While sitting in the waiting room waiting to get my taxes done the other day, I read an interesting article in Time magazine about a study comparing the qualities of an introverted personality versus an extroverted personality. As expected, it got me thinking about these two temperaments in terms of anime fans…
The article defined an introverted person as someone who prefers to do things in solitude rather than in groups or social situations. It doesn’t necessarily mean the person is shy, though the two usually go together. Shyness is a form of anxiety brought on by fear of social judgement. Introverted people aren’t necessarily fearful of social situations – they simply prefer not to engage in them and function better in environments free of stimuli and interruptions. And of course, extroverted people are the opposite in that they’re drawn to social situations and are often bold, ambitious, and outgoing. The article went on to describe how our society favors extroverted personalities in many walks of life, from business to stardom, which means that introverted people are often coerced by society into becoming extroverted, with their talents often being overlooked.
At first glance, it seems like anime should be a hobby one indulges in in an introverted way. After all, in our society it’s not typically considered “normal” for adults to be really into foreign animated shows. So even if someone is basically an extroverted person, they could act in a very introverted way in terms of their anime hobby in order to avoid having others who are ignorant about anime think poorly of them. They may not advertise their hobby at all, will try to gloss over the subject if asked about it, or basically not offer any hints that anime is something they’re interested in. Like other so-called “nerdy” hobbies, in both Japan and elsewhere, anime tends to be associated with anti-social geeks/otaku who have few real-life relationships and stay at home all day on the computer – a prime example of introversion.
But what I find interesting, and the article touched on it as well, is that while introverts tend to be socially awkward in person, they’re often much more outgoing, confident, and articulate online. I’m a great example of this and I’m sure I’m not the only anime fan who’s soft-spoken in person but has a ton to say about my hobby online. It’s not too hard to see why this is so, as things like e-mail and blogging don’t have the inhibitions and real-time pressure of telephone or in-person conversations. Is there a reason why anime is more linked to introverted personalities? There is the aforementioned reason that it’s more socially difficult to be extroverted about your anime hobby because of how the average person’s view of anime and its fans is often distorted. But I feel it can be linked with introversion as a temperament as well. Like other “geeky” hobbies or even other mediums of storytelling, anime is a form of fiction, escapism, and is very visually engaging. While the extroverted person can get this same fulfillment from real-life social events, the introverted person gets it from non-social means such as anime. So I feel like both kinds of people desire the same fulfillment, but obtain it from different sources.
Of course, I’m definitely not saying that all anime fans are introverted, especially in recent years. I’m speculating that introversion was even more common among fans decades ago simply because anime was even more niche and harder to come by back then than it is now. But nowadays, with anime becoming more readily available to anyone seeking it, as well as the fans growing younger in age and higher in number, it’s not so hard to be extroverted about your hobby anymore. I’ve encountered many fans over the years who are not afraid to be loud and proud about their hobby. Cosplay is definitely a very extroverted way of expressing your hobby and it’s shown a huge rise in popularity in recent years. Cosplay gatherings are all over the place, and even other convention events like Artist Alley bring fans together in social situations and force them to be more extroverted than perhaps they normally are. However, there’s a huge difference between being extroverted about your hobby at an anime club or convention among fellow fans, and being extroverted about your hobby in everyday, non-anime-related situations such as among relatives, coworkers, or meetups with friends who aren’t into anime. I feel that the truly extroverted fan is one who’s not afraid to freely talk about anime with others, whether the other person is a fan or not, whether in person or online, and who doesn’t fear what the other party may think of them as a result. Being a mostly introverted fan myself, I certainly admire fans who can comfortably disclose their knowledge about anime in any social situation.
