Ah well, another lesson for the rest of the creatives in the world.

“Very few platforms allow any kind of real conversation or space to genuinely share how you feel.”

Every platform does this. People don’t always do this.

“I think in real life we show we are more human and flawed, whereas online, there is no opportunity for that.”

Are you certain?
http://youropenbook.org/?q=i%27m+not+racist+but&gender=any
http://twistori.com/#i_feel

“There are far more emotions in humans than just those two – yet why are they the ones we most commonly see? (Or is it just some of the people I know? ;))”

These two make significant impact on your current state of mind, either “WHOOHOOO!” and “FUUUUUU!” are explosive feelings, and sharing them is entirely natural – so they’re likely to occur far more often. It’s all about feeling better. You’re celebrating? People will celebrate with you. Miserable? Then you’ll get some commiseration.
As for whether it’s just the people you follow… maybe. My various streams are generally packed full of interesting articles, links and tidbits, as well as charming or banal snippets of people’s lives, positive, neutral and negative all.

However, when one of my friend’s truly has a problem – sure I’ll hear about it, but not in a public update.

I find that I’m much more honest on the networks and accounts where I’ve got privacy settings in place and smaller numbers of people able to see updates compared to my public, identifying twitter account. Uncertain whether it’s a good balance or not but one can only try.

Cafedave, that’s a good question. I think the kinds of responses I’d hope for are responses which challenge the idea that emotions are simply for private messages. Responses like “I had an experience like that recently, I helped to do x” hopefully are what I’d aim for.

Zander – this post made me laugh; and while I think it’s true. I think I have a slightly different perspective. Yes, in real life, we show our good side (like our good holiday snaps), but we’re also likely to joke and fold and show our bad angles, too. I think in real life we show we are more human and flawed, whereas online, there is no opportunity for that.

Maybe my perspective is a generational one: most of my interactions with my friends are online. Very few platforms allow any kind of real conversation or space to genuinely share how you feel.

However, I think you make a fair point about everyone using every social network as a platform for missing their ex (etc, etc); and I know there are private online spaces to deal with issues in depth; but what I’m wanting to challenge is not people simply saying “I’m sad”; but to be richer in the things they do share in a public forum.

What I’m really trying to explore is to break away from the status updates that are:
1) I’m incredible – check me out here.
2) I don’t deserve what the world has done.

There are far more emotions in humans than just those two – yet why are they the ones we most commonly see? (Or is it just some of the people I know? ;))

Building a positive image for yourself can help reinforce positive thinking and behaviour.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110301202827.htm

I once found a fantastic article illustrating how people can shape happier versions of their lives and attitudes to help change their own state of mind, and so bring those versions closer to reality.
It was a cool thing. I wish I could find it now (just had far too long a look, oops.)

I’m not saying that honesty is a bad policy, I’m just saying that people aren’t necessarily lying, just censoring by omission – and that’s not always a bad thing. It won’t be the case for everyone, but a lot of people are bound to have their support network in place, and that’s going to be people close to them. That’s who they’ll be talking to when they’re sad, probably in private.

I don’t feel any great need to let my negative emotions fly very often in the social space, because… well, it’s not anyone else’s business unless I choose to make it their business. I wouldn’t appreciate commentary on my trials and tribulations from people that I’m connected to, but who don’t actually know me very well. Would you?

That said, your idea of an itty bitty support based social network is a neat one – but don’t you already have this via more private communication channels? Email, SMS, DMs, FB messages, or even some obscure Google product that never really took off?
I think if you do, other people will too.

It’s not about lying, or hiding, it’s about privacy and comfort zones.

Serious and personal sorts of discussions are ones you have with close friends and family, and in person, not things you broadcast over the web. And as much as the web and online life becomes a more and more prominent in our every day activities, let’s hope it never replaces the real and intimate connections that humans have always depended on for emotional health.

At the same time, people already use various online forums for those more personal and anonymous discussions – so there are online outlets for that already. There’s no need to turn every single social networking platform into some loudspeaker for everyone who’s missing their ex or dead childhood pet at any given time.

An excellent point. I tend to at least put a positive spin on the bad things that have happened to me (if I mention them at all).

To some extent, that’s a response to people I follow who seem to have a 90/10 split of things that make them angry to things that they’re glad about… it’s tiring to read the updates sometimes.

Were people to take on Honest August, what kind of responses would you want them to be making to the honesty of others?