Funhaus is a bunch of people who play games. Does that mean we only play games? No – we’ve also got podcasts and fan Q&As and gameshows and…well, you get the picture.

The rise of the internet & social media as heavily presentational media (that is, they focus explicitly on face value) gives end users another opportunity to craft a mask. I say another opportunity; people already do this. Do you speak to your parents the same way you speak to your friends? Thought not. The self is innately and infinitely permutable, and by extension, allows the individual to express themselves as they truly are, if only in certain combinations.

So when it comes to developing an online presence, is there such a thing as a persona that links too much with one’s actual self? Online personae are inherently performative and publicised, particularly when concerning platforms that are also performative, such as YouTube.

Consider Funhaus, for example: the Los Angeles branch of Rooster Teeth’s Let’s Play family has made a reputation for itself by having, in the majority of its content at least, a most crass sense of humour. To achieve this, the cast members often play hyper-realised versions of themselves on camera; happy-go-lucky, constantly referencing old Nickelodeon game shows, and in the case of Lawrence Sonntag, constant fury.

But these are only on-camera personas, and in a lot of cases are only developed as a result of heavy editing. The latest episode of Funhaus’ Dude Soup podcast discusses this, addressing the fact that though some audience members may live vicariously through watching the channel’s content, in reality they’re quite radically different, normal people; Lawrence, for example, changes from an angry computer nerd to a well-spoken, kind computer nerd. James & Elyse Willems curate a presence on their Instagram accounts that focuses on fitness (and in James’ case, pictures of feet), whilst on-camera there’s…just awful banter between the two (although it is still funny, I daren’t repeat it here.)

So is an online persona a reflection of the true self? Yes, but only a part of the true self, deliberately curated to appeal to a certain audience.