Why do People Create Fake Identities Online?

There are so many ways to connect with people online these days and it is extremely easy to do. Just look at how many different social media sites there are where you can make friends, share information about yourself and learn about others. Unfortunately, you don’t always know that what you’re being told is the complete truth. If all you have to go by is a picture and the other person’s word, then how do you know what you’re being told is accurate? Some people seem to get a perverse pleasure out of creating alter-egos where they can lead the kind of lives that others are likely to envy, despite the fact that everything they say is fabricated.

Although the Internet has made it easier for people to connect, these connections are often tenuous and transient. You pick up an online pal, chat a few times using instant messenger, and then never hear from them again. You soon get used to it, but sometimes you feel as though you’ve really clicked with someone. You find that you have similar interests and a similar outlook on the world and you want to get to know them better. However, usually these are the very people who live too far away for you to just meet, and so you may have to talk on the phone or continue communicating online for a period of time, which can be fulfilling to a certain degree, but it’s not quite the same as having an actual face-to-face conversation.

Nowadays, most people have access to a webcam and so you can see for yourself if the person you’ve been talking to is who they purport to be, but even then you don’t know whether they’re hiding something. It could be that they are married or have children or that they have something in their past that they’ve decided to keep hidden. They may have told you that they have a better job than they do or that they live somewhere they don’t. Of course, people lie in their day-to-day lives as well, so you can never really be certain of how truthful the individuals you meet are being. The trouble is that it is much easier to keep up the pretence and to continue lying online than it is in person.

So, why do people create fake identities online? It gives them a certain degree of anonymity – they can say what they want without worrying it might come back to haunt them; it enables them to portray themselves as the individuals they’d like to be rather than who they are; they may simply get enjoyment out of attracting people with their lies, luring them in then letting them down. It may be that they’re insecure about the way they look or some other aspect of their life and so want to be able to attract someone, regardless of how they do so. In the end, though, this is hardly likely to end on a positive note. Clearly, if you build a relationship online with someone that’s based on a pack of lies it is hard to imagine that anything is going to come of it in the real, offline world.

Is it Possible to Fall in Love Online?

The Internet has made it exceptionally easy to connect with people and it therefore comes as no surprise that so many people have tried online dating and built relationships online. There are dating and friendship sites; chat rooms and social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, where you can get in contact with people you otherwise wouldn’t have met. However, if you’ve never met in real life and your only interaction is online, is the relationship you have likely to be on the same level as the relationships you have in your real life? Is it possible to chat with someone online and to fall in love with them, despite having never met?

Some people believe it is possible. After all, it is a rather romantic notion – the idea that you can meet your ‘soul mate’ online, someone you share your innermost thoughts and beliefs with; someone who accepts you the way you are; someone who makes you feel good about yourself. Yet, the trouble is it’s much easier to be open with a stranger when you’re typing away at a computer. It is not quite the same as having a face-to-face conversation and getting to know someone in person. There is much more opportunity to lie or exaggerate when you’re not in a position to meet up with the other individual.

In a real-life situation, you are immediately aware of whether there is any chemistry between you, which isn’t true when you’ve only conducted a relationship online. Even if you’re both entirely honest with one another, there will undoubtedly be aspects of your personality you highlight, and other aspects you downplay, whether consciously or not. If you only spend an hour or two using instant messenger to communicate or merely send emails on a daily basis, how much can you really find out about a person? At least if you know each other in real life, you will have a better chance to see what they are truly like.

Of course, it can feel as though you’re in love when you can chat via webcam or whilst using instant messenger for hours on end, but, again, you can be quite selective in what you reveal about yourself. Besides, even though you may appear to have chemistry online, there is no guarantee this is going to translate into chemistry when you actually meet. Obviously, when you’re in love, certain chemical reactions take place, and you’re unlikely to experience these when you can’t see, touch or smell the other person. Your personalities may click, but it could turn out that you are not attracted to each other when you meet and that what you have is more of a friendship than romantic.

It might be possible to find someone who you can imagine falling in love with online, but the reality is that you can’t really gauge how you feel about an individual until you have met; had a face-to-face conversation and got to know each other in person.

Signs Your Online Boyfriend isn't Who he Says he is

The Internet has revolutionised the way that people connect with others, as you don’t even need to leave the room to find yourself chatting to someone with similar interests and beliefs or someone with completely different views and opinions. You only have to join a chat room or use one of the myriad social media sites to be able to connect with other people from all over the world, which is clearly a positive thing. Indeed, many people are starting up relationships online and then taking them offline once they have got to know each other better. However, there are a number of risks associated with getting to know someone online.

