(Online Dating Industry Journal) A year ago, a study published in the Proceedings of Computer/Human Interaction journal found that the majority of online daters lie about at least one thing in their online dating profile. For women, more than 60% lied about their weight. For men, more than 50% lied about their height. The research suggested that the lies were "strategic" (in order to get dates).
As online daters become more comfortable with lying online, the length they go to in order to deceive others is also growing.
New services that touch up photos are reporting that one of the growing segments of their clientèle are online daters who have the services remove moles, freckles, whiten teeth, and even remove "love handles" or weight from a photo. The photo is then posted online as a true representation of the person.
Several months ago, the New York Times took the street, via their Freakanomics column, to ask people what they would lie about on their online dating profile. The answers ranged from the obvious (age, weight) to the not-so-obvious (intentions, profession). It seems some people are more honest to a reporter than to someone they might eventually marry.
As people become more comfortable with lying online, the deception methods are likely to become more bold.
Joe's Comments
The industry needs to come together to help discourage this practice. It only contributes to the negative online dating stigma. The importance of honesty needs to be stressed to online daters. Do we really live in a world where the majority of people think it is OK to outright lie and deceive others? I sure hope not.
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