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[deird1]

I need to write a brief essay explaining why it's a good idea for people with social anxiety to talk to people on the internet.

So...

People on the internet: why is it a good idea to be here, as a person with social anxiety?



(This being partially in response to the argument that people with social anxiety shouldn't use the internet, since they'd be opening themselves up to negative comments. Which... since half my flist seems to be comprised of people with social anxiety - including me - I'm guessing you'd all disagree with that statement?)

Comments

[bruttimabuoni]

Some thoughts. Ones that work for me, anyway.

You have a lot more control online. At worst, deleting your online persona is a lot less self-destructive than deleting yourself IRL. So you can practice, with an out. You can resurrect yourself if need be. And less dramatically, you can drop in and out of many interest groups without having any of that build-up to walking into a roomful of strangers. It takes a little courage to post for the first time, sure, but I find it's a million times easier than putting yourself into a stranger's space.

I agree with the 'you can think beforehand' comment, if you find it hard to talk spontaneously. You're also fairly rarely one-on-one with someone - it's a wider conversation. So you're not alone with a person who might misinterpret you, there a bunch of people who will react in different ways to whatever you contribute. Over time, you'll probably talk more to people who react in ways that work well for you and you find enjoyable to interact with.

There are lots of different ways of interacting. Sure, you could troll or post controversial meta or a dozen other ways of getting into a challenging situation, but equally you can start out (and remain) an uncontroversial soul. You don't have to get into situations which cause anxiety, and if you find yourself in one, you can readily stop.

Lastly, it's another space where you can try a new persona, the way you can when starting a new job or going to college. I use a lot more exclamation marks on here than I do IRL, for example, though my persona is becoming more like my regular self as I get more comfortable on here.