Online Disinhibition in The Cinderella Pact

People can present an image of themselves online that differs from who they are in reality. This might consist of literal images that have been photoshopped or making slight changes to how they speak with people when they can hide behind the computer screen. The problem is that someone can fall so deep into this state of disinhibition that his or her real life may conflict with the constructed life he or she has created. 

One fictional example of this happening is given in the novel, The Cinderella Pact. The novel was also adapted for the screen in 2010 and given the title, Lying to be Perfect.

The main character, Nola Devlin, is an editor for a popular magazine, but her co-workers don't respect her and she doesn't have the confidence to stand up for herself. Nola thinks that the problem is her weight, that if she could only be skinny and sexy, people would have to treat her better. 

In her free time, Nola runs an advice column online, but under a different name, Belinda Apple. Almost the complete opposite of Nola with the help of Photoshop, Belinda is skinny, confident, and as an added plus, British. At first it's easy for Nola to keep her two identities separate, but then her friends decide to follow Belinda's encouragement to lose weight, and Nola is forced to follow her own advice. 

To Nola's surprise, Belinda's column gains popularity and the opportunity for a book deal comes up. Soon it becomes more difficult to keep her life organized. As the truth begins to unravel, Nola's love life and her friendships are threatened and may suffer if her secret is revealed.

Nola looking at the image she created of Belinda Apple.

This situation is a great example of what Suler mentions in his article, The Online Disinhibition Effect. He says that, 

          "the opportunity to be physically invisible amplifies the disinhibition effect. People 

          don’t have to worry about how they look or sound when they type a message. They 

          don’t have to worry about how others look or sound in response to what they say." 

This is exactly what happens when Nola creates Belinda Apple as her online personality. 

Of course, Nola's story is resolved in such a way that both identities are able to combine and work together. However, the goal of the story is to show the possible complications online disinhibition can have on an individual and his or her relationships with others. While it may be fun and harmless at first, there are plenty of ways the situation could go wrong.