suffering online status anxiety

[nudone]

i'd like to propose a new classification for people that are anxious about not having a recognised online presence.

just as westerners are increasingly suffering from 'status anxiety' (or so we are told) i wonder if many 'netizens' are suffering from an online equivalent.

every man (and woman) and his dog appears to think they have good reason to create a blog and start filling the internet with their profound insights - so profound that several thousand other people have already blogged about it before them.

i know, i know, my complaints are just as hackneyed as what i'm describing. but i feel i'm suffering from this 'online status anxiety'. i read blog after blog after blog. i don't know who these people are - i may not even look at who the author is. one article melts into another article on another blog - the only author i recognise is the internet or, to be more precise, the computer i'm sat next to. my machine is the author; feeding me this endless stream of words.

amongst these merging faceless blogs i feel left out. i know deep down that someone created the blogs, they must be important - crucially, they must be more important than me. i need to write a blog just like them - it's unavoidable, i have broadband - i won't exist until my online inane ranting is recognised by at least 3 complete and utter strangers.

embrace my bloggy goodness and swoon at my spam free comments section.

anyone else suffering like i am? i don't believe i'm the only one.

[dislaimer: this is in no way related to wtfcody.com - that's a real website thing with a real purpose. honest.]

[mitzevo]

the internet is very big, there are thousands of cool communities, people out there etc.. you just have to accept that you cant and wont know every thing cool out there.. there's millions of good/awesome/what ever blogs/websites/forums/ftp dump sites/etc. just make the most of what you are apart of now.

and second of all, if you want to get a blog and become known etc, you need to start like every one else, with nothing, you keep building your site, etc.

it seems that you are just overwhelmed every one doing so much on [on the net?]

I think you are probably learning too much, too much topics/subjects, so you get over loaded and don't feel like doing *any thing*. So just pick a few things and do them.. keep doing them.. whether it be blogging, exercise, etc.

[jgpaiva]

i won't exist until my online inane ranting is recognised by at least 3 complete and utter strangers.

Well... I'd say there are way more than 3 persons here at DC that recognize your value
(i'm one of them )

[app103]

Just do 'your thing'. Sooner or later someone will appreciate it for what it is. As long as you enjoy doing it, it doesn't matter who else appreciates it, any way.

And like mitzevo said...stick with it. And if you like what you are doing, that part is easy.

Just remember something...the most appreciated things on the internet are of unknown origin. You may have already contributed to that and not know it.

[mouser]

I think there are two very separate issues which should be treated independently.

Some people enjoy writing about their life and thoughts, and get deep satisfaction from having a nice place on the web for this.  I don't think it really matters at all to these people whether anyone is actually reading the information.  It's more that it "exists".  I've experienced this myself and can't really explain it.

Then there is the issue of establishing a presence on the internet to sort of claim your public identity and "market" yourself.  That's a whole different game with different rules.

[tomos]

amongst these merging faceless blogs i feel left out. i know deep down that someone created the blogs, they must be important - crucially, they must be more important than me. i need to write a blog just like them - it's unavoidable, i have broadband - i won't exist until my online inane ranting is recognised by at least 3 complete and utter strangers.

don't do it - not for those reasons anyways, but you dont need me to tell you that..

on the other hand nudone, I suspect a blog of yours would make for very good reading.
so maybe do do it 

[nudone]

thanks for the encouragement. but it sounds like i'm the only person suffering from the condition - that makes me feel even more anxious. perhaps i'll start blogging about my anxiety and hope that it's recognised by similar people also suffering like i am...

[Armando]

Don't worry nudone, you're not alone.    But that shouldn'rt stop you blogging about your anxious condition though -- I haven't seen too many things on that subject yet 

People (well, most of us) live according to what others think and according to specific (sometimes defective) sociocultural scripts. It's a complex subject which has been explored from several points of view: psychological, sociological, anthropological (and maybe biological... who knows). The “web” component might be new, but I’m not sure if it really changes the “parameters” that much.

Status, more specifically, has always been important in human societies — it's one of these important parameter human beings manipulate with more or less ability to differentiate themselves from others, gain power, promote their ideas, genes, etc. It should be noted though that status, which always exists in terms of comparisons and hierarchy (you’re always better, higher or worse, lower than someone else) is not bad per se; it’s just another component of  the complex human communication and interaction system. BUT, in contrast, the feeling of anxiety can tell something about one’s attitude (most probably negative) towards status.

