How do you know?
By ctryhnny
@ctryhnny (3460)
United States
March 14, 2013 6:09am CST
This is the internet and we can be anyone we want the world to think we are. I've seen people who say they are doctors, nurses and Vetrinarians who give their advice. I tell you I'm a 65 year old mother, grandmother and live alone with my 2 cats. When in reality I could be an 18 year old guy who has a wonderful life and all the money in the world. I could be an 80 year old man or woman who is married and also has a wonderful life. You believe what I say because who would like about these things? That's the wonder of the internet! We can say we live anywhere in the world and live any kind of life. When you read my discussions do you take them to be truthful or am I someone who is just making discussion I think people would respond to? How do you know that everyone is who they say you are? Do you care that someone is not who they say they are or do you just respond to discussions for the sake of responding and don't care about the person who is doing the writing?
2 people like this
13 responses
@petersum (4522)
• United States
14 Mar 13
Well, you can also meet people in the street, on the bus, in a cafe, etc., and spend a long time listening to a bunch of lies. We used to call it dating!
Of course, given enough time, the liars give themselves away.
And, we like to convince ourselves that personality is more important than physical looks.
So, what is the difference? Aren't we just bringing the movies into our own lives? Acting out a fantasy to cover up our incredibly boring existence?
No, we are showing the entire world how mentally unstable mankind has become! And the most ridiculous part is that we actually enjoy doing it!
1 person likes this
@ctryhnny (3460)
• United States
14 Mar 13
lol...you make some very funny but true points. Yes, it is called dating and nobody knows that as much as I do. I was dating a guy for a month before I found out he was married. I should have realized it in the beginning but I was blinded by roses and gifts...lol...I also agree there are a lot of mentally unstable people around and I seem to meet them all!
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
19 Mar 13
First of all, I take this site as a very "serious" site. Serious, in a way, that I feel that most people here do tell the truth about themselves and about their experiences. I do tell the truth about myself as well.
But I have to admit, when I used to be in one chat site, I didn't reveal much about myself. I always presented myself as a 24 year old single woman. Well, I am sure that 90% among the members do the same as well.
But for this site, this is a different thing. Discussions tackled could be really serious that need good and proper advice from people.
@ctryhnny (3460)
• United States
19 Mar 13
I agree with you that mylot is a more serious site than most others especially chat rooms. There are only a couple of members here that when I read their discussions or responses I have a hard time believing. Some people have said some strange things here.
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
20 Mar 13
hahaha! Well, yeah! I have read some of them and I just laugh after reading their posts. Must be their way of just making a discussion for the sake of posting one.
@r0ck_r0ck (1952)
• India
15 Mar 13
You can actually be anyone in real life too, with certain limitations. However, on the internet you can be anyone, i agree. But it is not worth it. I mean, the truth always comes out, a slip out of little detail and you are busted. haaha.
I don't really care, because if someone is making a discussion, it may or may not be her problem and if i am helping with my response, there is a chance a lot of other people with similar problem is getting help from that. If no one else, at least i am helping Mylot getting bigger day by day!
That is what i like to think I am doing. :P
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
14 Mar 13
You can't make up what you are writing about. I know they are the truth. The thing is that you may get a couple of things wrong like dates and times, or miss something out, because you and I and all of mylot are humans. I do wonder when I read a discussion and they are able to do things that I could not dream of, and wonder how at their age did they get the money to do it? Besides if someone lies and say they are, say, The Queen of England, there are things that only the real Queen of England knows about, and anyone else could get caught in a lie.
I am not that curious because I love to write, but sometimes I wonder. As for the wonderful life, if a person said his or her life is so wonderful, I would not believe it because normally we have ups and downs and sometimes life is crap.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Mar 13
So true, people sometimes lie and say that life is wonderful and there are those who nothing goes wrong. It is the latter I do not trust because they are the type who say, "put your novel or story online " because well they live such boring lives that they do not have to worry about hackers or someone stealing their work.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
15 Mar 13
Some time ago I started a discussion about a girl who created a fake profile on a discussion site and spent 3 years describing her perfect life. Everything was a lie and I was really surpriced that she was able to hide the truth for 3 years. Most people would have made some small mistakes or forgotten something, but she didn't do that. When we read things on the internet, we can't be sure that people are who they say they are. You can't see the person who is writing and you can pretend that you are a totally different person. I would get disappointed if I discovered that a member had made everything up, but it is the internet, and when we respond to a discussion there is always a chance that the person isn't honest.
