Feigning for attention

@minim wrote:

I know there are people online who portray themselves as differently from who they are in the real world. Maybe it is why those people like the internet, they can be something they aren’t. Reinvent themselves. But in most cases, depending how extreme the invention is, they are found out eventually, and the fall out can range from the minor to the very extreme depending on how much people had been taken in.

I know there are some people who don’t deviate too widley from the truth, and can therefore keep their “online personas” ticking along nicely for years.

Does it cause any harm? Ultimately no. Because everyone is aware that people lie about who they are on the net now. In the early days of this site I think people did get hurt, and probably fleeced of a few bob too, but I doubt it happens much now.

The other thing, which is kind of interesting, is why they do it in the first place. There are going to be the obvious things, like saying they are not married when they are, or that they have a job when they don’t, but why do people lie about the little things? My guess is that they start off by lying a little and then to keep the truth from being uncovered, one lie leads to another and then another and in the end, the chatter has to disappear in some way and come back as someone else and start again, hopefully in a more sensible manner.

If people like the fact that the internet breaks down barriers and puts people in touch who normally wouldn’t meet, then we have to accept the downside that there are always going to be people who want to portray themselves in a deceptive light.

Well, more fool them then!