January 6, 2008

  • How the internet has changed my life

    A featured Grown Up entry. 

    The internet has changed my life in so many ways, if I listed all of them it would take me a year.  There is the obvious, quick access to information.  From the definition of a word, to information on the sexual practices of elephants, just google and there you have it.

    Back in the day I was addicted to AOL chat rooms.  I used to spend my time in an ALL My Children Chat room.  I found it so fascinating, like minds, fans, joining together in cyberspace to discuss the comings and goings of the fictional Pine Valley residents. 

    I soon learned chat rooms are much like Middle school.  There was a popular girl there, her screen name was seahorse or something.  She knew a lot about the show and she had a lot of those sound wavs.  That was where you would type in a word, like Erica, and Erica's real voice would play instead.  I found those to be pretty entertaining.

    After I had been there for awhile, I told a high school friend of mine about it.  We had both started watching the show together in high school, and we were both big fans.  She had the bright idea that she would pretend to be Susan Lucci, who plays Erica on the show.  I thought it was a funny, harmless, prank.  I thought no one would believe her and everyone would laugh it off.

    I was wrong.  People are really stupid, I just have to put that out there.  Lots of people did think Susan Lucci had the time and energy to come to a chat room and tell strangers all about her personal life. 

    And they were excited about it.

    So while many people believed her, Seahorse didn't.  Not only that, Seahorse was apparently affiliated with All My Children in some way, and knew for a fact my friend was an imposter. 

    She outed my friend and was furious.  I personally could have cared less.  I thought if people are that naive they deserve it.  And I said that. I also admitted to being friends with the fake Erica. 

    You would have thought I confessed to covering up a murder.  Or at the very least, stealing the head cheerleaders boyfriend. 

    Basically, I was forced to leave the chat room for good.  I almost got a new screen name and rejoined, but I thought it just wouldn't be as fun anymore.  These people were way too hard core for me.

    What I learned from that, and hopefully carried over into my Xanga life, is that internet life is not the same as real life.  Unless of course your twelve.  And I learned it's not a good substitute for real life.  But it can be a fun outlit, a fun hobby, and even a social outlit ( within reason.)

    It's an easy way to connect with family and friends that live far from you,  or to send out mass information.

    Ultimately, I think the internet is a good thing.  Like everything else it has it's problems, but all in all I think it's a good invention.  And despite the All My Children fiasco, I think the internet has been a healthy thing for me.

    Especially this little place called xanga.  But that's a whole post in itself. 

Comments (62)

  • What a great story - if people are that gullible, then they deserve what they get. Personally, I think it's sort of funny. Don't know that I'd be brave enough to do it, but I find it funny just the same. You're rigjt - some people take themselves waaay too seriously.

  • It's interesting to know how you got started on the internet. I find it funny that your friend tried to pretend to be Susan Lucci. Too bad seahorse ruined the fun. Great entry!

  • Wow...at least you were a star for a brief moment of your life!! 

  • I think Xanga is a great thing. It's blogging with additional features added on.  It's better than Facebook or Myspace in that the primary feature is blogging. 

    Blogging is great.  There is no other way that we could have really understood the angst you felt with your daughter going to Africa.

    It's just unfortunate that the "short attention span" of society favors things like Facebook and Myspace.

    Will Xanga ever recover from the social networking juggernaut that is Facebook and Myspace?  I'm not so certain, but I enjoy Xanga and will continue my Xanga for as long as I can.

  • that is too funny!  I can see you doing that!  Heck,  I could even see me doing that,  I love practical jokes!  :P

  • What a great story :)   I really enjoyed that.  Thank you!

  • Man, if people were really that guillible on the internet, its no wonder so many still fall for that 'give me your credit card details and I'll send you the cash from africa' scam.

    I love Xanga too. No one in Australia knows about it, and for that, I'm greatful.

    'nuff said...

  • Hard to believe people would think Susan Lucci was really in the chatroom.  Wasn't she busy trying to get that elusive daytime award or something?  LOL

    Internet life is not the SAME as real life, but, with the exception of (I think your boys at school would call them "posers", we are certainly REAL)! 

    I enjoyed your post (as always)!