Which leads into my final point – yes, I would consider myself a mostly introverted fan, but not totally. I have a very introverted temperament in general (I know ’cause I took the quiz in the article!), but especially for anime, I always try to say as little as possible about it if the subject comes up. For example, if someone asks me about my hobbies and I end up mentioning anime, and if they ask me a favorite series or something, I’ll usually just say “Oh, too many to name,” or if they’re in my room and they point to a poster and ask “What’s this one?” I’ll probably just say the name of the anime and not volunteer anymore information unless asked. I would love to be the kind of person who could talk on and on about my hobby to anyone I meet, but I’ve always been rather shy and certainly introverted (better than I used to be though) so it doesn’t come easy to me. I have to feel really comfortable with the person and feel like they’re genuinely interested in what I have to say in order to talk on about anime to them. However, I wouldn’t say I’m totally introverted about my hobby since I wear anime on my person quite a bit, not to mention how my room looks, and I will at least tell people I like it if asked. And like other introverts, I’m very extroverted about my hobby online.
In short, while the nature of anime fandom makes it more likely for its fans to be introverted about it, that’s not always the case. In anime and other things, there are advantages to being extroverted and advantages to being introverted. While our society encourages extroversion, I don’t think anyone should be forced to go against their temperament and should instead be encouraged to find the talent that exists there, whether it’s being inarticulate in real life but able to ramble on and on online. Like the saying goes, “Nobody can do everything but everyone can do something.” =)
I don’t get to see a lot of people, and the people I do get to see have completely different interests in mind when I try to get them to do something I’d like them to check out. Hence I’m a bit introverted due to my country’s nation of men and women being really apathetic to such things I’m into.
Sadly lately I’ve been struggling to find the “tribe” of people I’m supposed to make life long bonds with online or off, so I end up talking to the clerk at 7-Eleven just because I need somebody to talk to so I didn’t leave the house in vain. It’s sad that on my own art school campus there’s really not a lot of nerds to go around. Or even hipsters. They’re so up themselves they won’t even play Magic cards ironically.
Such is life in a prisoner island that has hated nerds from the beginning. Here’s hoping I find some companionship in my hobbies before I give up on any hope humanity’s compatible with me at all.
I don’t know where you’re located but it sounds like it’s pretty rough finding people there who share the same interests as you. When I got really into Pokemon in middle school, I also struggled finding people who liked what I liked and I ended up thinking there was something strange about me. But once my world opened up in high school, college, and online, I found that there’s a lot of people like me. But yeah, as far as finding such people in person, it does depend on where you live. All I can say is that it’s not impossible to form strong forever bonds with people online – and you never know when you might be able to meet them in person.
The internet anonymity can certainly help an introverted person express themselves much easier. And it is a perfectly valid (modern) way to socialize as well. So saying that you are introverted, while having this blog with lots of things to say, and lots of people commenting on it, its kind of a bit contradictory :P So we can say: Internet + extrovert = intervert?… doesn’t sound good… Maybe Extronet… or maybe not…
Anyway, I think it’s a good thing. And what you said on the last paragraph is very important. People should not be forced to go against their nature. Socialization is a major part of us as a human society, so promoting an extroverted behaviour was considered “correct” (even if it goes against peoples nature). So now with the internet, people can still be somewhat introvert in inter-personal behaviour, but still socialize with other people online.
I’m also somewhat introvert when meeting people in person. But I do not have any problem letting people know that I like anime. So I have a Haruri phone bag that I have no problem taking out when my phone rings. If asked about it, I will happily tell them about it. I found a co-worker that was so interested in the story, that I ended up redacting to her all about one of the Haruhi books. Details and all. So I cannot go up to people and suddenly start talking like that, but I do try to create opportunities for people to approach me, and start a conversation. So I guess I’m introvert, but not shy.
That’s a good point that the anonymity of the Internet is more attractive to introverts since they don’t have to call attention to themselves personally. On one level I feel like the Internet and social networking are causing people to have less physical contact with each other, but I don’t think it’s changing people’s temperaments as far as being introverted or extroverted. Both can still engage in social networking but the extroverted ones will have the more real-life meetups XD
That’s great that you can easily talk to people about anime, without being pushy about it of course ;) I’m afraid I’m just too shy to do that with the average person unless I feel like they’re truly interested.
