How Old Are You?

In any community you belong to on the Internet, eventually you run into the age-old questions. How old are you? Where are you from? What do you really look like? It's all part of the humanizing process we go through when we connect with someone online. We have to ask this question because the Internet provides us few substantial clues to the physical reality verses the mental reality.

The physical realities are items that define us visually. We were born on a certain date in a certain year. Are parts gave us certain hereditary traits, eye color, hair color, skin, size, shape. Our location sets our position on the planet.

The mental realities stem from how we handle the physical realities. We may have been born near the city and though we now live in the country, we are still very much a "city-person." We may appear outwardly to be touch or mean but have a softer side that few ever see.

Not bound by the physical realities, the Internet provides a means to discover yourself beyond those boundaries.

How old are you?

There use to be a saying, "You are young at heart". It carried with it the implied connotation that the person is physically much older. In many ways there was a sentimental undertone to the phrase.

On the Internet, there is no visual interpretation of the age of a person. Thus, all the clues we receive much come from the actions of a person online. What do they type? How do they type it? How do they react to certain things? How "hip" are they on the new technology or terminology?

Each person that approaches the Internet have preconceived notions of different age categories. Each of these categories stem from a self-perception:

• Young: Acts immature. Types with a lot more spelling error than I. Doesn't know or doesn't understand the world.

• Peer: Can communicate readily with me. Speaks on my basis. Knows as much or more than I do about the world. Seems Mature.

• Elderly: Seems to have trouble with "basic" commands. Struggles to grasp the new concepts

Yet, often the mental reality does not match the physical reality.

Recently, while playing an online game, I struck up a conversation with one of the players. We were discussing the pros and cons to how this particular event was being handled. The person seemed extremely mature and communicated on a level equal to me. Peer. I found out some months later that his physical age was only 14. However, clearly, his mental age was a lot higher than that.

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