“Thereian Psychology: 101 what is ur opinion?”

by Archie

I ran a thread in “Buzz!” There Forums, regarding aspects of our state of being in There, how we feel about things in There.  Here was my post:

Yes, Life in There is governed by our psychological preconceptions, associations, and assumptions of how "it" ought to be. 

So here are my questions...(what’s your opinion? on any or all)

What about the "objects" in our pixilated world?

Are we having fun?

Do most Thereians have the right attitude??

Do we impose to much our Real Selves, and...do you feel your identity is changed in any way by "playing" There?”

I got plenty of fascinating feedback! 

icedoll  questioned the statement and asked “governed or challenged?”… very interesting! 

Banshee Kate likened the experience of being in There to the freedom that was possible in the 60’s and 70’s;

“There are so many aspects & facets of There, each person sees different ones from different levels. One of the amazing things about There is this astounding     number of choices of things to do with it, or ways to use it. It would take too long here if I listed all of the ways I use this service! To keep it short, I'll just make this one observation as an older person, and stick to just one point:

Going in world is very akin to experiencing what life was like in the 60's & 70's in a big way. What I mean by that is the sense of Freedom. The serendipitous nature   of the There world is a huge attraction to me. You never know what is going to happen next. You can approach a group of people talking & chatting with little or no fear of being rejected, for example, which you cannot do in real life today. You could do this when I was 20, in rl.

You can "follow your nose" and just take off & go exploring the world. We really did that. I still have some of my old hitchhiking signs! I slept by misty lakes and got up when I wanted to. There was no schedule & no real responsibilities in that    world but to learn to live as the self that you wanted to become. (The restrictions of the 40's & 50's had become ridiculous & unbearable & people had strayed too far from their "core" or real deeply seated happy selves. We had to change that. I digress but some of you don't know that that is what was behind the cultural movement for many of us then.)

[Then] there was a massive rl world multi person "mindset" that we were all in  some grand & beautiful experiment together and what we all did now was going to affect the future. And that was true. We changed our culture forever. The very air was electric! People who didn't live then don't understand this statement. But you get a sense of it when you go in world, those of us who understand this feeling, in a scaled down version in There.

This is my point- I feel so strongly that services like There are the future, for so many people and for so many purposes. Replace real life?? No- it's another facet of your real life.

Sure, there are many problems right now, but when you are building something grand, there is always kind of a mess at first. Be proud to be here now. Make   choices & create things that will affect the future of the people who come after you. It may be There, or any number of other services down the line, but this concept of a portal to another world or dimension, this virtual world that we love,is being created by us, now.

We are all Pioneers.”

ensignandy had this to say;

 “Are we having fun, not sure I know I am though. As far as attitude's I see a virtual world to be a place where any attitude whatever it may be are right, these VR world's act as personal expression tool's. I’m not sure if you can ever impose too much of yourself, I don’t impose myself anywhere I know. And of coarse in some way be it to the least extreme other's visual perception an therefore overall perception is changed of one's image/identity...”

Kally Lunch generously shared her thoughts in these comments;

“All experiences, in RL or online, affect me. To some that may seem strange; some see all associations and experiences online as being strictly virtual. But in my experience, the friends I have made online are just as important as any I may make in RL. They affect me just as much if not more.... because in RL, when you meet someone you immediately make assumptions about them based on their appearance, even things like their height and weight. Online, you do not make those assumptions. Unless the person is intentionally hiding aspects of themselves, you see straight into their soul, so to speak. Without unfair  preconceptions getting in the way.

For me, the friends I have made online in the past year (mostly on MSN, a few in There), have affected me profoundly, some are like family to me.

So yes, experiences in There affect me and my identity.

 ....Ermm...after rereading that question...I may have misread it... :/

So...here's an alternate answer in case I missed the point... 'blush

Some people role-play somewhat when in There. They regard their avatar as a seperate identity, a facade, which may or may not reflect who they themselves are. Personally, I do not role-play at all when in There. I don't hide any aspects of myself. The same is true on MSN....those who have gotten to know me in There or on MSN know the REAL ME much moreso than those who know me IRL,because of IRL preconceptions not being present in online chat.

[QUOTE] are we having fun?[/QUOTE]

YES! I don't speak for anyone but myself, but my favorite aspect of There is the freedom to go ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, for whatever reason or whim. In games I have played in the past, I have yearned to go to that distant horizon, climb those             mountains that the game doesn't allow me to approach. Especially in games that             offered beautiful scenic vistas but no way to explore them, I felt unsatisfied.

[QUOTE] do most Thereians have the right attitude??[/QUOTE]

Quite frankly, those who regard There as a "game" aren't going to last long.  Almost all people who come into There with that conception end up getting bored   and leaving, claiming that There doesn't have enough to *do*, even right after big updates.” 

Oh! Wow I can really relate to that! Playing other games and yearning to explore the beautiful scenery but…hitting the invisible boundary (rofl Super Mario 64 for example!) that’s as far as it goes! We avies love the endless exploration, the friendliness of others and the possibility to change the future by our input and actions! The sense that There is not a “game” and the avies that really enjoy There over time develop real bonds with friends we meet in There. Now how cool is that?

 There are so many insightful, thoughtful comments to the “Thereian Psych:101” thread, I thank you, all who shared your comments!