I guess by definition, I tend to be more introverted than most of the people I meet, though I’ve never really had much issue speaking with others about my own personal interests, even go so far as to talk about my favorite series. I believe that anime and introversion tend to fall in the same category, mainly due to the fact that it is hard to relate to someone who doesn’t share that same anime interest. Many of the people I meet tend to find anime very, very weird. But, compared to me and others, their interests are very standard.
I guess, if I were to take a look at myself, I’d be a about 70/30 mainly swinging toward being more of an introvert. I did enjoy your definition of one who simply doesn’t care for social situations. By no means have I ever been afraid to meet new people, rather I don’t care for all the social situations I have to pull myself into to actually meet them. Most people nowadays seem to see anime as a more common place thing, which is nice. Though I do have to say anime cons are probably the most fun, majorly due to that feeling of being around tons of people who share the same interests as you.
The fact that anime is still, and probably always will be, a niche hobby, already makes it much more linked to introversion. It’s much easier to be extroverted with mainstream hobbies that everyone is familiar with, like sports, movies, pop music, etc., but Japanese animation is something few people really know about.
I’m not afraid of social situations as a rule, and if they involve the right people and the right circumstances, I could love them. But for social situations with strangers or people I’m not very comfortable with, I usually avoid them.
As a person I’d consider myself more extroverted than introverted, but as an anime fan I’d be more introverted. I don’t enjoy watching anime with more than a few people. Talking to others about anime is also pointless IMO, because anime fans (in my field, at least) appear to be few and far in between, and there’s really nothing in it for me if I have to waste my time explaining what anime is. And, well, there usually isn’t all that much that I’d want to discuss with others. I do enjoy going to conventions though, and have sold stuff at a couple of Artist Alleys in the past.
On the flipside, some fans can be so vocal about their love for anime that it makes them irritating even to fellow anime fans. This is especially bad if the only anime they watch are the shounen trio…
I agree, it is exhausting talking to people about anime who aren’t into it themselves. There are some rare souls who are open-minded and enjoy hearing about it, but most people don’t care about someone else’s “weird” hobby.
I also agree that fans who talk too much about anime can be annoying to other fans. It’s especially annoying when they don’t restrain themselves when talking with people who aren’t into anime and then I feel like that person is now going to have a distorted view of what anime fans are like XP
As a seiyuu otaku I probably have the thoughest life of all anime fans when it comes to socializing, simply not much people understand Japanese well enough to apreciate acting, most of people who happen to know some seiyuu’s names simply like or dislike their voices, and I’m not patient enough to explain to those people that, par example, Noto Mamiko, althoug having a beautiful voice has many roles which she completely screwed up, or that Fairy Tail’s Lucy is not voiced by Haruhi.
That’s about it when it comes to real-world interacting, in internet- I don’t do that too much either, even though I read a lot of forums and blogs both in English and Japanese, those languages are, alas, foregin to me, so I prefer not to get into any types of debates, even though I would often like to. This is true especially when it comes to Japanese- a few months ago one of my professeurs at the University caught the word that I spoke Japanese, and made me a translator for a Tokyo University professeur that visited our facultry, the first thing I said to him was: “Anime ppoi shaberikata de gomennasai (Sorry for my anime-like way of talking)”, and he, to cut a long story short, wasn’t too amused.
Yeah, being really into a specific “branch” of anime, like seiyuu, can be even tougher. Even among anime fans, there aren’t that many really into the seiyuu themselves though I know they exist. I feel that most anime fans can at least appreciate seiyuu even if they’re not totally into them like you, especially nowadays when English dubs of anime aren’t as common.
