Do you lie about yourself online?
- Thread starter Bomberman4000
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There's no reason to lie in cyberspace. You don't accomplish anything by doing so, unlike in real life.
You're already 100% hidden and safe from all negative criticism as it is.
I know that quite a lot of people lie about their gender. Sadly, even more people are concerned with peoples gender, specifically when playing MMORPGs. If people wouldn't care, the liars wouldn't be able to have their fun.
You're already 100% hidden and safe from all negative criticism as it is.
I know that quite a lot of people lie about their gender. Sadly, even more people are concerned with peoples gender, specifically when playing MMORPGs. If people wouldn't care, the liars wouldn't be able to have their fun.
lets face it, in heat of an arguement we have all busted out the lie which will be the critical blow to the other person.
lying about experiences like "i once punched a nazi-cyborg-500ft-lazershooting-bear-tiger-shark-chuck norris in the face and killed it" would be pointless.
that's why i don't lie about it. i just do it. BOOM
lying about experiences like "i once punched a nazi-cyborg-500ft-lazershooting-bear-tiger-shark-chuck norris in the face and killed it" would be pointless.
that's why i don't lie about it. i just do it. BOOM
No. I'm genuine online and in real life.
Online in particular I see absolutely no reason or advantage to lie. If anything people can use this environment in order to 'test' others responses to a given subject matter...making them more comfortable about it in a face to face conversation.
Online in particular I see absolutely no reason or advantage to lie. If anything people can use this environment in order to 'test' others responses to a given subject matter...making them more comfortable about it in a face to face conversation.
Never.
But nobody believes that I'm Spider-Man.
Why will nobody believe me?
I've got the catchphrase down and everything.
[HEADING=1]Tingling! My Spider Sense is doing it![/HEADING]
But nobody believes that I'm Spider-Man.
Why will nobody believe me?
I've got the catchphrase down and everything.
[HEADING=1]Tingling! My Spider Sense is doing it![/HEADING]
I not someone to lie, in person or otherwise.
Maybe if someone is in chat online and they are being... unpleasant, I will then make something up to make them leave, or for me to. There is really nothing to gain by lieing on the internet.
Maybe if someone is in chat online and they are being... unpleasant, I will then make something up to make them leave, or for me to. There is really nothing to gain by lieing on the internet.
I'm always encouraged to lie during debates or just in general - but I'm a terrible liar, and lying would cripple my side of the argument if I got found out, so really it's just not worth it. Course, I've met my fair share of U.S. Marines who want to swim the Atlantic to beat me up for killing them in WoW. Gotta watch out for those WoW-playing swimming Marines.
I don't ever directly lie...sort of, I might accentuate or minimize certain things so that a certain other story is inferred by people. Also I probably do lie by omission or by stating facts in a certain way. But I won't go outright lie.
I've never told the whole truth about myself, even on social network sites like Facebook. I just don't trust the internet that much.
Sometimes when I want to try something new, I'll create a new account in an MMO and make my character represent someone completely different from me. I've pretended to be a girl before, but I was extremely careful not to let things go far. It's sort of an interesting social experiment, but I've never tried to bring people out of their comfort zones or anything of the sort.
That would be a little cruel.
In person I've lied before, but it was mostly lies so I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of explaining things people like my younger siblings wouldn't understand. It pisses me off when I need to repeat myself several times, I'd rather do a small lie and skip it entirely.
That would be a little cruel.
In person I've lied before, but it was mostly lies so I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of explaining things people like my younger siblings wouldn't understand. It pisses me off when I need to repeat myself several times, I'd rather do a small lie and skip it entirely.
In general, no.
The internet is the only place where I can be my self without even caring whether or not I'm being judged. People don't know me IRL, I don't care what they think.
The first example that comes to my mined is my sexuality.
Only 3 persons I know personally know I'm gay. But I don't hide it even a bit on the internet.
(being openly gay in my country is dangerous for your health, not like in the middle east, but still dangerous)
I am probably lying sometimes, but would be some harmless lies or lying without knowing.
I also try to be as honest as possible in real life. But I will not always tell the whole truth, unless asked directly about that (that's how those 3 friends know I'm gay, they asked).
The internet is the only place where I can be my self without even caring whether or not I'm being judged. People don't know me IRL, I don't care what they think.
The first example that comes to my mined is my sexuality.
Only 3 persons I know personally know I'm gay. But I don't hide it even a bit on the internet.
(being openly gay in my country is dangerous for your health, not like in the middle east, but still dangerous)
I am probably lying sometimes, but would be some harmless lies or lying without knowing.
I also try to be as honest as possible in real life. But I will not always tell the whole truth, unless asked directly about that (that's how those 3 friends know I'm gay, they asked).
I tend to be truthful and honest during my various engagements in both the Cyber and Real World.
My policy:
"I will not lie, but I also will not tell the WHOLE truth, unless asked about it."
My policy:
"I will not lie, but I also will not tell the WHOLE truth, unless asked about it."
Seeing as I'm a ruggedly handsome man who is 6'8 inches tall, rescued 9.5 babies per year from fires AND have climbed everest while walking on my hands, I see no reason to lie 
Srsly though, I see no need to. Being honest is way more easy. Keeping track of lies was never my strong suit...
