and get a blow job every time we eat steak. We get durka durred regularly having had our jobs taken because we got blasted with piss.

Posters like this would be locked up or sectioned if this were the 'Real World'

Dudess · 22-04-2011 12:13PM

Boards also facilitates pot shots against Boards members, ironically thrown by other Boards members, without naming anyone - e.g. this thread.

Why is Boards so different from the "Real World"

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