It’s not advantageous to paint yourself in a corner. No one thing can define a person. I played nose tackle in football, pretty extrovert one would think, but I’m no “jock”. I like watching anime if I have time, but I’m no recluse either. While someone may have an affinity for seclusion everyday they probably do some extrovert stuff and vise versa. Personally being out and about drains my battery while others get charged by social interaction. Still, I enjoy almost everything. It just gives life more opportunity and every situation is one you can flourish in.
If I stay home all day doing nothing productive for dsys but watch anime and sleep I get pretty depressed because I just feel like if I died I have nothing on the line. However if I’m out ALL day socializing I mean, I’m freaking exhausted physically and socially especially since there are some PRETTY superficial people out there that I just can’t comprehend. How people lack decency! Then it’s nice to escape in some anime and games or what have you. But then I feel like I at least have purpose and worth in “real” life(working, socializing, dating, suffering) but at the same time have ME time at the end of the day to escape with my hobbies and fantasy.
If you like anime you can get along with j-pop and Japan loving fans who hiss at the sight of the Sun XD. If you also love sports and gett’n out there then you can go hike and enjoy a night on the town with self pretentious people who might dislike anime based off some preconceived notion or what have you. Essentailly you get to enjoy a bit of everything which is my preference. With the middle road, you enjoy a bit of all of it, you can never go wrong! If your happy, really you can’t go wrong though.
Great outlook on life ^_^
Like I said, I feel like I’m mostly introverted but I’m not totally so. I prefer solitude most of the time but there are certainly times when I crave social activity. There are people that exist on the extreme ends of introversion and extroversion but we should remember that most people exist in between.
I can totally relate to what you’re saying in your second paragraph. When I was unemployed a few months ago, I spent everyday watching anime, blogging, and playing video games, which made me feel like a bum who needs to get out and do something worthwhile. But then when I am out in social situations all day, like at work, it is exhausting and I don’t mind being a bum again for a while. Balance is the key =)
I am what most people would call introverted, but in an odd way. Around people that I don’t know or are only acquainted with, I can be completely withdrawn and not socialize at all with. However, around people that I do know well, I am energetic and joking and can keep a conversation going with ease. I am working to find more of a balance between the two.
As it relates to anime, I find anime to be one of the easiest topics to discuss with somebody, stranger or not. As long as the person has a reasonable knowledge of anime (aka they aren’t a super casual fan who only watches Naruto or Bleach), I enjoy talking about anime. However, I only occasionally bring anime up with my friends, more often than not I only talk about it if the other person brings it up.
I know extremely few fans that are what would be considered “hardcore”, so I generally avoid talking about more advanced aspects of the fandom such as watching shows as they come out in Japan. I would have figured more people who like anime would enjoy watching new animes on a weekly basis, but I know almost no one who actually does that apart from me haha.
I’m just like you said in your first paragraph – I can be very talkative and personable with people I know well or even people I don’t know well but something about their personality is comforting and non-judgmental. Even if the person isn’t into anime, if I find we have something else in common, such as similar values or world views, conversing becomes so much easier.
That’s great that despite your introversion you have no qualms about talking about anime with people. I’m afraid my fear of social judgement tends to kick in when the subject of anime is brought up in conversations I have with people who aren’t familiar with anime. But again, if I feel they’re an open-minded person, I’ll be less shy.
I actually know more fans who watch anime weekly than anything else. Maybe it has to do with where we each meet other fans – I’ve met most of my anime-loving friends in college classes, anime clubs, and online through blogging.
I’ve always thought being introverted is more related to being considerate to how others react to what you say as opposed to how much you yourself enjoy the conversation. An extrovert might be much more open to others, they would be able to talk much more freely and use a conversation as an outlet. Some would instinctively feel the reactions of those around them, while others would be completely unconcerned and keep on nagging at the expense of their friends, but all would enjoy talking with others.