Srsly though, I see no need to. Being honest is way more easy. Keeping track of lies was never my strong suit...
Im about 95% honest about myself online. I may fib occasionally about my hair, or perhaps let a few lbs be forgotten here or there.
Like, i used to have really nice dreads. Clean, silky, smooth. Not the ugly nappy kind rappers and football players go with. They were called "Silky Locks". Really nice to look at, shined brighty in the sun. Took no effort whatsoever to maintain.
So if im talking to someone online i know i will never meet, i'll tell them thats my hairstyle right now. I could have them put back in at anytime, but they are actually pretty bad for your scalp. ((Can make you go bald later in life if you have them in to long))
And im not actually a fat guy. Im not thin, but im definitely not fat. Im about 6'2, 220 lbs. ((ok, maybe 225.)) Im a bit stocky, but i dont have a beer gut of any description. And i CAN see my..... feet, when i look down. But i do have big feet. ((Size 14 1/2's for a comfortable fit.))
My mom describes me as "Built like a football player" when she talks to her friends, and i guess thats about right. ((American football. With the tackling. Not the feet))
So, i try to tell as much truth about me online as possible, but i'll "skim" on details that arnt life or death. Im not going to say, "Tall, Dark and Handsome with rugged good looks!" ((I am tall and dark, my mother being black and my father white, and i have sort of a baby face, so that might be handsome to some, but you get the idea))
All and all, i dont lie. Not blatantly anyway. That was alot more text then i thought it would be.....
Like, i used to have really nice dreads. Clean, silky, smooth. Not the ugly nappy kind rappers and football players go with. They were called "Silky Locks". Really nice to look at, shined brighty in the sun. Took no effort whatsoever to maintain.
So if im talking to someone online i know i will never meet, i'll tell them thats my hairstyle right now. I could have them put back in at anytime, but they are actually pretty bad for your scalp. ((Can make you go bald later in life if you have them in to long))
And im not actually a fat guy. Im not thin, but im definitely not fat. Im about 6'2, 220 lbs. ((ok, maybe 225.)) Im a bit stocky, but i dont have a beer gut of any description. And i CAN see my..... feet, when i look down. But i do have big feet. ((Size 14 1/2's for a comfortable fit.))
My mom describes me as "Built like a football player" when she talks to her friends, and i guess thats about right. ((American football. With the tackling. Not the feet))
So, i try to tell as much truth about me online as possible, but i'll "skim" on details that arnt life or death. Im not going to say, "Tall, Dark and Handsome with rugged good looks!" ((I am tall and dark, my mother being black and my father white, and i have sort of a baby face, so that might be handsome to some, but you get the idea))
All and all, i dont lie. Not blatantly anyway. That was alot more text then i thought it would be.....
Where many people opt to exaggerate their qualifications through their online personae, I actually tend to play mine down. Apart from the fact most people probably wouldn't believe them, those who probably do are likely to become intimidated by them; the walls of text I tend to create get this effect alone, amplifying this doesn't net me the preferred result.
Speaking of which, I'm usually looking for intelligent and thought-provoking discussions (a regrettably rare sight online). That alone is yet another reason for me to be honest in general, even if I tend to omit many of my qualifications so that others are less inclined to respond out of the preconception that there's no way for them to come up with a decent argument against anything I have to say. This has led to many cases where I've ended up using message boards & forums as metaphorical "intellectual punching-bags" to work through my own thought-experiments; looking for someone else to provide constructive criticism (perhaps under my own misconception, that there's someone out there who is able & willing to provide it), I end up doing it myself.
---
But yes, just think about this for a moment:
Do you really want to get into an argument with the guy who designs bridges?
Okay, I'm still a student... but still, someone with a background in structural engineering and bridge design will come off as either intimidating or arrogant (if not both) regardless of the subject of debate. Even when discussing something outside an expert's field of study, the fact they are an expert in anything tends to result in people thinking "This guy's smarter than me, there's no way I'm going to win this argument". Then they just give up, even when they have a good point and were being constructive for the discussion.
Perhaps if only they realized that I'm not trying to win any argument, or that there was even one to begin with. I'm simply trying have an intelligent discussion which I can learn something from.
Speaking of which, I'm usually looking for intelligent and thought-provoking discussions (a regrettably rare sight online). That alone is yet another reason for me to be honest in general, even if I tend to omit many of my qualifications so that others are less inclined to respond out of the preconception that there's no way for them to come up with a decent argument against anything I have to say. This has led to many cases where I've ended up using message boards & forums as metaphorical "intellectual punching-bags" to work through my own thought-experiments; looking for someone else to provide constructive criticism (perhaps under my own misconception, that there's someone out there who is able & willing to provide it), I end up doing it myself.
---
But yes, just think about this for a moment:
Do you really want to get into an argument with the guy who designs bridges?
Okay, I'm still a student... but still, someone with a background in structural engineering and bridge design will come off as either intimidating or arrogant (if not both) regardless of the subject of debate. Even when discussing something outside an expert's field of study, the fact they are an expert in anything tends to result in people thinking "This guy's smarter than me, there's no way I'm going to win this argument". Then they just give up, even when they have a good point and were being constructive for the discussion.
Perhaps if only they realized that I'm not trying to win any argument, or that there was even one to begin with. I'm simply trying have an intelligent discussion which I can learn something from.