    Kathi 

  • Yay for xanga, first of all.  I have to say on your chatroom fiasco, you know how people often have really great stories explaining where their names come from?  "Oh, I was named after the great explorer so and so..."  Well I, Erika, was named after my mom's favorite new character on All My Children.  Sad but true.  Anyway, mucho stars for you.  Peace, Erika

  • also ryc: teaching online is exceedingly fun.  And I am paid the exact same amount whether I lecture in person or manage (which is all I'm doing really, since the course was published by me and contains all my lectures) an online course.  I love having online "office hours", eating popcorn with the feet up, while having meetings with students... it's enjoyable.  What would be the nicest subject for you to teach online if you could do so?

  • Oh that is too funny!  Yes some people take it WAY too serious but it is fun!  Have a great day! -jo

  • I've "met" some people online that were very much like middle schoolers.  It's funny how seriously people take their internet relationships and groups.

    That being said....I would go insane if I didn't have my internet anymore. 

  • Stealing the  Head cheerleaders  boy friend  LOL...OMG you are killing me  withthat one...

    good thing you did not  steal  Seahorses boy friend...that is the  ultimate  chatroom sin!LOL!LOL!LOL!

  •   I used to be an All My Children  and General Hospital addict, but after many years of hard work  I'm recovered  and going on almost 20 of sobriety. Your story cracks me up because I remember as if it was yesterday how my life revolved around the shows. I loved your post!

  • i really used to love the AOL chatrooms.  It was pretty crazy.  When i was 10 or 12 I really shouldn't have been in there.

    I got an im from a girl who wanted to pretend to be chelsea clinton.  i really hated that she was trying to fool me. 

  • Yeah.. that's one of the bad things about the internet. When it comes to internet communities it is just like Middle School.

  • Excellent. I started in a chat room also...about music. :) But I, however, never got kicked out. LOL... you bad girl.

  • Great entry

    Xanga is great,   not many people I think know about Xanga or who have probably fallen out with it

  • Great post!

  • ha-ha! you're SO bad! that's great!

  • Everyone gets addicted at first.  But you're right...it is far removed from real life....unless you are 12.  Good call!

  • Your post brought back great memories.  I used to have a favorite chatroom.  That's how I met my husband.  I met a bunch of others as well.  It was exactly like high school.  Cracked me up!

    BTW...I love AMC & watch everyday.  I'm getting a bit bored with the whole someone gets shot, someone falls in a hole thing.

  • Amen!

  • interesting story! thanks for sharing

  • chatrooms ARE like high school. It's true.

    I agree with one of the above commenters on xanga vs myspace and such. I much prefer to blog here on xanga b/c that's the basic point and I feel better being ambiguous on here and not airing out my laundry to all my high school/college friends.

  • All My (what?)  I must stop checking these chick sites.....

  • Dear Laura,

    I absloutely loved reading this entry. You have inspired me to write my own for FG.

    Now your friend who became "Susan Lucci" could join the millions of "Miley Cyrus's" on Xanga if she wanted.

    Wonder where "Seahorse" is now?

    My roommate and I still laugh over the guy in a classmates.com message board who derided me (and our cats) because they were named after Spike Lee and Malcolm X. I had posted a message soon after 9./11 where I criticized plans to send American troops into Afghanistan and Iraq, an unpatriotic stance to take at the time. The poster who didn't agree with me had seen my profile on classmates, which mentioned how the cats' names were chosen, and he picked that fact to flame me on the boards.

    He and Seahorse were probably married to each other.

    Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool

  • People can be gullible (sp?), but I think it's more that they want to believe that no one would do that.  They believe that everyone is totally honest and forthcoming. . . yeah, a bit like jr. high. . .it shocks them because they trust and that trust gets broken. . .but it is a lesson learned.  I went to some chat rooms too when I first got on the net. . . ran into a guy who was just too creepy. . .I just wanted to chat!  I got outta those quick!  Have never been back!  I tend to just stay with Xanga and google!  Great post!~Jeri

  • Gosh, I don't know if I could stand it if the internet felt like junior high!  I've actually never indulged in chat rooms, though - I am too antisocial I guess. And I hate acronyms... (-:

  • I love messing with people in chat rooms.

  • Lol. That lady was just pissed because those people were so gullable too. Good blog though, the internet is quite amazing. Most of the time it's the only way I can keep in touch with my bf in the military. Nice blog. Very nice.

  • No.  Internet life is most definitely NOT the same as real life. . .

  • oh.  I remember how xanga used to have like. . .all these celebraty impersonators.

    I read so many comments on sites pretending to be The Olsen twins.

