Some may find this dishonest. I attempt to be truthful in explaining what I am attempting to do. Some may even label the behavior manipulation.
But it is with purpose.
After two decades of internet use, I have surmised that no matter what direction one follows to explain and expose themselves to another in anonymous regions of cyberspace, the other will almost always project what they expect upon another.
At times later on in contact with them, this projection is brought into question by the other person's need to see something similar in me. When they find that I am not exactly what their projection assumed, they have often felt betrayed or that somehow I was being willingly deceptive.
The purpose of constructing an archetype in another's view of me is not a matter of control, hero worship, or ego bolstering. It is to allow them to get from me that which they think they need.
Archetypes play a much larger role without the visual stimulus of the real world. One has a much harder time projecting outside the limits of their projected assumptions. By my outright assuming of the archetype of a 'blank person', others are allowed to project into that empty vessel that which they desire. Rather then labeling me within expected assumptions, their sub conscious projects onto me it's needs.
In essence, they indirectly tell me what they expect me to be by telling me what their sub conscious idealizes about themselves.
Years ago, a friend made such an archetype in an online game. He became one of the best players, without ever revealing any information about himself. He would watch as his story became more absurd, eventually leading to his in-game friends believing he was in the witness protection program living in Alaska. I was even offered $500 for a real world picture of him, in that I knew him.
I of course refused, and added more absurdity to the mythos.
This taught me a valuable lesson about online contact with others, but not the lesson I first assumed.
At first I assumed it meant that best way to construct an archetype was to leave your real information out of online spheres, and allow the others to pick absurd archetypes from their own imaginations.
This is only half true in my opnion.
It is far more advantageous fill in select pieces of one's own history in line with where the other person pulls the conversations and meanings. Rather than having nothing which leads to absurdity, it is always better to hand pick what parts of yourself to share.
Emptiness in truth leads to distrust. Careful selection of truth leads to deeper intimacy.
None of this of course was with malicious intention. Surely everyone who might run across this blog has 'online only' friends. Some they may have stronger relationships with than real life friends, only in that they needn't bother with the venier of social constructs in the real world.
One is permitted to capture an idealized form of themselves, and exist within it.
What one does not expect, is that eventually that idealized self bleeds back into the real world.
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