It's not hard to guess why we lie on the Internet. We want other people to like us – to think we're cooler, richer, braver, prettier, or more stylish than we actually are. In an age where a big part of our lives is online, it boosts our self-esteem and helps us feel better about ourselves in the process.
A person's image on social media can be like a well-curated dating profile. We have the power to present ourselves in the best light possible and to omit the things we don't like about ourselves. When we interact with others, we have extra time to come up with witty comebacks we wouldn't otherwise have in real life.
Interestingly, researchers find that people tend to be more honest online than they are in real life. Jeff Hancock, a communication and psychology researcher at Stanford University, explains that we tend to feel more accountable in our personal communications online than in real life.
"Our research shows that when we get people to review their personal communications, they find that their online messages are more honest than their face-to-face interactions or phone calls," Hancock pointed out in 2018.
So, are we lying less online than we lie in real life? Yes, but only to our close circle of friends. Hancock and his team explain that there are two online spaces we inhabit. The first is the "inside world": our friends, colleagues, family members, and acquaintances that we have in our contacts on social media. The "outside world" is the rest of the internet that we don't know personally.
#10 Because Of Course A Child Would Know More About Medicine Than A Trained Doctor
Our communication with our "inside world" tends to be more honest since it's all people that we know. We can't lie about ourselves (or others) too much because friends and acquaintances will most likely call us out on it.
In the "outside world," however, we feel much braver. That's why comment sections tend to be breeding grounds for angry little goblins: "There are little to no reputation costs for people to lie online," Hancock explains.
Still, our personas on social media can wildly deviate from how we really are in real life. A 2015 study investigated people's "Facebook-self" and found that many users count their Facebook persona as different from their real self.
The researchers studied 258 Facebook users and found that those with low self-esteem and "low trait authenticity" are more likely to present a different "self" online.
#17 "We're Taking Out Little Girls Uteruses Here" -Very Real Hospital Management Staff
Sometimes, we lie on social media because we feel pressured. Who hasn't felt FOMO when scrolling through a friend's Instagram profile, feeling a pang of jealousy about how stylish they are, and how easy and awesome their life seems? Those of us who grew up with social media are in danger of developing unrealistic expectations about achievements and appearance.
