Lies penetrate our communication little by little – in exaggerations, fiction, omissions. With the advent of digital technology in our lives, we have become much more likely to communicate virtually. Seemingly unlimited possibilities for a liar. How have our lies changed?
Messengers, smartphones and communicators are a real gift for an inveterate liar. Lying in online communication is easier: at this moment, the interlocutor cannot read non-verbal signals and relies only on text.
To figure out how often people use this when communicating via e-mail and text messages, Madeline Smith from Northwestern University (USA) and her colleagues* undertook. 164 students were selected for the truth check. The subjects were asked to revise their last two correspondences, which they could choose for themselves. Survey participants revealed the content of 15 messages from these correspondences, and then honestly answered how true each of these messages was.
The result was the following:
- 11% of all messages contained deception;
- while 23% of the subjects reported that they did not lie in any message;
- most of those who were caught cheating did so, by their own admission, infrequently;
- only 5 people out of all 164 turned out to be notorious liars – deception was found in half of their messages.
Researchers suggest that people often lie in messages when it comes to coordinating social plans. For example, a person who is late for an appointment may say that they have already left the house or are stuck in traffic, although this is not the case.
The reason is that texting allows us to lie about our whereabouts with impunity. Such a “white lie” allows you to avoid conflict and justify yourself in the eyes of those who are waiting. **
On the other hand, lying in messages can be quite risky. Realizing that the correspondence contains deceit, the person they tried to fool will have irrefutable evidence against the liar in writing.
* M. Smith, J. Hancock, L. Reynolds, J. Birnholtz «Everyday Deception or A Few Prolific Liars? The Prevalence of Lies in Text Messaging», Academia.edu, 2014.
** G. Seidman «How Much Do We Lie in Text Messages?», Psychology Today, November 2014.