Contents
In recent years, new features of the Internet allow you to post your personal photos or video clips from birthdays, parties on websites … On forums where any visitor has access, and on blogs, many willingly share the facts of their personal lives. Why do we expose ourselves to strangers?
Margarita Zhamkochyan, psychotherapist.
“We make up for the lack of attention to ourselves”
Today in Russia there is a surge of individualism: we are learning to love ourselves, value our own lives and defend our own, perhaps somewhere selfish interests. We learn to present ourselves to others, including through the Internet. The reason for this surge of interest in yourself is the lack of attention that many of us experience during our lives. For example, in childhood from parents who do not always take into account the desires and interests of their own children. As adults, we do not receive enough attention from social services and government institutions. Therefore, we get this attention deficit by all available means and at any age.
James Hollis, Jungian analyst, USA.
“We want to be appreciated”
Exposing ourselves for show, on the one hand, we risk being rejected and humiliated. On the other hand, the deepest need of any person is to be seen as he is and appreciated. And our desire to be recognized by others is often stronger than our sense of self-respect and self-sufficiency. There is a proverb in English: “Whatever they write about you (in the newspaper), it’s already good.” Such behavior sometimes leads to mental exhibitionism, which nevertheless feeds the important emotional need of a person to be noticed by other people.
Ekaterina Dubovskaya, social psychologist.
“We need to find the boundary of our inner world”
Everyone has a need to share their innermost things: they want to tell about themselves, interest others, and attract attention to themselves. But some find it hard to know when it’s appropriate to be frank and where to stop. Sometimes, from the technical possibilities that have opened before us, we lose our heads and post information about ourselves without cuts on the Internet. But the need for an internal regulator still remains. Only in this case, we delegate this important function to the virtual community, unconsciously hoping that someone will stop us.”