Research shows an introvert is precise and cautious with their language and straight to the big issues, whereas extroverts are vague and abstract. This apparently has the benefit of making for briefer conversations, which is handy for introverts because we’re rubbish at small talk. We know exactly what we want to say and then we want out, because being around others can be tiring after such intense interactions.
Online might just be the introvert’s natural environment, where conversations can be staged, staggered and stopped at their discretion – all from a distance. Thoughts can be edited to perfection, solitary hobbies and pursuits can be meticulously researched before being shared online, friendships maintained without the obligation to meet face-to-face … plus it’s never been easier to uncover other introverts and forge friendships without the inconvenience of meeting. The internet has become an introvert’s playground, where they can dress up as extroverts and perform to a captive and sympathetic audience.
It’s wonderful that introversion is shedding its stigma. I just hope that finding your secret introvert does not turn into claiming a moral superiority because now you think you belong to some kind of elite club or as one introvert puts it “a minority in the regular population but a majority in the gifted population.”
Introversion for me was not about wanting to be gifted. I only wanted to build my Asterix village in peace and not have to play with some random boy just because he was my age. That’s all and I don’t need 23 signs to tell me that.
August 27, 2013 @ 11:52 pm
I don't buy the Amy Gray argument at all. That's a pretty vague and sweeping statement in itself. Being an introvert does not mean you are more precise in any way. Sometimes, introversion is because one is not a quick thinker or is nervous, or…etc. etc. etc.