Wild Card: An Internet Superhero

My former roommate is a remarkable man, especially in the context of his uses of the internet as it reflects his personality. (Let me just establish right away that I am not attempting to disguise some personal confession by pretending that this blog is about someone else. He does exist, and he is not me.)

Let’s call my ex-roommate Randy. Randy has never been what you’d call an assertive man. He talks very little to people in person and he’s had very few girlfriends in his life. Randy likes video games, comic books, and Japanese anime. He’s a definite introvert who spends most of his time in the house, rarely going out even with friends unless there’s a new movie in the theatre that he wants to see or a video game that he wishes to buy.

Basically, Randy is shy, and pretty much what most people would call a geek. He fits neatly into many of the stereotypes associated with geekdom. I don’t include this to insult him, there’s nothing wrong with being a geek, but just so that I can make it clear exactly what kind of person we’re talking about.

The reason that Randy is blog-worthy is the transformation he undergoes when he goes online. I’ve spent my fair share of time playing various online games like World of Warcraft with him, and if I hadn’t been in the same room with him while we played, I would probably find myself unable to believe that my geeky roommate was capable of the things he manages while he’s online.

Randy was a co-leader in our World of Warcraft guild, which is remarkable enough for someone like him, but he also was the guild’s main raid leader. For those that don’t know, a raid is a group of up to 40 players who work together to take down some impossibly huge monster. Leading raids takes knowledge, confidence, and a level of sternness I never thought Randy could possibly possess.

He would lead these raids over voice chat, his voice clear and strong and authoritative in a way I’d never heard in real life. This is a guy who has never been able to cancel trial offers he’s signed up for because he’s too shy to talk to an operator, but online he’s capable of directing 40 people, shooting down opposition, and generally establishing his authority night after night.

The raids were just a small part of what Randy manages to accomplish online that he is unable to do in real life. He recently flew out to New York to meet a girl he’s been “dating” online for over a year. He barely even acknowledges women in real life, but online he’s somehow managed to open himself up enough to maintain a relationship with a very attractive young woman.

This is the power of the internet. It allows those whose shyness might otherwise prevent them from succeeding to achieve unbelievable things. It’s not that Randy doesn’t have the ability to confront people or make decisions; it’s just that the stress of face-to-face interaction renders him unable to do so without electronic mediation. Safe behind a computer screen, he’s a virtual general Patton.

There are definitely bad things about the anonymity that computer-mediated communication provides, like loudmouth morons who are free to slander anyone they wish mercilessly without fear of consequences, but there is a positive side to it as well. I have known Randy for nearly 10 years now, and I’d often worried about his prospects for the future. Marriage is difficult to attain when you’re incapable of speaking to the opposite sex, for example. Now, thanks to the internet, Randy has as good a chance of getting married as every other lonely guy out there. Maybe an even better one because of the limitless access to people all over the world that the internet provides. CMC is definitely a double-edged sword, but it’s important to realize that both sides can be beneficial.