by CHICKMELIONfreelance
There is a new culture emerging from the fast paced obscure world of internet co-habitation. It evolves around relationships and it has re-defined some very fundamental core values into a whole newly formed activity called “Fantasy Play.” Allowed to live in the shadows of relative obscurity the game player sits with a different persona to whom they actually are, armed with millions of masks available via multiple photo sharing sites, to alter their visage and suit the flavor of their pretend world. They role play the thoughts and deeds held in the depths of their minds but not acted upon because of consequences.
They are off to hunt for five minute love...the quick and easy- packed with all the endomorphines and biological spark of initial meetings without the investment of commitment, trust, loyalty, perseverance and all other building blocks that normally go into intimate relationship building. They hunt for the shallow lover full of lust and empty words because it is a cheap and quick thrill .To ease moral conscience it is called "PLAY," as if classified as a mere virtual reality game where no one will be held accountable or pay a price for their actions.... because chances are... they are already in a committed relationship. Or so we call it... because commitment is the first casualty of this game play and there are many more casualties to follow:
1) There’s plenty of fish in the open seas, it’s a relative smorgasbord....
It can be a never ending virtual game for the player, there are millions of people accessible all over the world in a fraction of a second. The internet offers at least 189 social networking sites to “hook-up” on, with no doubt more to come. We have also seen almost every form of communication from article, to video, to photo comments in photo sharing networks plastered with “hit-me-up” lines and email numbers. It almost would make any public restroom plastered with: “For a good time call so-and-so,” look rather innocent. The search for a quick fix is almost drug like in it’s addiction. So much so that a new economy has emerged within this culture as well... it is virtual sex for sale. You want to check out how bad this plague is search in your browser for Yahoo Groups: “Small Business” for starts. That will give you a real eye opener.
There are costs attached to such an activity. Costs to both the players and society as a whole... don’t kid yourself! Along with the multitude of available possibilities to play with, also comes the sense that people are expendable. How long before the player adopts this attitude towards themselves? Losing self respect, self identity and direction in life? All skills necessary and used to pick themselves up by their boot straps in hard times for example. In the long run societal adaptations will take on this mode of view as well and the player will also become the played with. That kind of thing is normal in situations where emotions are involved. It is true to nature, “what comes around goes around,” however it is a very sad state of affairs when a society in whole adapts it’s attitudes based on screenplay. Sad yet not unrealistic. You need only lift your head and review the already rapidly eroding values of respect, charity, work ethics, relationships and so on.
The reality of the game is that though there are plenty of fish indeed, it is all on screen.. The player themselves are trapped alone in a room, workstation or on the train. Alone being the operative word here. They are not interacting face to face, they are looking down on a screen, dependant on technology for accompaniment. Face to face time is diminishing and so are the skills to interact on a personal level in front of another individual up to and including their own families... thus the family nucleus further erodes. You want to see how harmful face to screen can be... unplug the computer for a few days and assess how you are feeling about it. Bet you discovered your new habit came at a price. For every minuted wasted on the box, there are real people in the lives of the “game player” being short changed out of interaction including the player themselves. Comes a point that the distance created is such a large void they may need to re-aquatint themselves with the people around them as well as themselves.
2) In a virtual game of “fantasy play” there are no consequences... it is just role playing... no harm no foul!
The consensus is that because the interaction takes place over wireless air waves (not unlike a video game) no one is getting hurt. It is just the player vs their screen. This is what has evolved out of the video game culture of recent years. Where the player turns on their screen and load up fantasy situations. This is just taking it to the next level- from make believe wars, auto races and basketball games to online sexual fantasies. If the game isn't working out for the player... well they can always hit the “delete button” and try again the next day!
What the player doesn't take into account is how their own soul erodes with each new game. What is being compromised on the surface alone are core foundational concepts that entire societies rests on for generations: respect, including self respect, the slighting of love that binds people together, truth, and trust;
(just to mention a few .) It is impossible to hold all these together when an individual is representing themselves as something contrary to their being on a regular basis. And their own personal issues and stumbling blocks are not given the time to develop as well. Reality is soon to spill over onto the players game, or the game is going to spill over into reality. One way or another there are wakeup calls and losses on the horizon of the player in their very real lives! There are many testimonials you can catch up on at: News Articles Involving Internet Infidelity ( http://www.spyonherpc.com/P1/inthenews.htm ) just copy and paste to your browser for a very enlightening read!
When is it that a player looks in the mirror and doesn’t recognize themselves any more? Now that’s the question. For each and every twist of truth: who they are, what they do for a living, commitment status and so forth, the real individual disappears. When the world delivers a blow... as the world often does, which persona will pick up the pieces? The real one or the persona?
3) The fostering of world unity: a world is welcomed at your doorstep and with the hit of an “off” button... the world is locked out. There’s safety in that!
There is an assumption of safe distance with the use of internet. It provides the luxury of meeting and greeting people in “real” time on the other side of the planet. To experiment mixing and mingling in different cultures without the shunning of your own family neighbors and community. And like chess pieces the whole world goes back into the box when the “shut down” command is given.
The reality is far different from the presumption of safe distance. Technology is leaps and bounds ahead of it’s self in terms of being able to police it’s self. This fosters a perfect living environment for the unscrupulous to co-exist and feed off of the game player. The fact that the world is much closer just allows for more of a chance in meeting an online individual out to deliver havoc and harm. IP addresses are too easily converted to actual home addresses. The players true identity can be discovered with every tid bit of information given: e-mail address, cell number, photo etc. The computer and all it’s search power used against the unsuspecting! Collectively the player’s game can open them to identity theft, captured as a victim of a scam and in worst case scenario... the loss of life!
The same motives and motivations carried out in the streets are now allowed past the locked doors of the players home. They are allowed in their very rooms. The sophistication of the ill intentional acts of some individuals is staggering. The internet just opens the player up to a larger number of unscrupulous ill intentioned individuals scouting social sites for prey. There’s an article written by David Coxon called “Facebook Made Them Do It?” (http://worldofitblog.wordpress.com/tag/social-networks/)
it highlights a few of such tragedies to help drill home just how dangerous and REAL the consequences of “fantasy play” can be. From the crook to the jealous spouse and all the “Fatal Attractions” in between... trifling with peoples emotions has always been a lethal mix with dire consequences. The player behind the screen is no less safe from their consequences than the infidel actions of a spouse who is found out!