@toyota4k (1208)
• Philippines
15 Mar 13
You're right. I for one have earned a good reputation on a facebook group known to be an energetic and macho senior when in fact, I am that damn person without retirement benefits and health nor life insurance. A lame old man sick and dying.
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
14 Mar 13
A very good question my friend, it's funny but for me I am the most honest person you could meet (online) and Mylot is probably the only place that I can be the 'real me' I would never even contemplate telling anyone offline a fraction of what I reveal about myself on here. There are only a couple of things that I hold close to my chest that probably NO ONE knows about me on Mylot, the rest is open house, I have been on Mylot for such a long time, my friends knows the real wolfie. However offline I am totally the opposite, I am hostile, aloof and I don't trust NO ONE! It's only Mylot and my therapist who I can be honest with, says a lot doesn't it. The thought of people here on Mylot not being who they say they are or not being honest about who they are doesn't even enter my head.
@ctryhnny (3460)
• United States
14 Mar 13
I definately agree with you that we can say alot here about ourselves and not have to worry (too much anyway) about how people feel about it. mylot is like therepy to me also. I love being able to speak so candidly about myself. I hide nothing even though sometimes people will say awful things to me. I just read them and skip them.
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
14 Mar 13
Sometimes, it is obvious that the person is a liar. For instance, we can be fairly certain that the person is a liar if he or she claims to be a medical doctor but has poor spelling and grammar. It is clear that someone doesn't live in the U.S. if he or she talks about driving from Maine to Florida in one day.
Other times, it becomes obvious over the course of a few weeks or months that the person behind the computer is lying. There are inconsistencies in the person's stories.
Sometimes, though, people aren't technically lying. They are just stupid. I am thinking of one person on another site who said she was going to or had gone to "medical school." The truth was that it was a program for medical transcription. That is a huge difference, of course. However, I believe that the person was really so stupid as not to be able to grasp the difference.
@natliegleb (5175)
• India
14 Mar 13
Just by browsing in the net and reading couple of articles came to know about it and i found it really fun and the internet is buzzing with this news
@marycheene (53)
• Philippines
14 Mar 13
What a great observation this is, point well taken. Honestly, I don't care who's the person responding to a discussion nor what he/she says he/she is.. Also it takes a lot of wits to pretend to be someone you are not. It's not easy to discuss something you know nothing about, unless you have searched about the subject and can digest information pretty quickly. So for me, i think people who respond here are true if not all. It takes a lot of brains to be a sincere fake. :)
@haopee (493)
• Philippines
14 Mar 13
I think that's just part of the fun of talking to a person online. But netizens should be vigilant when choosing to interact with faceless people. I think this is why Parental Control is highly encouraged in households with teenagers and young children who are unable to comprehend such complexities and deceptions. Nonetheless, I believe that parents should play a major role in making their children understand the benefits and dangers of online interactions.
Since I don't really participate in gender or age sensitive discussions, I'm not really particular of who I talk too. Sometimes, I can meet people who are as young as 14 or as old as 65 and we end up becoming great friends. Of course, one should still be careful when deciding to divulge information.
@roshigo58 (4859)
• Pune, India
14 Mar 13
Hi,
No one can tell the truthfulness of the discussions on the internet. Because there is no evidence of truthfulness. But we should trust each other. There are some people who are not trustworthy. But they are very few. most of the friends here I think are good. I don't care about this. I only give the answers to the questions or give opinions honestly. Truth can not be hided.
@extremefun4fun (2908)
• India
19 Mar 13
Well, I think most of sychic people do like that. otherwise if somebody accept himself or herself as what she or he is, then I do not think to be in need of making replacemnetn and lie that I am this or that.
if someone is honest to himself and her slef then will be honest with whole the world.
I do not care who is writing and is right person or wrong becuase I just want to do my work and that is it. I am not going to make friends anywhere on net so that is why I do not care about if someone is real about what he or she is in his or her life or not..
