Nice thoughts, Jason. I've been thinking about the same thing. How can we become so attached and put so much trust in a person we know only through their writing -- who may not even be the person they say they are?

From the standpoint of a public relations "professional," I have to think of blogs as little brands, just as Nike is a brand or Apple is a brand. J built a brand as an HIV positive, young, gay, attractive man. People who connected with that brand came to trust him, just like I trust that Apple will provide cutting edge, cool technology that will interest me. But a brand is a fictitious, conjured identity crafted by writing, design and well-planned marketing messages. And so it is with a blog. The difference is that people know company brands are crafted to sell things. They don't realize that blogs are crafted to sell certain images, as well. Without that level of separation -- that critical filter -- it leaves people hurt when the brand collapses.

The helloaaron.com brand could be defined as easily as the Volkswagen brand could be defined, though I'm not sure I would want to see that memo. I try to make the blog reflect who I actually am, but it is just that -- only a dirty reflection, and only of part of me. There are many aspects of my personality and experiences that aren't included (in no small part because my mom reads it!). But people come to associate my blog with a living, breathing human being who happens to be named Aaron. And they come to connect and trust in that person. It's a strange thought. I think blogs will eventually become less like friends you call on the phone everyday and more like network TV reporters -- you may listen to them, but you never really trust them.

First, I wouldn't conclude that these things are complete hoaxes just yet.

Second, you're right in pointing out that a lot of people become too wrapped up in these things. Just like some people get involved in soap operas, television series, the lives of celebrities...we all have a need to "belong" to something, to be a part of a community.

For a lot of people, sharing concern over being HIV positive gives them a sense of relief. The same, to some extent, is leading to the mass outpouring of support for the countries affected by the tsunami last week. Why are people donating? Well, because they feel for the victims, surely, but because they then become a part of a movement.

See also: the yellow "Livestrong" wristbands. I'm not so uncouth to think that these efforts to support are devoid of philanthropic intentions, but when these same people pass up more obvious and more helpful opportunities to help common man I can't help but wonder if this "become a part of a movement" or "look how much I care" phenomenon is not in play.

Bottom line: there's no standard of proof on the internet. Matt Drudge could pull something out of thin air and the rest of us could talk about it for days, possibly ruining lives. Therein lies the danger of the internet. Proceed with caution.

We are all so very desperate.

I guess what shocks me is that people are shocked. Online (mis)representation is as old as the internet itself. If you're looking for something "genuine," I suggest you get up from behind the computer screen. The idea of a true identity on the internet is a silly as the idea of a "true self" in real life. Electronic interaction is fun and offers the potential for new forms of interpersonal connection, but we are foolish to think it will or should follow any specific cultural mores of face-to-face social interaction.

I didn't follow any of these characters until they popped up on Jason's blog (one of the very few I read on a regular basis) so I never had a chance to develop a "relationship" with them. Maybe I'd think differently if that were the case, but I don't think so.

If this teaches me anything it is that people want to believe. At first, I was disturbed by Aaron's PR speak (kneejerk reaction), but after thinking about it, it may be appropriate. Emotional gratification is a commodity, too, and what a lot of buyers there were. It only takes a little bit of imagination and you're in business, and the market is very hot right now. Sell, sell, sell!

And weren't there other forms of pleasure that you're not examining? Like a group of misfit fags getting together to play Nancy Drew. That was fun!

But yeah, authenticity is dead.

On the contrary, I believe authenticity is making a comeback; or is back.

I think that is why there was such an explosion in the number of bloggers this past year. I think people blog because everyone inherently wants to be understood and explain themselves. I look at blogging (amongst many other things releated to technology that I won't get into now) as the return of the original voice. That's why when blogger(s) that were thought to be authentic turn out to be so thoroughly fake as in J and STB's case, it catches people off guard. Fake is the exception, not the rule.

I also believe authenticity has the single biggest reason why Bush was re-elected. Agree with him or not, he comes off authentic and you really believe he believes what he's saying (for the most part). Whereas the biggest thing the alternatives lacked was any sense of authenticity.

In other aspects as well: the popularity of reality television, the popularity of hip hop, and on and on.

So I believe that authenticity is rightfully being brought back to the forefront of almost every aspect of our society. And the Internets have a lot to do with that.

to paraphrase the old Hollywood advice: authenticity is the essential thing, and once you can fake that, you've got it made. . . .

Gosh, you seem to know how to elicit the loquacious commenters. Well said, what you said. And but, I'm just sad that we lost so many Minneapolis bloggers all at once.

we're less like nancy drew, more like the boxcar children

Holy crap. The Boxcar Children.

i should really re-read the comments i write before i send them. my quote is full of typos.

i just got back from mesouthern's site now: he claims he is who he has claimed to be all along. i'm not sure what to believe. i don't know what the real story is and like most things, probably never will.

I went to high school with the real Lucas Bachmann. After reading through "his" blog and the others concerning this topic, I can't really say for certain whether this was him or not. I haven't had much contact with Lucas since we graduated.

*Though I know he went to the U of M, he should have been done by now, having used the PSEO program his senior year in high school. (that U of M e-mail address no longer works, btw) he quite possibly could have moved on to Saint Thomas for some post-graduate work.

*As of last fall, Lucas would not have been 20 years old. I am 22, and was nearly the youngest in my high school class. Lucas WAS one of the youngest in our class, but not by two years. I'm pretty sure Lucas would have been 21 when all this drama went down.

*The details of STB's first post ("hi" on meshouthern's blog) are quite on-par with how i knew him. especially the liking pizza, wanting to become a youth pastor, being a jokester (the real Lucas DEFITNITELY was/is that!), and being athletic but totally unable to throw a basketball.

*Then there's the post where he berates himself, the one right before his last on the Saint Thomas Boy blog. To me, that's classic Lucas. The writing may seem contrived, but in high school, especially my uber-conservative private high school, few dared to be "real", and NO ONE was out.

*NONE, absolutely NONE, of the pictures are of Lucas. It may have been a few years, but I KNOW what he looks like. (I had a bit of a crush on him in high school) However, the descriptions of him certainly could have been accurate. In high school, though, he was a tall, darker brown-haired, skinnier guy. He certainly worked out (always wanted to bulk up, never seemed to while he was there.) Intense eyes, VERY opinionated (and also definitely Republican). Never really that involved with the ladies.

Just my two-cents on the whole thing. I'm starting to doubt the authenticity of the whole thing, being as I'm sure the press would have loved this and found out about it by now.