“Cyber Societies”

I am taking an online class on human behavior. I am learning quite a bit from the assigned material, but I am additionally learning something quite interesting within the safety of the online environment. I think this reveals much about our current state of being human. The online environment is totally anonymous. We only know each other’s name, have never looked into the other person’s eyes, nor seen the style of dress, or demeanor. It is only the voice of our writing and the image we choose to project within the safety of this “cyber society.”  Many of the “cyber students” have shared much intimate information while responding to the discussion boards: how many children, what traumas their lives have been through, what diseases they are currently fighting and much more. There are many words of gratitude, encouragement, words of concern and even bible verses being posted as this cyber world is created and yet, it makes me wonder why. Would these students have the same courage to share these most intimate details of their lives if we were in a “typical classroom?” Is the internet offering humans a way to develop relationships that are, in many respects, inauthentic due to being able to project one’s self in a completely safe environment where “I can read my post and if I don’t like it delete and rewrite myself?” Are we creating a world in which we don’t have to be afraid of one another in order to be in relationship? Walter Brueggemann says the world is full of wounded people and yet we live in denial of that pain. I think Walter may be right and I think our cyber worlds might help us remain in denial.