True Confessions

Confessing and venting online is a modern phenomenon which is picking up speed. There are websites like PostSecret where users can confess secrets. Users can post anonymously or can post with their usernames. PostSecret is a compilation of secrets which were submitted by users all over the world. It is used as a confessional site for those who do not feel comfortable confessing with a friend or family member.

These secrets can be vague or very specific, intimate or topical, real or exaggerated. Sherry Turkle's Alone Together points out the fact if the confessions are exaggerated, they becomefiction. I feel like these fictional confessions could potentially be dangerous. Users could see these exaggerated stories and eventually realize they are not %100 true. This could lead to even further isolation for some users because they may feel they are being lied to when they are confessing truthfully.

Venting is similar to confessionals, but has its own twist. When users vent, they are including emotions into their posts or message, while confessing is just getting the information off their chest. Blogs, facebook, and twitter have become venting outlets apart from those sites designed specifically for venting.

Some of these online communities allow "comment" boxes for the confessions or secrets. This gives users another level of intimacy. When complete strangers are able to comment, some users sift through the comments looking for encouragement, while others seek out the negative information. Both of these types of responses can be helpful for the user to hear other angles and to hear motivation.

Many of the users of these sites are looking for the same thing. A friendly ear, a place to get the feelings and emotions out, and community outside of their hectic, sometimes unfulfilled lives. Because of the advancements in technology (also mentioned in No Need to Call), personal face-to-face relationships are disappearing. We walk alone in crowded rooms, but online users feel free to share their most intimate secrets and feelings in the online community.