    Half the commentors didn't believe they "really" were, but didn't want to risk not commenting in case they actually were!

    lol

  • The internet contains the best and the worse of everything and it brings out the best and worse of people.

  • Amusing post. It makes you wonder about the people who totally bought it because I'm sure Susan along with other celebrities don't have the time for things like that and if they do something it would be announced or something.

  • "You would have thought I confessed to covering up a murder.  Or at the very least, stealing the head cheerleaders boyfriend. "

    I posted a lot on this eurasian forum once upon a time.  This thype of shit happened a lot--a lot of people took things too seriously (like an alias would send some in an indignant uproar, questioning your character like you were the devil's henchman).  UGH.

    As for the internet's uses, there's plenty.  You can't, however, use it to line birdcages with. :P  We hardly read the paper anymore.  I don't know if that's goor or bad.  Someone tell me. I only want the crossword puzzles.

  • here, here!..so far xanga is the best! (besides youtube!)

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  • i use to do that.. LoL  but it got old really fast... internet can be good, think of all the new people you can interact with... the bad thing is think of all the new people you can interact with... 

  • Wait a minute...I'M actually Susan Lucci

  • You're so right about it being like Middle School. But it can and does make life a lot easier.

  • That is funny... they do get crazy in those rooms. I quit going a long time ago because of that.

  • Great post

  • Yep, yep, Yep!

  • Haha, Xanga rocks!  

  • yup, youre right. the internet is in no way a substitute for real life. I do believe that it is just a hobby, a medium to hear the voices of many people even if theyre not some popular journalist or something, or the perfect free reference which gave convenience to researchers of the modern generation.

    and xanga too is just a hobby. i keep at it because the thrill of people reading my post is exciting. at least some people listen

  • That prank is SO hilarious!!  It is amazing how gullible people are.  I had a friend in high school whose email was "leonardodicaprio@ (something).com".  SO many girls would email.  As if Leo would ever use his real name as his email.  I found that quite entertaining.  But that is not near as funny as your fake Erica friend.  That is the funniest thing I have heard in awhile!!!

  • Practical jokes frequently backfire.  But you had fun and you learned much.

    RYC:  Thank you.

  • dahling, have i told you lately how much i love you?

  • I loved chat rooms too, for a while! Too funny that so many people thought Susan Lucci would hang out in a chat room.  I don't understand the anger when people found out. I see a lot of kids making Hannah Montanna or Zack and Cody sites and saying that's who they are. Pretty harmless, I would think. 

  • Very interesting and your conclusions are right on.

  • I am / was seahorse, and I want you to know how hurtful your prank was, you deiceved a lot of very nice people......

    ROFLMAO - ok, I can't pull it off, but the first thought that popped into my mind was what if seahorse saw this post, she would have a hissy fit! LOL - my sister used to be big into the aol chat rooms, spend all night there. Unfortunately (for me) she is like seahorse, and not fun like you and your friend!

    Gotta love the net!

  • Well, we've all had odd experiences with people we've only met online, whether in chat rooms or e-mail forums, where-virtually-ever. None of it ever deterred me, but I feel sorry about older people like my elderly mom, who was so shocked by trolls when she joined her first forum (a celiac discussion group, of all things) that she left and never did that again. I try to convince her those people don't matter, but to no avail. 

  • LOL -- that's funny . . . .I like gullible people.  I used to hang in the AOL chat rooms a lot . . but back when it was $$$PAY$$$$.  I think I had a few months of $300+ bills . . . oof.  Not good . . . but thanks to AOL/Internet I met my first wife . . . who's soon going to be my first (and last) ex.  :D

  • haha, well, allow me to correct my faux pas and officially say "hello" and thanks for all your comments.  I have noticed and appreciate.  I also enjoy reading you when I get a chance.  Very funny.  Here's a mini!

  • Nice Post!!

  • Xanga is a a little space for us all to connect from across the world.

  • Great post!  And I think that anyone that is 'new' to the internet (chat rooms and blogs) experiences the middle school mentality at least for a little while until they realize that it wasn't all that great and take a different approach to it all!  All in all, I concur!  

  • Lol, the world of chatrooms. My sister used to cause havoc in chatrooms. It was fun to watch the reaction of people.

  • @thegreycloud - 

    wow this was an old entry thank goodness for xanga's new thing or I would never have noticed this comment.  Thanks for commenting by the way

  • @momofjenmatt - lol, no problem :D

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