Anxiety could probably be loosely defined as a “counter emotion” as it is a “negative” feeling which arises because one represses, censures or muffles the expression of another emotion... fear. It can manifest through different kinds of bodily experiences, like stomach pain and other physical tensions… Ao anxiety usually means that one fears something in the present or in the future. The cure for ansxiety usually lies in one’s willingness to disclose what fear it hides. Fear tells you that you perceive a potential danger. Some possibly useful and therapeutic questions would be: what do you fear and why do you fear what you fear? What do you need to do that you’re not doing to resolve that fear? Etc. These questions can help to reveal what the insecurities are, exactly, and find ways to calm them down. But, of course, that might not be enough, depending on other factors (biological, psychological…). Ken R’s knowledge could be handy here .

Anyway.

Like you suggested, every era and sociocultural context comes with its own ways of defining identity, hence status, etc. Presence on the web (like powerful computers, software, etc.) certainly plays a major role in identity definition nowadays and, in a strange way (and despite its inherent networking function!!), the web seems to contribute (more then anything else before) to our decidedly narcissistic culture, so characteristic of Western postmodern societies : aren't we (we... web 2.0’s children or contemporaries) obsessed with ourselves, our image(s) and how people see us? I’m not saying that in a condescending way, of course (if it's part of our evolution... so be it!). I’m just saying…

It's a huge subject, my brain is fried, I’m not a real psychologist nor a sociologist, and my English is way too clunky (sorry…) to embark in a multuperspectivist analysis of "status anxiety" in relation to web 2.0 at 3:30 am…

But maybe I can add one more thing to make you feel less lonely  : sometimes I wonder if I'm not unhappy about my Ph.D. research because of some screwed up scripts or belief systems, parental projections, etc., related to some kind of screwed up… status perception. Yes, that’s it. And last year I surprised myself having “grandiose” thoughts of a great website of mine where I would disclose all these precious ideas my supervisor doesn't seem to care too much about, etc. Not that it's a bad idea though… But I do have this weird feeling… Anxiety? 

Anyway, it's in the air. It's part of who we are in this sociocultural context.

But what matters is most probably our attitude towards status and web conquest. (Fortunately, my girlfriend seems oblivious of my absence of status...  )

I have to go get some sleep now as I’m starting to say stupid teings

Cheers.

[tsaint]

Nudone, as a daily - if possible hourly - lurker within this precinct, let me just say that when when I see a post from you, my brain reacts with a "ah, here's another post from Nudone".
Translated (and I'm sure KenR could articulate this much better than I), it's sort of like its not just any joe blow (maybe John Doe in the USA) who's posted- no, it's NUDONE , ie a poster with some status and a certain credibility.
Your status has no connection to you being a blogger or not and quite frankly I can't see the relevance of blogs to status.

[nudone]

Armando, i couldn't agree more with what you've said. i was trying to make a serious subject a bit facetious but i do have to admit the anxiety is real. i doubt that it's simply a web related thing, i just thought it would be novel to blame the internet - and you've done it better by connecting it to the web2.0 term. how appropriate that web2.0 also invokes anxiety about one's identity with all of the social interaction it promotes. ha, ha, not content to be worried about our status within the workplace or keeping up appearances with our neighbours we can now be stressed about being a nobody in a digital universe.

has anyone rephrased andy warhol's "everyone will be famous for 15 minutes" for the online community? i can't think of anything witty enough but i'd like to hear suggestions. i think the internet allows everyone to be famous for about one point five seconds - about the length of time it takes someone to click on your blog/myspace/facebook/etc page and then quickly click away from it.

isn't it about time simon cowell invented a show that just seeks out bloggers and elevates one of them to a be national hero - a hero for about 3 minutes and then the search begins again. (if you are reading this Mr. Cowel then i expect recognition for this idea. a few hundred thousand dollars will suffice.)

tsaint. you are so wonderful . you're making my ego grow beyond acceptable limits - i can feel my skull beginning to crack open as my head expands.