You know what I just realized My parents are constantly asking me who my online friends are. If I tell them about an exchange online they always urge me to find out more about the person. How old are they? What gender? Where are they from? What's their name? Etc. And I'm always like "yeah, no." Because there is this whole anonymity thing to our community. Some people are more open and don't care, but for the most part that slight anonymity is important to us. And I was just thinking about how it kind of goes to how we all know it's not a good idea to give out personal information online. Like that's common sense, and we were even taught it, had it greatly emphasized growing up, that you don't share personal info with people you meet online. And I just realized that's what my parents don't get. Because this culture we have here online never existed back then. They didn't start using it when it first came up, they don't use it now, and they haven't grown up with it. They aren't aware of this silently agreed upon rule of respecting people's anonymity here. And I know this is probably totally obvious to everyone else, but I'm over here having an epiphany because I finally get why they don't see why I won't ask personal questions like that. Not to mention it's ironic as hell that the people who spent so much time telling me not to share personal information online are now urging me to ask other people to share personal information with me online.