You may think that you’re in a ‘proper’ relationship with someone online – that one day you will meet and actually build up an offline relationship with that person. You may refer to your ‘boyfriend’ even though you’ve only got to know him online. Of course, if you don’t live very close together it isn’t that easy to just meet up for a quick drink and a chat, so it makes sense to find out whether you have anything in common online and to build up a connection that way. Unfortunately, you can quite easily find yourself growing closer to someone who isn’t who he professes to be.

After all, the Internet offers individuals a degree of anonymity and many people exaggerate about themselves, saying that they have a good job when they’re really unemployed and that they live in a nice apartment, when the reality is they live with their parents. Of course, people can lie in real life, as well, but it is so much easier to construct the life you’d like to lead when your only communication is online. You can quite quickly make others believe that you’re really successful and wealthy when you’re actually not. Clearly, if someone seems too good to be true, the chances are he is. If your ‘boyfriend’ is good-looking, educated, well-off, and has the perfect job, he may be telling the truth, but there is also the possibility he is telling lies.

Of course, it is always difficult to verify the truth. However, alarm bells may start ringing if there are inconsistencies in what he is telling you and if he is evasive when you start asking him more questions. If he tells you that he’s a doctor and you start asking him about the kind of medicine he practices, you would expect him to be able to give you a straight answer, unless he doesn’t really know what he’s talking about. Plus, until you’ve chatted via webcam or actually met in person, you don’t know whether the picture you have of a person is really of him. It’s easy to alter photos or send one of someone else or a picture of yourself when you were younger.

If your ‘boyfriend’ isn’t the person he claims to be, then he’s going to be reluctant to meet. He might make excuses not to meet in the first place, or arrange to meet, but then not show up. He may not answer your calls or only talk to you briefly. It might be the case that your ‘boyfriend’ is already in a relationship and that you’re just someone he messes about with online, so that he can only talk at certain times. You might think you’re in a serious relationship, but he might be using you for something else, whether he wants to try to encourage you to give him money or to have sex with him. It is therefore worth being aware of the dangers of getting involved with someone online.

Why do People Tell Lies Online?

You hear of so many instances of people pretending to be something they're not whilst online. Everyone has their own motivations for lying and misrepresenting themselves, though clearly the Internet has made it much easier, because you never have to reveal yourself to the people you're talking to. Of course, even though, increasingly, people have decided to use web cams and other forms of technology to make online interaction more real, it is still possible to remain anonymous. You can quite easily post comments on forums and chat with random strangers without revealing yourself.

In the early days of online dating, you'd read the occasional horror story of how a woman would end up being raped because she had met up in person with someone she had discovered online. Of course, this was a nonsense. Plenty of people have used online dating sites and met people they actually like, just as people have met in conventional social settings and encountered problems. The problem is that online you can be selective about the information you choose to share. The chances are you don't see the person you're interacting with on a day-to-day basis and so you have less opportunity to unpick any inconsistencies that might be present in what they are saying.

It's not only what people say, though. There are also people who post pictures of themselves that actually look nothing like them, just to attract attention. Of course, this is fine until you decide to meet in person, in which case you obviously have to do a lot of explaining. There are undoubtedly those who hope to win over a potential mate with their personality, but if you have to lie to get noticed, it is hardly a good sign and is unlikely to go down well with anyone. It is somewhat understandable, though, when so much emphasis is placed on looks in the competitive world of online dating.

Some people tell lies online, because they want to make themselves seem more interesting than they are, or more attractive. Others may have a past that they're ashamed of and don't want to admit to. Virtually everyone is guilty of telling little white lies online, or at least evading certain aspects of the truth. However, there are those who maliciously set out to hoodwink people into believing their lies for financial gain or the purposes of some other kind of criminal activity. Many people have been conned out of money, believing that they are helping someone in desperate financial need.

There are other types of criminal activities that take place online and lying obviously helps criminals achieve their main objective, which is why it is so important to remain vigilant when connecting with people online. The Internet has opened up the world and made it possible for you to interact with a wide range of people you may otherwise never have associated with, but it is worth bearing in mind that not everyone is who they say they are and that it is very easy to get carried away telling lies online, when there is no one there to hold you accountable.

Why do so Many People Look for Love Online?

Once upon a time, anyone who engaged in online dating was viewed as a bit odd. Why would you have to look online for someone to date when in the past people have always met in 'normal' social situations? However, times have changed. Technology has come to play an ever greater part in people's lives, so that it makes sense to utilise these tools. Online dating and social networking sites make it possible for people to discover people they might otherwise have never met, which can only be a good thing. The Internet has connected people across the globe and so you have a better chance of finding someone you are able to connect with by taking your search online.

Of course, there are problems with looking for love online. There are many different sites to choose from and millions of Internet users, so that narrowing down your search isn't always easy. Plus, when creating an online profile, it is very easy to misrepresent yourself. You can find yourself exaggerating certain qualities and playing down other aspects of your situation, which is all well and good when communication is kept purely online. However, what about if you intend to meet? You can post a picture of yourself looking your most glamorous, but you can't exactly disguise the fact that you're overweight and are losing your hair when you actually meet.

