Why do we lie on the net?

Question

There are people all over the world who use the anonimity that internet gives them to lie about themselves. Why is it so? I don't mean small lies when someone just exaggerates things a little but serious and unnecesary lies. When you believe in people who might have even changed your life and with whom you shared your secrets and then one day they just go wild and it turns out that everything they said was a lie. I had the experience with 2 people. Their lies took away a brother and a sister from me. All their lies were absolutely unnecesary and I just can't get the picture why did they do that.

For those who haven't replied to my question yet and my description is ambigous, I want to make it clear that I haven't lost real siblings, I've lost 2 friends whom I regarded as my brother and sister and whom I've lost due to their own lies.

Answer 1

I think people can 'live out their fantasy' behind the veil of anonymity. They need not have bad intentions (although some will) but often they hurt people. The thing is that if someone is not relatively consistent within his/her own self - for example when pretending to be someone else - then chances are that person will have to lie more and more to keep the 'identity' portrayed.

I don't think you should think about the people, but the changes that happen in your life; if you are glad they happened, but the people who 'introduced' you to them were not genuine, aren't you still better off because of the change?

It always hurts when you are betrayed, but being betrayed on the net and off the net is the same. It could have been your offline 'brother' and 'sister' betraying you. The only issue would be if you trusted people on the net more than people you meet offline. That would be an issue with you, a mistake we should all be wary of making.

As a final note, I know this won't be much of a consolation, but you are better off without fake brother/sister; the damage would have been much worse had things lasted longer.

Answer 2

It's hard to empathise with words on a screen, people can become the closest of friends and yet know nothing of each other. Lies can start small and build up into an ogre, it happens, its life. There is no punishment on the internet cos its so easy. So you lose one internet friend, big deal, there are millions more, and maybe you were bored of them anyway. I have always been honest with those who I have gotten to know as friends, to the point where it is brutal the honesty, that would not happen in real life.

Internet is a double edged sword, you can get to know people fast and the people you get to know can go one way or another, pure honesty with more details than you would ever wish to know or pure deception, lies one upon the other like pancakes stacked up. People have their reasons for each, insecurity, boredom, as a game to pass time. And then there are people in between. I will choose to lie to people who I don't care about, are liers themselves or whatever nothings which I care not a tat about. But you must learn to judge people online, its a process, don't be naive and understand that nobody is portraying the truth all the time even if they do not know it. In an unreal world you have alot more potential to be anything, its harder to be honest, pandoras box is a temptation.

Hope that made a little sense and theres not too much contradiction, Im tired and cant concentrate.

Answer 3

The reason is anonymity and the fact that the consequences are non-existent. Sometimes it is fun to lure people into doing things or revealing something personal.
Personally, I don't believe anything anyone on the internet has to say unless it is an immediately verifiable fact. Anyone who can steal something from you as important as a brother or sister over the net should highlight your own naivety and lack of understanding for people and their motivations.
In fact, I'd say that it wasn't the lies of other people that drove a wedge between you and your siblings, but rather your own interpersonal relationships with them.
Also, were their lies really unnecessary lies? Men are compelled to take action out of necessity. Maybe they didn't trust you enough to tell you the truth? Either way, lying on the net is just a way for people to temporarily escape the mediocrity of their own boring lives and when they find someone gullible enough to believe it only encourages them more.
Basically, you're a part of the problem. Accept responsibility for your naive trust in a total stranger and commit yourself to the oath of "Never Again will I make such a stupid mistake."

Answer 4

Because the Internet for a lot of people is a form of escapism from the real world. Some people like use the Internet to listen to music or watch films, others to chat - that's their way of escaping from reality for an hour or two. others like to come on the Internet and pretend to be somebody different from who they are in real life. Again this is a form of escapism and the Internet is anonymous so makes it very easy. Now some people do take this too far and it can cause upset and trouble like it has done for you. But people lie in real time too and couse all kinds of trouble. The internet just makes it easier. There is no explanation for this. People just do it because they can and mybe they enjoy the superior feeling they get by misleading another person deliberatley. The only advice to give is just to use the internet for what it is intended - a vast wealth of information and entertainment. Do not use it seriously to try to form genuine relationships and friendships with people. Sometimes they do work, but for the number of happy "We met on the internet" type stories, there are double the number of sad, some with tragic endings.

Answer 5

sadly there are people in this world who only care about themselves and should know better. Im sorry for what may have happened to your brother and sister. But the anonimity of the internet allows all kinds of people to take advantage of the trust of innocent people. Like you said, the internet allows us to sometimes embellish our qualities and perhaps gives us an alter ego. It also becomes a gateway for people to do harm to others. They do it because they have no consideration for other people's feelings or any sense of morality. I get disgusted at the number of sexual predators that exist online and the number of websites that deal with child pornography. There's no excuse for people like that. I don't know exactly what you're refering to but i agree 100%

Answer 6

Because they want to be someone else for a little while. They figure that they will never meet these people so it won't hurt to lie. So, they just become whoever they want to be that day.

I am very sorry to hear that you lost a sister and a brother over people's lies.

Answer 7

I don't agree especially nowadays, if you give out true identity, more often you get into trouble than telling the lies.

Internet is good; however, many people made it bad. I thnk it is normal that people lie for privacy and security reason. Look at all those victims (teenagers particularly), they were victims because they fell for some lies from their own truth.

Answer 8

Because it's easier to get away with the lie online. Very little chance of being caught out and the reprecussions aren't as bad. What are your online peers going to do? Ban you from the forum?

Answer 9

Well...it's easier to lie on the net...you don't see their body language and it's so impossible to find the truth unless you're seeing them in person...

Maybe they just wannabe somebody else the can't be...the poor wants to be rich, the fat want to be slim, the jerks want to be good and decent and vice versa...

The only thing you can protect yourself from the lie is...never believe what people say to you on the net..and never ever fall in love with anybody on the net too...it's just too risky!

Answer 10

We lie on the internet as we are all beautiful really smart people with huge mammaries and male members. HA HA HA

TFTP