"The next time you're about to leave a snarky comment on someone's blog or give up an hour to bid for things you don't need on eBay, consider this: What you do and the self you create online could be forever changing the person you really are.

The Internet may connect us in unprecedented ways, and it may put more information at our fingertips than ever before. But just as it's changing how the world works, one psychiatrist says it may be irreparably altering how our personalities develop."

Are You Your Avatar? Book Details Dangers of the 'E-Personality

I want to read this book now. Fascinating stuff! I bet a new psychology to deal with this will emerge soon. Most people don't even know who they are anymore unless they're plugged into a computer or device of some kind.

Wow, Monica. Fascinating stuff, indeed. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

I used to think real people were so fake but now I realized they're so real compared to most of what you encounter online. This statement says it all "in social media, the higher-order, instinct-policing superego "has gone AWOL."

The Internet's Wild West-like promise of opportunity fosters delusions of grandeur, he writes. Its focus on personalization and "friend"-accumulation feeds narcissism. Its anonymous culture leads to what he calls "ordinary everyday viciousness."

This is so true. I encounter this here daily when I post something interesting usually somebody comes in and trashes what I posted or has something snarky to say. I'm guilty of this too but I'm aware of it and I try to control it. Most people just don't even realize they're doing it.

Needed to reply to this. It is a wonder! I worry about those that follow people around. Mods/admins that have access to isps - and have all the information perhaps from a forum. I have had friends complain about this. They have joined a forum, let's say about moms/parenting, made comments about THEIR life situation and the "fight" ensues!! Then, since they use the same "name" or identifiers, they are found in other places, and even FACEBOOK!! It is worrisome. For you Do NOT know who/what type of personality you may be dealing with. I once made a comment on a "private" facebook gathering of friends that I had no one from a previous forum we had all belonged to as friends on facebook. Suddenly TWO popped in to say hi at the same time. (I didn't even remember them for facebook is REAL names and I couldn't recall them!) So, I learned then that the "private" gathering of "friends" from a forum wasn't so PRIVATE and I came away feeling they were divulging everything and anything I may have said about others from that forum (but without THEIR comments) They are all admins/mods on other forums. Use extreme caution always. :)