Introverts, on the other hand, tend to speak with deliberate consideration (as opposed to instinct or utter disregard), which, if they can’t think of a suitably diplomatic way to phrase them, often prevents them from expressing their true thoughts in a conflict situation. This is what leads to anxiety to speak, i.e. shyness, especially around outsiders, whose reaction to a potential statement/joke/etc is usually unpredictable. It also leads to introverts feeling exhausted after a conversation, not only because they are much more careful, but also because they often refuse to use socializing as an emotional outlet (conversation is most enjoyable when you are the one talking, especially about yourself, and it is thus harder to talk a lot if you want the other side to enjoy, because who enjoys listening about others?).
I might be patronizing introverts a bit, but point is, being an introvert doesn’t mean you have to keep quiet about your hobby in front of the unenlightened. It’s definitely hard to get someone riled up in a conversation where they don’t care about the material, but with enough creativity, it can work out.
Forgot to mention, I think this overthinking when conversing also fits well with the Internet – it allows one to carefully rethink his post before showing it to others, and maybe even edit it postfact. I can’t imagine a RL introvert posting a short, almost-illegible note except for an extremely casual setting, but for some the anonymity might eliminate their reason for being extremely considerate in the first place – in any case, it doesn’t do that for me, smug as it may sound. Another reason to loosen up on the ‘net could be the lack of a particular conversation partner – see Twitter. Or maybe I’m just overanalyzing this, since it’s unlikely that typing out well-articulated sentences over Skype or on a blog post is proof for being an introvert, and vice-versa.
Wow, you’ve certainly hit the nail on the head in terms of introversion versus extroversion. I totally agree with what you said about introverts being more considerate and careful with what they say, placing themselves in the shoes of the other party, which is of course more exhausting than someone who just rambles on and on without such care. Why they’re so careful with what they say could vary depending on the person, but again it’s most commonly shyness, the fear that what you say could be judged against you by others.
And I definitely agree with what you said in terms of the introvert’s attraction to the Internet. That’s one of the reasons I prefer e-mail over the telephone – with e-mail I can carefully choose what I say and reread it to make sure it sound right, and I can usually write the e-mail when I’m good and ready. And yes, the lack of a specific conversation partner, such as here on the blog or something like Twitter, takes away the stress of dealing with another person – you just say what you want to say and if people listen, fine, and if they don’t, that’s fine too.
There are extroverts, and then there are really hyper-extroverts. Sadly, I’ve found too many anime/cosplay fans in the second category. I put it down to their young age (they’re usually high schoolers/college students) or to some form of substance effect (too much caffeine and or sugar). I’m a more private and introverted person, but I do make an effort to socialize in a larger group, and would enjoy a social event with several people, if they weren’t screaming or bouncing off the walls half the time.
Yes, I’ve heard about the extroverts you speak of, and have seen my share of them as well, and they can be annoying despite being fellow fans XP But I do believe age is a factor in this case – at most of the anime social events I’ve been to such as college anime clubs, blogger meetups, or certain convention get-togethers, people don’t act like that. The larger the group, the more chances of there being obnoxious jerks, which is why I prefer small meetups with people I know, or just meeting friends on an individual basis. But my distaste for big social events could just be the shy introvert in me, too.
The only times when I’m an introvert are when I’m in a class made up of kids from other grade levels and there isn’t anyone that I really know. Other than that, I’m an extrovert.
I.E. Today while I was waiting to be called for my audition, I asked the group of girls I was talking to if they liked anime. Two of them said yes and I immediately got into a conversation about Ouran and Madoka. :D
I think I’m just as vocal as I am in real life as I am online.
I would imagine someone who is really into singing would be an extrovert =) That’s great that you are and that you felt perfectly comfortable asking people you don’t know if they liked anime. And look what happened, a couple of them did! I don’t know if I could ask a random person if they liked anime out of the blue, but if the subject comes up, such as us talking about our hobbies or something, I should work on being more outgoing with that XD
I’m somewhere in the middle… While I don’t talk to many people in college, there are some people that I talk to. On the other hand, I have participated in various online events with other fans over watching a certain series or something (via Skype and Teamspeak)… but I haven’t been doing that lately since I’m busy doing other things nowadays. Also, I don’t really hide the fact that I like Anime (having an Anime wallpaper on my computer’s desktop and a picture on Moodle since I don’t want to use my picture of myself for privacy reasons), although I don’t participate at the Anime Club since the fans are annoying.
