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your online self | 194 comments (194 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: your online self (4.00 / 3)
That's not really an answer at the "why", more a claim that "yes there is such a need". But I wonder. Normal human interaction also involves eye contact, gestures, a lot of things we do without on-line. I don't see why gender identification is different.

Maybe it's language. You can't say "he/she" in an asexual way in English. In Hungarian, it's just the opposite.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Mon Dec 31st, 2007 at 11:05:36 AM EST
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Re: your online self (4.00 / 3)
In Finnish too. Thus Finno-Ugric ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Dec 31st, 2007 at 11:07:03 AM EST
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Re: your online self (4.00 / 2)
Fenugreek?

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
by Melanchthon on Mon Dec 31st, 2007 at 12:42:34 PM EST
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Re: your online self (4.00 / 2)
Normal human interaction also involves eye contact, gestures, a lot of things we do without on-line.

Or an even weightier analogy: knowing another's age.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Mon Dec 31st, 2007 at 11:12:26 AM EST
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Re: your online self (4.00 / 3)
Gender assignment is automatic when you picture someone in your mind, I would guess. I tend to attach a mental picture almost immediately when reading posts, and that means a gender gets assigned, too.

Why we choose the genders we do when creating that mental picture, I don't know. Sometimes it's based on the obvious (the genders of Jerome and Fran, for instance) or an obvious association (Nanne, I thought you were female for the exact reason you listed until I saw meetup photos; kcurie's name reminded me of Marie Curie until I saw numerous posts referring to "him"). Sometimes it's not so clear-cut-- I don't know why, but for some reason I thought In Wales was male for the first couple of weeks I was here.

by lychee on Mon Dec 31st, 2007 at 03:21:29 PM EST
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Re: your online self (4.00 / 2)
You aren't the only one to think I'm male at first! I'm not too sure why either.
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Mon Dec 31st, 2007 at 03:34:09 PM EST
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Re: your online self (none / 1)
I don't know how odd out I am, but I don't necessarily do that (same with age). And just you are an example: that you wrote having considered "Queen Lychee" downthread is the first instance that made me think of you either way. That said, I do recall it happened I mis-guessed some ET users' gender (unfortunately I don't remember any anymore, but maybe just Fran was one of them: Fran-Frank). No wait, I remember I thought someone is a thirty-something male healthcare worker (probably wrong on all accounts).

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Mon Dec 31st, 2007 at 03:53:00 PM EST
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your online self | 194 comments (194 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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