For some strange reason, people in western culture lie about certain, predictable things. I’m sure in other cultures there are things they lie about as well but I can’t speak to that without some more in depth research, it would all be hearsay.
I’ve had many friends over the years turn to Internet dating to find “the one”. I’ve been with Bruce since I was 23 so I never experienced this phenomenon as it didn’t exist 11 years ago. I was not overly surprised to hear some of my friends online dating stories of lies and deceit, but I was a little disappointed. I know, from research we rely on in the digital marketing space, that 75% of people trust the information they read online from their peers. And this applies to online dating as well.
But I’m told that Aussies who are using internet dating are lying in many ways. These lies, in most cases, are not life threatening or even unpredictable, but the problem is that it breaks the trust with your date immediately upon meeting. The whole point of internet dating is that you’re announcing to the world that you are “ready” to settle down and get serious and you are looking for love. And I know we’re all insecure and vulnerable in this situation, but if you want to find love, then surely you want someone to love you for who you really are?
From what I’m hearing, the most common thing that men lie about is their height (making themselves taller in their online dating profiles) and their salary. But women lie about their weight, their age and they are more likely to upload a photo to their profile that is from many years ago and doesn’t accurately portray what they look like now. I’m sure both sexes also lie about how ‘chilled out’ or ‘outgoing’ they are, but these are things that a potential partner would find out pretty quickly upon suggesting date scenarios.
Anyway, its not really related to Digital Marketing, except when we’re trying to target these individuals with relevant ads and it turns out they’re not relevant because they lied, but I find human nature interesting. I know that people lie online about many other, more sinister things but it’s a Friday and I don’t want to think of such things.
What have you found people lie about online?