The Truth in Identity in Online Dating

            Not trusting the people you meet on the Internet is very popular, especially with the increasing numbers of people who use social media and online dating apps. It has been found that lying is more common then in dating then other social situations (Rowatt 1996), so the more important question becomes, what do people lie about? Through technology and CMC people can write themselves into being, and choose what people know about them. This article finds that people are most likely to lie or misrepresent themselves in appearance and employment information. Another study from 2008 in the article found that people are more likely to lie about small things, then major lies that were also found in the movie When Strangers Click. The focuses in this article were very similar to the findings in the movie. Of the people in the movie, the first couple, the couple from New York and last couple, who met on the virtual world didn’t mention any large misrepresentations of either partner’s identity were made. The man of the third couple admitted that subtly misrepresented his height or avoided talking about it, and women he met prior to his wife lied about their weights frequently, which are both extensions of appearance, and one of the most common things people lie about when recreating their identities online. The only relationship of the four where someone’s identity was greatly misrepresented was the mayors initially.

            I personally did not think that people were as honest as they are when identifying themselves online. The article and the movie, both worked to change my opinions about online dating, meeting people online, and believing what people say about themselves online. Previously I would have had harder times believing that people were truthful about their feelings and beliefs. I felt this way because I thought picture, and more so video communication was bigger a part of online dating, which would eliminate the ability to lie about your appearance, but you could easily lie about what’s on the inside to make your counterpart feel closer, or a more intimate connection with you. Upon reading the article, and watching the movie, I now have a very different understanding of integrity, and honesty of people identifying themselves online.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/close-encounters/201407/can-you-really-trust-the-people-you-meet-online