People who are online too much think that people who are online too much are representative of the general public

They’re not.

For one, introverts are way overrepresented in online communities. Not to mention this whole Twitter kerfuffle; Twitter only seems like the world to those who are on Twitter all the time. The internet attracts a disproportionate number of certain types of people and certain worldviews.

It’s like cafe society in belle époque Paris. The internet is its own ivory tower (except not as lofty).

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ninalanyon · 61-69, T

[quote]introverts are way overrepresented in online communities[/quote]

Are you sure about that? Even before the net there were plenty of people who didn't interact much with the rest of society. Are you sure that it isn't simply easier to spot the introverts online than out in the physical world?

SW-User

@ninalanyon I haven’t done a study or anything, but I’ve seen polls on sites like SW where the number of self-reported introverts is close to 75%, which is far higher than the reported number of people in general. It’s not that the number of introverts has increased, it’s just introverts are drawn to online communities because they allow for communication in a way that doesn’t include the difficulties of in-person communication.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@SW-User Reported and self-reported don't sound like the same thing. I suspect that a lot more people would self report as introverts than would be assessed as introverts by a psychologist.

But of course I don't have any data either.

SW-User

@ninalanyon That may be true. I always thought I was an introvert because I am relatively shy and I value quiet alone time. But I also love parties and bars and living with other people, so I don’t know what a psychologist would make of that.