Human 2.0: Behavioral Dissonance between Online and Offline Personal Traits, And Implications on e-Marketing Practices

This research paper presents an attempt to explore thephenomenon of a consistent disconnection between the online and offlinepersonality traits of Internet users. The research delves deeper into thisnotion, explores the possible drivers and stimulants, and then puts specialemphasis on its implications and repercussions on various business aspects,such as online advertising and e-marketing techniques.The research uses a variety of instruments and tools, including structuredobservations, face-to-face interviews, online surveys, and mock computerUser Interfaces designed specifically for the purpose of the experimentsconducted as part of the primary data collection for the research. The paperthen proceeds to analyze the primary data and presents an attempt tounderstand the phenomenon and its underlying stimulants. Finally, thepaper presents a set of conclusions, again with more focus on marketingand business-related issues.The research, through its primary data analysis and rationalization,concludes that there is strong evidence that most internet users exhibit different facets of behavioraldissonance between their online and offline traits. The research also concludes that such dissonance maybe induced by the social internet ecosystem and dynamics, rather than intrinsic tendencies in the users’actual characters. The research also relates these findings with common business practices of successfulonline businesses and sheds the light on potential ethical dilemmas pertaining to internet businessesexploiting these phenomena (albeit sometimes unknowingly) to lure their users into buying products orto generate more traffic.