Online Interaction

Social Psychology – The Individual Self

The concept of one’s self is complex and almost indefinable. Although we may believe we are one person comprised of oneself we are in fact constantly changing who we are. In order to blend or function in varying situations we may be forced to portray different images of who we truly are. As a result of our ever changing identities, our true selves can often be lost or compromised. “Self” as related to an online class can also fall in the category of adjusting to the situation. Although they are speaking through a computer, an individual may still feel the need to alter his or her self.
However as previously mentioned, an online class lacks what Charles Horton Cooley describes as primary group interactions. The impression we make in an online class versus a traditional class can differ dramatically, solely based on the lack of face to face interaction. In the traditional class room setting we are forced to introduce ourselves putting a name to a face. Thus being able to comprise an impression of who we feel this person might be. Seeing a blog and a picture of someone can create an entirely different impression than that of an actual meeting.
To truly know and understand someone, I think it is important to be able to sit and speak with them in person. I really enjoy online classes and have taken many of them over the course of my educational career. However, I will be the first to admit that I have always walked away feeling as if I never really knew the instructor or my fellow class mates. I spoke with them on a regular basis but it was always school related. I was never able to know them on a personal level like the students in a regular classroom. This is just my outlook and others may strongly disagree but a certain kind of relationship is formed when are given the opportunity to sit next to someone versus communicating with them via the internet.