What's your Facebook personality? Are you a poker? Do you join hundreds of clubs just for the hell of it? Or do you prefer to remain a more passive member and just stalk people -- in other words, surf through profiles without much actual interaction? Whichever Facebook option you choose as your weapon of choice, there is one thing that is certain -- you will never be as popular or as well-known as the infamous "fake personas" or "alter egos" cleverly created by University students. Since the University's inclusion in the online portal, characters such as Thomas Jefferson, Edgar Allan Poe, Holy God and Ferris Bueller have dominated the Facebook social scene.
"When I decided to register as T.J. on the Facebook, it had only been here for two or three days," second-year Engineering student Victor Andrei (a.k.a Thomas Jefferson) said. "I didn't really have a reason for it. I just thought, 'Who is the coolest person on Grounds?'"
Second-year College student Matt Klopfer, the real face behind Edgar Allan Poe, said he was inspired to create his alter ego for different reasons.
"I saw it in my dream," Klopfer said. "The guy in the Macarena song told me to do it. Gary Coleman was there too. He wanted me to do him, but Poe just seemed better."
Second-year College student Josh Cincinnati said that his creation of a "Holy God" Facebook character was a team effort.
"My roommate [whose Facebook alias is "the Devil"] and I decided to create these alter egos because we were just bored," Cincinnati said. "And none of the other fake characters were being funny with their profiles so we just showed up."
Second-year College student Claire Olson, who admits to having created the Facebook's very own "Ferris Bueller" -- surprisingly revealing that Facebook Ferris is actually a girl -- said she chose her alias due to Ferris' popularity.
"When the Facebook came up, I decided that I wasn't gonna take this seriously so I thought, 'What fun teenager do people look to?'" Olson said. "And the answer was Ferris. I love him. There should be one in every environment."
Those who were some of the first to create alter egos said they feel that they are being copied by the new emerging ones.
"There is a certain aura around Edgar's presence, I guess," Klopfer said. "They are definitely copying me, and I'll see them in court for it," he said jokingly.
Andrei said he also is disturbed by impersonators, especially the other Thomas Jefferson.
"The other T.J. just sucks," he said. "He is just trying to impersonate me, and he doesn't even really have friends."
Although Andrei said he has almost 500 pending friend requests, he admitted that Edgar Allan Poe (Klopfer) has beaten him. Indeed, Jefferson has only 1,603 friends, while Poe boasts 1,975 friends on his profile.
"Last year [Jefferson] sent me a message mocking me, so I spent an eight-hour period beating him on friends count," Klopfer said. "I'm glad I'm still on top."
While some of the alter egos are quite happy to accept as many friends as possible, some are pickier.
"When we started [accounts for] Holy God and the Devil, we decided not to accept any friends, and right now I have 167 friendships pending," Cincinnati said with a laugh. "Eventually everyone who has requested my friendship will get it. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but definitely before judgment day," he said.
In addition to receiving constant friend requests, the students said their fake personas also are involved in relationships.
"One of the most common messages I get as Ferris is from girls who say, "I love you, I want to marry you,'" said Olson.
Cincinnati said even Holy God has been exposed to some flirting.
"I had this message thing going on with a girl for a while," he said. "It was definitely online flirting."
According to the students who maintain these Facebook personas, the romantic intentions are not only limited to the scope of the University.
"Poe just broke up with this girl from NYU," Klopfer said.
Cincinnati also emphasized the multi-collegiate aspect of Holy God's group of admirers and friend wannabes.
"Probably 20 or 30 people that are pending on my list are from other schools," he said. "This means that people are searching globally for Holy God. That makes sense of course."
Students said their fake personas interact with other members mostly through the messaging function of the Facebook.
Andrei said one of his favorite messaging moments included an offer for sex.
"Message: Mr. Jefferson, If I sleep in your bed, will you give me a 4.0 GPA?"
Whether intended as a romantic or friendly gesture, one of the Facebook's most frequently used features, used by fake personas and their admirers, is poking.
Andrei (Thomas Jefferson) admitted that he used to be a "poker."
"I did used to poke a lot of people, just for the hell of it," he said.
Although Klopfer (Poe) said he uses the poking device from time to time, but he is quite vague when describing his interpretation of the gesture.
"Poking is early stages of a right-wing conspiracy," he said. "I can't speak about it more than that for security reasons."
Speaking of security, according to some Facebook personas, the online directory provides students with ample opportunities for "stalking."
"Maybe [the Facebook] does promote stalkerism, but it is not a huge problem," Olson said. "It mainly helps you to see who the hell is in your class, or that person you met the other day."
Andrei said his alter ego Thomas Jefferson has been involved in some stalking.
"Thomas Jefferson has randomly decided to hit on first-year girls," he said. "Some respond, and some don't. You know he gets pretty lonely up in Monticello."
While Andrei said that he still updates Jefferson's profile, another favorite fake face, Edgar Allan Poe, is ready to retire, according to Klopfer.
"At this point, I hate the Facebook. I get so many e-mails now that I automatically delete them," he said. "Edgar will have to die soon. His second life on the Facebook will have to end as tragically as it did in his first life"
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