Being yourself all of the time is the opposite of a fantasy, and the you that sits and walks and talks is not necessarily the you that types in a dark room, silent, nervous as you decide whether to hit “publish” and then decide to because you really liked one of your metaphors. The web is not an office tower, it’s Disneyland; it’s the love child of Nicolas Cage’s brain and Andy Warhol’s ghost. There are no actual rules, but suggestions of decorum so as to make the algorithm most efficient, the picture it produces of you the clearest. 4chan doesn’t respect the algorithm, and, sometimes, neither should we. There is a time and place to be yourself, a well-edited human who sometimes types his or her mind’s contents into the abyss; there’s also room for what you almost said, for what you almost let yourself think, for what you imagine for yourself and the experiences that pulverize you so that your bones turn to jelly and you slide down the drain. A little mystery can change the flavor of the whole casserole, and you won’t see it reflected in your Facebook ads; I want to know what happened when you paced on the Brooklyn Bridge one dark winter evening. I don’t have to look you in the eye afterwards; maybe it’s better if it was both you, and not you.
I’ll see you in another internet, when we are both cats.
Who You Are and Who You Say You Are by Tess Lynch – The Morning News
This article just blew my mind.
(via teresaahh)
Jaena Rae 