Journal #3 - Borgmann

There were a few lines that caught my eye in the introduction of Borgmann's book. "Is my ethereal Internet self the genuine me, freed from the accidents of my place, class, and looks?  Or is it a flimsy and truant version of what, for better or worse, I am actually and substantially?"  Although I think the answer to these questions vary from person to person I am constantly wondering about the "realness" of the people I chat with online.  How genuine are they?  How genuine am I?  Yes, the Internet frees us from the physical limitations imposed upon us...but aren't those limitations factors in making us who we are?  And if so, then the Internet can't really free us from them, it just allows us to pretend they don't exist for awhile...lie to ourselves and others.  Or does the Internet provide us with an interactive fairy tale...allowing us to leave boundaries behind and explore using our imagination as the navigation device.  In that sense, how can it be bad?  Maybe it is a matter of finding balance between the two extremes.  I don't think the question as to the "realness" of one's Internet self can truly be answered in a short blog entry but it definitely gives me something to think about.