In the past though, I haven’t socialized much in high school. It’s mostly because it’s a hostile environment and I was bullied despite having some friends. Still, college makes a big difference.
Ah yes, I remember you doing Skype meetups and such. Not sure if I’d want to do that as I prefer face-to-face meetings or conversations through typing. But yeah, it’s good that you’re not too shy with your anime hobby. In college, I also had anime wallpapers on my laptop that I brought to class and didn’t feel embarrassed. Things like that, and the occasional anime T-shirt and such, aren’t anything weird…but I wouldn’t go around wearing a Naruto headband or shouting random Japanese, or anything like that =P The people who do that anywhere besides an anime convention/club are not doing the fandom any good in terms of getting positive recognition.
I’m definitely an introvert all around, although I actually don’t find it hard to talk about anime if brought up. It’s the talking in general that’s hard for me :/ Usually I’m really shy irl and pretty open online. I’ve been working on the irl shyness and I’m better but it’s still hard to talk to anyone who isn’t a close friend. So I guess I’m not actually that introverted about anime, if it comes up irl and I can manage to say something in the first place I can talk about it just fine, online I can talk about most things easily.
I guess it’s really the regular shyness and introvertion that cause me to be introverted about anime, it makes me introverted about all of my hobbies. I think it’s not so much that I’m afraid of people judging me for liking anime, to me they can just go to hell if they want to be judgemental, but rather that I used to be bashed so much for saying anything at all and for trying to hang out with people that I’ve developed a sort of fear for even trying to.
I’d really like to be less introverted, although I think I’ll always enjoy doing lots of things alone.
I used to be incredibly shy when I was younger – I could barely order for myself at restaurants until I was in middle school! But I’m way better than I used to be due to having to get over my shyness for school and jobs, i.e,. having to give speeches and presentations for college classes and answering phones and dealing with customers daily at jobs. I’m still more shy around some people than others, but in general I would say I’m more introverted and soft-spoken than plain shy. And like you, I’m also much better at expressing myself online =)
I’m not sure how old you are but shyness is something you can overcome as you get older, as I’ve found out. Having to adapt to a society where you have to be at least somewhat socially skilled can help, as it has for me. Just don’t be too hard on yourself about it and take it slowly =)
I’m more of an introverted person too, but that’s in terms of everything I do, not just when it comes to discussing anime in public. I once read a study that monitored how much people spoke in a day and the least-talkative person spoke on average 500 words per day. On a typical day, I can count the number of words I say with my fingers, and they usually consist of “yes” and “no”, so I guess I’m an extreme example.
I don’t think most anime fans are introverted though, either in the past or present. Almost every fan I encounter has been extremely talkative, and while some of them may come off as socially awkward and isolated, they actually enjoy conversing within their own groups. I have not met anyone like me who prefers to be alone most of the time, even though that was the stereotype for anime fans for the longest time.
That’s an interesting study, but I wonder if they took environment into account, for example, if people live alone they’re less likely to talk on a daily basis than if they live with other people. Likewise, if they have a job or are taking classes that require them to talk more than not. But if given the choice, I’m like you in that I usually give a lot of “yes” and “no” answers and prefer to express myself fully online. But it depends on what kind of mood I’m in and who I’m talking too.
I’ve also noticed that most anime fans are not introverted, which is the opposite of what I thought before. It could be that I’ve simply know more fans now than I used to or that fans really are becoming more extroverted. I do wonder what the ratio is for fans in terms of being extroverted both among fellow fans and average people, as opposed to just among fellow fans.
