To think that if you really are an introvert...

[ShebaShimmyShake]

...you wouldn't make 25 posts every day to all 400 of your Facebook friends about what an introvert you are?

(Sorry, should have warned people it was FB related. And yes, the introvert is now on ignore.)

No, Poverty, I have anxiety myself. But the PP appeared to think it was unusual to want a mix of company and solitude. I don't think it is.

Whiny, what makes you think I haven't said it in real life?

Why bother to slag them off on the internet then? It's not really a big story is it? Fragile and complicated person gets judged by their so called friend.

I think a significant amount of self diagnosed introverts are online attention seekers. Certainly if my Facebook is anything to go by.

'Sighing'
that type really irritate me too.I know a couple of those in rl. They are not introverts, just very selfish.They can not share others good news, cant go to weddings, anniversaries, promotion party whatever because 'they don't like fuss'. When they have a special occasion though they suddenly like the fuss.

I'm an introvert. I like Facebook. But it's no replacement for face to face human interaction. Introvert doesn't automatically mean antisocial or attention seeking. Tbh she just sounds uninteresting, as do most people who post repeatedly self indulgent posts.

YABU. Face to face I'm a disaster area, can't cope with people at all. Online however I'm the life and soul of the party with loads of friends. Social media has been a godsend for me, it's allowed me to be who I am in a safe environment that doesn't make me anxious. And yes if there's something pertinent I'll reblog it. It's far from all I reblog but if something rings a bell then I might highlight it on FB/Twitter/tumblr. After all they're my pages and for me to post whatever I like. And if it winds you up, well, you know what the answer is.

Having said all that, you can be dull online as well as dull face to face so...

YABU
The point of online communication is that you don't have to engage. You can just put things "out there" if you want. Also you can switch it off at any time.

YABU. I am an introvert. At work I have to use enormous amounts of energy to interact with people. Outside work, I have no energy left to face people in real life, and thus have hardly any real social life. However, I (largely) find online interactions much less exhausting, stressful, and threatening. People that know me online tend to assume that I must be an extrovert, and are thus taken aback when they actually meet me, in a social situation.

I get a lot of social anxiety and definitely have a limit on how much time I can spend in company before it's too much. However there are people I know well and can be a lot more relaxed around so it's less effort.
Social media is a nightmare for me. I have a facebook account but my natural inclination is not to bother posting.
That's the thing though - how much hard work you find socialising in its various ways. I discovered a friend of mine is a lot more introverted than she appears. She gets nervous, talks to much, appears very extroverted but then feels panicked and exhausted by it all and has a similar limit to me as per how long she can cope in company. She doesn't do much social media for the same reason as me - it's too stressful!
Introverts come in many forms. There's a lot of them on Mumsnet!

Interesting perspectives, thank you. Is there any chance that what is sometimes perceived as a lesser willingness to socialise in real life is the common phenomenon of people in general just letting loose more online because there's no actual immediate confrontation in it? Ie, why people get into huge online flame wars and say things they'd never say in person? I'd say most people are less inhibited online, especially if they're anonymous.

Interacting on social media would indicate a desire to socialise on some level.

There are a few different things going on in this thread, and they all seem to be confused. My understanding is that extroverts get their energy from other people, while introverts get their energy from being on their own. If you imagine spending several days in a house on your own with no one to talk to, you can work out roughly which you are: for introverts that sounds lovely, for extroverts it sounds like hell. Of course, it's a spectrum, and a lot of people are actually in the middle, and only a few are right at the far ends. Even the most introverted people want to speak to other people sometimes.

Social anxiety is a different thing: I'm an introvert, and I find interacting with other people tiring, but I've got absolutely no anxiety about social situations. I know people who need to be around other people to feel normal, but who are acutely anxious about it.

Social media is a weird one: I personally post stuff rarely and when I do it tends to be directed to someone I'm really close with. But I know a lot of introverts who use it as a low-demand way to maintain relationships they wouldn't have the energy to do a phone call for, or who just use it as a way of effectively thinking out loud.

But tbf, your fbook friend sounds irritating as heck OP

Introverts don't dislike socialising per se. We dislike physically being with more than one or two people at a time (family excepted although not always).

That's a sweeping generalisation, though, about exact number of people. Introverts can have and enjoy big families.

I think the definition that makes sense to me is that introverts are oriented toward their inner world (own thoughts/feelings). It's like their default resting place... like when a song comes back to its resting chord. Extroverts look primarily to what happens outside their inner world: interaction with outside, looking at outside world is their relaxed default.

Introverts interalise, extroverts don't (half as much much).

Completely irrelevant, but I thought that extravert was the opposite of introvert, rather than extrovert. Are they synonyms?

No need for nastiness about introverts or social anxiety.
Social anxiety is absolutely horrible to live with so fair play to anyone who posts loads about theirself on Facebook, that takes some guts.

Madonna you may be right- I've gone with whatever the autocorrect gave me, but it looked funny to me too.

Some people confuse introversion and introspection, your "friend" sounds like one of these.
People who are really introverted are quite private, even on line. You can be a confident introvert and quite happy in your own company.
Having social anxiety and being an introvert are very different things.

lljk I think your post was in response to mine? I did put the part about 'families excepted' specifically to avoid it being a sweeping generalisation! I have a very large family myself and I love being with them (99% of the time).

Oops, sorry, I missed a 'k' off your name.

Introverts can enjoy being in larger groups, just means they need a while afterwards to re-centre themselves and charge their batteries. I'm one of these. Ok, so I'm not a huge fan of large gatherings but often I'll go and actually enjoy it. Then retreat for a few days. Likewise I'm not good at being alone for extended periods, but sometimes I crave it for shorter periods. I guess I'm only a slightly expressed introvert on the E/I spectrum.

OP I think your time would be better spent educating yourself about 50% of the population than pondering on here

Rather than respond I have simply reported the OP for calling me a troll.