Definatly not. In the times in my life when I consider myself having been "addicted" to the internet it was because for one reason or another, I had lower social interaction.

I'm generally just a social person all around. I have trouble getting anything accomplished because I prefer to be socializing, almost all of the time. As I am getting older and wiser I'm starting to realise that I need to be more selective about the company I keep, I have spent countless hours in the company of people that I didn't even realise that I mostly don't care for.

Although, I'm fairly sure I'm an annomaly.

I'm the same on and offline. I don't feel any reason to be different. It may seem like I'm different since I'm typing on a screen my gestures and facial expressions aren't there but to me I feel as if I'm acting the same as I would in real life, and vice versa.

Nope.

I'm an empathic, which means I have a sense for the body language of others, which means that in person I tend to modulate my words and actions in order to get people around me looking and acting like they're feeling happier.

As an empathic, it's distracting and annoying to be feeling vibes of discontent from those around me, which means I don't always say what I know, and what I think.

Online, I say what I know, and what I think, which means, for me, being able to communicate online is a great breath of fresh air, because basically everyone I know in person always starts going schizoid when I try talking to them about things I've learned and what I've been able to deduce from real life.

Which means... I'm *less* sociable and *more* analytical online.

I am very outgoing in person, socially active. Online, I can be the same way, but it also allows me to be more serious.

The one thing that I find on the internet is an opportunity to give voice to the more methodical and serious side of my personality. In person, my very outgoingness causes people to label as a fun person, but often times, for the same reason, they do not take me as seriously as I would like. Online I find that I can talk about serious matters and use a tone that in real life, often is denied me by the listener.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:b8J3Wrl_hGQkkM:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2585944372_f62b719d00.jpg

I would have to say yes, very much so.

I'm somewhat of a hermit/grouch in person, and I have to fight the same tendencies on line.

Crowds, noise, and children make me nervous and edgy, I dislike meeting new people or having people (even friends or relatives) over to my house. We have the family thanksgiving at our modest home each year, and with extreme effort I can stand about the first two of the six or seven hours it takes to complete the task. Then I have to take a walk or go for a drive, or just hide in the basement and watch TV. I don't mind going to someone else's house as much, because I know I can leave whenever I get stressed by the surroundings.

Online, none of those things bother me, of course, and I try to be friendly, although there are times when I am just a big internet jackass for no reason at all that I can identify. I try to keep those times to a minimum as people tend to remember things and hold grudges if you show your rear-end on here to often.

I would like to be more like my internet persona. In real life, I speak to quickly, and over-emphasize points that could be made softly. on the internet I can think a bit before I reply and edit what I've said to make it more reasonable. I'm trying to become more like internet-me instead of real life-me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FahBBnfHAQ&feature=related

Probably...

My online personality is a bit braver and more outgoing than my real one. This is probably due to a couple of factors. When I'm on the internet, typing into a text box I have more time to think of what I am going to say. So instead of blurting out my first reply I can think about it more and edit my words.

I can also change my mind and choose not to hit the submit button if I think things are better left unsaid.

The other reason is that the fear and costs of getting it wrong online are much less than in the real world. If I ever hurt your feelings then I'm sorry but I'll get over it quickly and I hope you will. However if I do something similar to a friend or work colleague then it could have major repercussions over the next weeks and months. So I'm less willing to take risks and probably more guarded (and hence less social)