(no subject)

[pez]

Ah, nothing beats a good dose of IM bitching. Right now I feel like I've done some reaaaaally nice, long stretches and all my bones and muscles are going "ahhhhh~~~~~~".

(sort of) Randomly, I still think it's strange the way some people seem to know a lot about me but they've never talked to me before. As in they'd know me as Pez rather than yuki_scorpio, they can recall the fics I've written, know my nationality, all of that. And I only know about them by their LJ names, since I've seen them around on other people's LJs and communities - and that's all. I only find out they know much about me when the topic comes up during a big chat or on someone else's journal or when their friends and I meet in RL. It somehow feels like I'm missing out on something, as if I really should try to be friends with these people - only I'm not sure if they want me to since they know that much and still never said hi to me, ever. It's on the same level of strange as being asked "hey, have you seen [someone]'s latest post? SO FUNNY." and I refresh my flist but can't see it because I've been filtered out for unknown reasons (if it's just funny, surely there's no need to keep me out of it?) BUT. It's someone else's LJ, so whatever they do is whatever they do. I'm not going to get my panties in a twist over that! It's just weird, that's all, the way the internet works. Always fills me with a sense of bewilderment.

Randomly on top of the randomly - why do people believe so much in filters/f-locks anyway? Computers are just computers, LJ accounts are just accounts. They can be hacked into. People can also have fellow LJ users or any other friends visiting, and whatever happens to be on their computer screen will be read by other people. They can actually be living with other LJ users/people you don't want to read whatever it's been posted. And then, of course, there are the wankers who pretend to be friends with you. The chance is always there. What you absolutely cannot let the Internet see probably simply have no place on LJ. Filters just aren't nearly as absolute as people may think...

Comments

[scribblemoose]

I have three posting filters now: one for BJD stuff, because dolls weird a lot of people out and I wouldn't want to Inflict on them; one for fandom stuff and everyday things that I'm happy to share with people in general (which only excludes people who are only on my LJ for the fic or because they're random trolls); and one for personal stuff, like depression, Ste's illness, whining about my PhD back in the day, that kind of thing. I only share that with people I know really well, have met offline (or known for a long time online) and who I think might be interested and not just depressed or pissed off by what I want to say, and can be trusted with, for example, work stuff.

I also post publicly and quite a lot of private posts for ranting, freewriting etc.

You're right that there is no such thing as a 'locked' journal, and certainly not via filters. I think most of us who've been around a while have learned that, often the hard way. I've been amazed, for example, at how dedicated trolls and sockpuppets can be. People spend hours and days and months developing personalities with the sole purpose of 'infiltrating' journals and 'exposing' people. It never fails to astound me. Why???!

If people really want to go digging they're welcome. You're not on my personal filter, because I think you'd get really fed up with me whining as I do, no sinister reasons. People do get upset sometimes - I've lost friends over it, which is very sad - but using filters means I can tell myself I'm not bothering people who don't want to be bothered, or who I don't want to engage with on particular topics, and that gives me permission to write freely, which is the purpose of my LJ, for me.

Sorry to go on, but it's something I've thought about a lot, and as a sociologist it fascinates me how other people approach it too.

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

BJD creeps me out sometimes. XD; They ARE very pretty though.

Those sockpuppets are things I never understood either! I can only assume that these people have nothing better to do with their lives...

Yeah, I think I do give the "fed up" reaction, but underlying that is more a fear and the feeling of powerlessness. It's the same reason I can't watch news on natural disastors - it triggers something in me and I have to turn away.

I wonder if being placed on a particular filter makes people feel obliged to reply to posts. Every now and then I remind people on filtered post "this is just a general heads up on what's going on", but still... it makes me quite reluctant to whine on LJ too, in case people feel obliged to say something when they don't know what to say.

[scribblemoose]

I relate to the bad-news overload, too, very much. And I absolutely *hate* the thought that people might feel bad for not commenting, or put themselves under pressure to think of something life-changing to say. Not to say comfort and advice aren't welcome, but like anything on LJ, audience participation is entirely voluntary in my view ;)

Congruently (if that's the word I think it is,it's getting late!) it's nice to have some people who actually don't know everything about you, that you can be lighthearted and fannish with, without them worrying about you all the time, if that makes sense? Escapist friends. ^_^