Haha. The funny thing was, a year or three ago, I was even more introverted than I am today. In fact, I started becoming more extroverted /after/ I started blogging anime. Maybe it’s because of how I keep on SHOUTING and capitalizing RANDOM words on TWITTER every day or something, because now I talk A LOT MORE, and in the SAME VOICE I ‘talk’ in online. Funny how many people’s online ‘speech’ is influenced by their offline speech, whereas my /offline/ speech is influenced by my online ‘speech’.
tl;dr: I’m weird like that
That’s interesting indeed, but I’d say it’s a good thing that blogging has helped make you less introverted in real life. I’m sure blogging and other forms of social networking have helped me become a little less introverted in real life, but I wouldn’t say significantly. College, work, and just gaining more experience in life are what’s been doing it ;)
I am an introvert fan, but I don’t write much about anime on my blog or social media. It doesn’t help that I prefer introspective series like Usagi Drop/Honey & Clover/Aria/etc. I’d rather discuss these subjects on a one-to-one basis, be it online or offline, away from prying eyes.
I am more involved in the cosplay photography scene and find myself more attracted to introverted cosplayers since they are easier to direct. (I shoot them in a mini-studio setting so no other photographers can interfere. The personal communication makes them more relaxed then being mobbed by a wall of photographers)
On the other hand, the more introverted cosplayers will decline a photo of themselves. They are simply happy being in the same environment as liked-minded individuals.
That said, there are lots of online resources dealing with introversion.
Susan Cain has a great website and has recently released a book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts”.
I guess I’m more introverted in real life than online…as you can see on my blog, I don’t have any qualms about discussing anime thoroughly online. But I do prefer personal conversations on IM with friends over things like forums and IRC.
Thanks for the info about the cosplay scene – I never thought about that.
I’m nothing if not a very introverted person and a very introverted fan. I’m extremely hesitant to mention my interest in anime to anyone who might not understand it (despite it being a great opportunity to talk about myself and help educate them in the process) and I’ve not had many experiences in hanging out or talking with other fans IRL. Obviously, I’d love to be as extroverted and completely non-self aware as the kids I see at conventions (basically, I want what they’ve got but don’t know what to do with), but I’m not a kid anymore and don’t feel comfortable with the idea of letting myself go like that. That’s not me and never has been.
I’ve always preferred the Internet when it comes to sharing my fondness for this stuff but I think that in relying on it for such, I’ve missed out on what could have been some pretty rewarding face-to-face interaction with people that I might just have a lot in common with. Not that it’s too late! But I’m still trying to figurehow to make it happen.
It’s hard for some people to get over the feeling that they’re being judged by everyone, as absolutely ridiculous as that sounds.
I’m totally with you on most of what you said. I have a very difficult time openly talking about anime to people who might not “get it,” even if it would be a great opportunity to educate them in a friendly way. Whenever the subject of my anime hobby does come up, I just gloss over it and try not to go into detail. I guess I’m just afraid of 1) people thinking poorly of me because they have a distorted view of what anime is (Just Pokemon and kids stuff? Just perverted cartoons?) or 2) they’ll think I’m trying to “convert” them if I passionately talk on and on about it. Yes, it does sound silly to the extroverted fans, but it’s just part of my temperament that I may or may not ever be able to change.
However, I’m much less shy than I used to be, so I think there is hope! Plus I’m very outgoing online, which is certainly good considering how Internet-dependent our lives are becoming in this day and age.
Actually it’s great to find similar anime genre among your friend in high school since internet did expand with website upload new episode from 2006. Moreover, the furthest I went was only a college anime event. Introverts hates anime convention held in hotel ballroom which serve larger crowd of Cosplay event
All I can say is: You’re thoughts is like my thoughts. It is as if I am the one who wrote this post. I am an introvert too, I am 50% shy to interact to others, and 50% just want isolation to pick myself up. But on the Internet realm I interact more to people and the reason is just like what you said about not having any pressure. Anime is a hobby or addiction that can be shared to few people only who are also into them so I think that animes fits for introverts. Great post by the way.