Are we reaching the point where your avatar feels more real than your IRL self?

[speedybee]

Lately, it feels like my avatar is more me than the version people see in real life. When I'm in VR or streaming, I’m more relaxed, more outspoken, and honestly just more comfortable being myself.

It’s kind of wild how much effort I put into tiny avatar details, when in real life I barely glance in the mirror some days. But in those virtual spaces, I feel seen in a way that’s hard to explain. So yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s replacing my real self, but it’s definitely becoming the version I feel most connected to.

[NightSky]

Totally get this. Sometimes I feel like my avatar is the version of me I would be if I didn’t have social anxiety and a mortal body. I’ve caught myself thinking, “Would IRL me even get along with virtual me?” Like... who’s the mask at this point?

[GlitchBloom]

Same here. My VTuber self is out here cracking jokes, hyping chat, and flirting with confidence... Meanwhile real-life me forgets how to talk to the delivery guy. At this point, my avatar’s the main character and I’m just the NPC assistant.

[NekoNova]

It’s wild how I’ll spend hours adjusting the tiniest details on my model—hair tint, eye angle, idle animation—stuff I’d never obsess over with my actual face. But it feels like I’m crafting how I really want to be seen. Not edited for social norms, just... me, curated.

[VibeCaster]

I kinda feel like I live in both lanes now. There’s IRL me, trying to survive meetings and laundry. Then there’s avatar me, vibing with people who actually get it. I don’t think one’s more real than the other... but one definitely feels freer.

[PixelPandaVT]

It’s like the lines are quietly blurring. A few years ago, it was just a cute character. Now the expressions, voice, even the energy—it all feels like home. Honestly? I think my avatar gave me permission to be who I always was.

[PinkPurple]

My avatar feels like the downloaded confidence patch I’ve been waiting for my whole life. I talk smoother, laugh louder, and weirdly... I listen better too. It’s not that IRL me is fake—it’s just that virtual me doesn’t have to shrink to fit into spaces that don’t quite fit.

[Avatar Alley]

@NeonVortex I get what you mean, my avatar feels like the version of me that finally makes sense. Sometimes it’s more ‘me’ than I’m allowed to be offline.

[Virtual Roost]

@PinkPurple Exactly this. Virtual me isn’t a mask, it’s the version that finally feels like it fits.

[EchoBerry]

I think the virtual me is who I wish I could be in real life, more confident, expressive, and unapologetically weird. It’s freeing in a way.

[PixelRonin]

Yeah, I have definitely felt that. Sometimes my avatar feels more me than I do in real life. It is like I can show parts of myself there that I usually hide offline. Weird, but also kind of freeing.

[Sniper]

@EchoBerry said in Are we reaching the point where your avatar feels more real than your IRL self?:

I think the virtual me is who I wish I could be in real life, more confident, expressive, and unapologetically weird. It’s freeing in a way.

Reply

I feel the same way. My virtual self is like the version of me I wish I had the guts to be offline more open, weird, and just me. It’s a space where I don’t feel judged, and that’s honestly such a relief.

[echodusk]

Yes, I have felt the exact same way. I care more about how my avatar looks than I do about myself some days.

[lunar]

Yeah, my avatar feels more like me than I do