Junior Jayson Chao sits in front of his computer. Tabs open: Reddit, Tumblr and, most importantly, Facebook. He types in words. He wonders, what’s the worst thing that could happen if I pressed enter? He presses enter regardless. He recalls his post with the most likes to be his photoshopped student ID, where he posted a funnier picture of himself within the square of the school picture. Other posts include comedy like “just as bright as a lamp, but equally shady”. Some have more serious topics that include his personal opinions like his post regarding what he thought of the public’s reactions to the death of alumni.

For Chao, online social media accounts are his comedic outlet. Though students may see him outside or encounter him in class and see him as a shy kid, online, he’s completely different.

Chao feels as though what he posts on the internet is pretty blunt. His Facebook wall is much like a written version of a comedian’s YouTube account. There are a lot of posts; some are funny, some are serious and some are random. He considers Facebook an outlet to be somewhat of a stand-up comedian, without the embarrassment of a failed joke.

“The internet is a good place to be irrelevant,” Chao said.

Since Chao’s posts share his inner thoughts on certain controversial topics, he has gotten into a handful of debates with other people while fighting for what he believes in. He chooses to ignore spiteful remarks. Because he doesn’t care about others’ thoughts, nothing has really stopped Chao from multiple status updates. At times, he goes for long durations of time without posting, but sometimes he posts every few minutes.

But sometimes, he regrets the blunt status updates that he posts. For Chao, the inability to express tone online invites misinterpretation of all of his posts. As a result, he fears that many who read his posts think of him as a ruder person than he actually is.

“Since most of what I post is for comedic purposes, and [will also never get] me a job,” Chao said, “I’m kind of just anticipating what the worst reaction.”

Chao gets inspiration from his everyday life from basic things — like threads on Reddit. He then uses this information as inspiration to fuel his posts. At arbitrary moments in the day, Chao decides to post if and when he feels like it.

Many have noticed Chao’s tendency to post online more than average. Though some consider his posts unamusing, others call them funny. Some even refer to him as funnier on Facebook than in real life. Before Chao’s parents went through his Facebook, he deleted content items with vulgar language. He says that his parents have mixed reactions over his use of Facebook.

“Sometimes they laugh,” Chao said, “and sometimes they lock me up in my room for a day.”

For Chao, the internet is an outlet for him to express how he feels, which he will continue to do. He thinks that his use of Facebook may prove to be more detrimental to him in the future. He continues just for the ability to have spontaneous outbursts of comedy and opinion.

“If I didn’t have an audience,” Chao said, “I would probably just not post and talk to my dolls and pillows.”