Drama, baby

Anyone who has stopped lurking on forums and got involved will most likely have experienced that. It doesn't have to be a board specified on politics or religion. It could be a forum about gardening and I'm 99% sure you will discover it there, too. What I'm taking about?

DR Not just a bit drama. I'm talking about big, soap-opera-like tear-jerking, yelling at each other in capital letters, posting rude emoticons, nervous breakdown drama. For an outsider, it might be completely out of proportion to argue if a certain fictional character is really with another fictional character. For the people, yelling at each in text, it is deadly serious. And no matter how funny it may appear to the outsider, I assure the humour in posting rude little smiley faces to each other and yelling in capital letters is completely lost to the vast majority.

I once got in the middle of a drama that even now don't fully understand. I was "hanging" out with the usual people in our special thread and suddenly that thread got closed down and some of us got banned. The mods claimed we had not allowed everyone to play with us. Well, they didn't use that words, but that pretty much summed it up. I was just astonished by it. We were talking, that's it. No bad-mouthing, no trolling, not ganging up against anyone or not allowing anyone in.

Another time someone left a forum all of the sudden saying that "the situation" became unbearable for him. I still have no idea what he was talking about. And when I tried to clear it up with him, he just didn't respond. People behave like in some really bad plotted soap-opera people on the Internet. Even though they originally came to a certain forum to hang out with some people that have the same interests. And then BOOM - they go crazy. Well, my explanation is that they are stressed out in real life and carry out their frustrations in virtual life. I guess I sometimes forget that behind those cute user-names like KittenDream9823 or BlueJumper are very real people with very real issues. And they bring those issues to the boards if they intend to or not.

And the law of the Internet dictates that many people act out what they would never dare to in real life. Maybe because they don't have to face the other person they are insulting? Maybe because it is easier to just hit the ban-bottom in virtual life then telling someone in real life why they never want to hear from them again? Maybe they feel stronger in their online personality to shout someone down? I guess the Internet's anonymity - even though that is a bit of a myth - let's people act out what they don't dare in real life. And then we have all the drama that makes soap operas so successful.

Some might think right now, why even bother to go online if those things always seem to happen? I would say, because of the same reason you don't lock yourself up in your own room. Of course you could and will get hurt if you leave that room. However, the exciting things, the fun, the uncountable joys are outside of this room. On the Internet you will have the chance to meet people you were convinced before don't exist. You will find people that have the same obscure hobby like you. And even better they won't judge you for it. You can have conversations with someone on the other side of globe. You will learn new things and get to know so many new interesting people. The joy of being online will outweigh the drama. Just dive into it and don't be afraid. It is going to be fun. Promised.