Yet, there have been so many successful instances of people finding love online, that an increasing number of people are turning to dating sites to aid them in their search for companionship. It is so easy to post a picture, write a few things about yourself, look at other people's profiles and get in contact. Within a few hours you could be meeting up with someone in person. This is great news when you don't have a lot of opportunities to meet people in your everyday life. You can read what interests a potential love interest has and decide if you have anything in common. This makes it much easier to hold a conversation when you do actually meet.

It has become more socially acceptable to look for love online. Online dating used to be viewed with suspicion – as if everyone looking for love online was a desperate loser unable to find someone in the real world! Nowadays, it is evident that people from all walks of life use the Internet to connect with people, whether they are looking for love or not. When people don't have much time or opportunity to meet people of the opposite sex in their area, but are interested in finding love, it clearly makes sense to take the search elsewhere and the Internet facilitates this.

The Drawbacks of Looking for Love Online

More and more people have been turning to the Internet in their quest to find love, and who can blame them? Online dating seems like a convenient way to meet people, since you don't have to go bar-hopping and you can establish that you have something in common with someone before actually meeting them. It's a great way to find someone new to interact with if you work long hours and don't have much of a social life. However, there are no guarantees that you're actually going to find love online and, indeed, you may simply find that it is more hassle than it's worth.

After all, you could make a connection with someone only to meet up and find that there is no spark there. Even worse than that; you could discover that the person you thought you were meeting actually lied to you. It's easy to do when creating a profile. You obviously want to appeal to members of the opposite sex and so you exaggerate a little bit here and make up a few things things there and before you know it your profile in no way resembles the truth. If the person you are going on a date with does this, you could find yourself coming away feeling rather disappointed.

You can find yourself pinning all your hopes on finding love online and you forget that it is possible to meet people in real life, too! You might think that it is a hassle to look for a partner in your everyday life, but you never know what's around the corner. You may be doing what you always do, only for something unexpected to happen and for you to meet someone you really connect with. You don't get the same level of spontaneity and excitement with online interactions and even when there does appear to be something worth pursuing, you may discover that there isn't when you meet in person.

There are lots more online dating sites than there used to be, but this means that it can take a lot of time to decide on the right site for you. Even then, you may discover that the site is full of people that you're not interested in and that you keep being sent lots of messages from individuals who you have no intention of replying to. Your inbox may end up full of spam and you will probably wonder what the point of being a member of a dating site is, especially if you have to pay for the privilege.

You might start out thinking that online dating is the most convenient way to go to find love, but you could soon discover that it's just as time-consuming and still as difficult to find someone who actually wants a relationship online as it is in real life. There are plenty of people who will tell you what you want to hear in order to get a date, only to let you down in one way or another. However, online dating isn't all bad, and many couples have found each other by using the Internet, which is why this method of looking for love has obviously become so popular.

The Benefits of Looking for Love Online

The Internet has provided so many options for people looking for love. In the old days, you used to have to rely on meeting people through your friends or picking someone up on a night out. Now, you can go online and look for someone you think you may connect with in person. It may take away some of the spontaneity and there is no guarantee you're going to click with a person you have discovered online, but at least you have the opportunity to look for people who you may have something in common with. Plus, if you're shy or work long hours, the Internet could offer you the best hope of finding someone.

There are many online dating sites to choose from and you no longer have to be embarrassed about meeting up with someone you have discovered over the Internet, as many people do so. Online dating used to be something of a minority activity, but clearly the convenience of this method of finding love has made it much more popular. People just don't have the time to go clubbing or take up hobbies on the off-chance they might find someone they can embark on a relationship with. By looking online, you have a better idea of what you're getting. You can enter in your specific requirements and find a person that you'd like to get to know better.

As well as dating sites, there are also popular forums on any topic and interest you could possibly think of, and there is a chance you could just connect with someone on one of these, although, as with any method of finding a friend or a partner, there are no guarantees! The trouble with looking for love online is that it is easy to raise your expectations too high. You read of all these couples who get together online and you think that you're going to find the man or woman of your dreams straightaway. The Internet may provide you with another method of interacting with people, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to end up in a relationship.

However, for many people the Internet is the best way to look for love, because they don't meet that many new people. Once you've been in a particular job for a long time and settled into a routine, it can be difficult to put yourself into different situations where you might meet someone new. Going online gives you another avenue to explore and it is so easy to connect with other people who have the same interests as you. If you're shy, you don't have to worry about coming across as awkward, and if you work long hours you can arrange to go on a date, knowing that you will at least have something to talk about with the other person. Thus, the benefits of looking for love online are clear.