Consequences of Online Deception
Consequences for online deception are not always as straight-forward as they are in face-to-face communication. Often, when lying face-to-face, a person probably has a guilty conscience, but that might not be so when it comes to internet deceit. According to Bandura's (1991,1999) moral disengagement theory, "people release themselves from guilt and responsibility for deviations from a self-regulatory moral code." (Belkin et al., 2010). One way people can cope with guilty feelings from online deceit is by distancing themselves from the action. In face-to-face deceit, it is much harder to do this because in online deceit they may not know the person outside the internet, and so they cannot confront them face-to-face or possibly ever know they were deceived at all. They can also concentrate on the benefits of their actions and "forget about" the potential problems it could cause (Belkin et al., 2010). Internet communication is less personal than face-to-face communication, which makes it easier to lie and deceive without guilt. However, there are other consequences, some of which could be much more damaging.
Just like in face-to-face deception, if the victim finds out about the deception, then it could be damaging to the deceiver's reputation. Some lies can be innocent, in which case they would probably just lose some of the victim's trust. Other lies, for instance, as a means to get ahold of the victim's personal information, if caught, could result in a prison sentence. If they are not caught, the victim is the one who suffers the consequences, such as: a loss of identity, credit, money, and so on. Deception in online dating could also be harmful, especially if there is a minor involved. This could hurt both the deceiver and the victim if the relationship becomes sexual. If the deceiver claims to be older than they are (ex. a sixteen-year-old saying they are eighteen), and the victim of the deception is legally an adult, then it is usually the victim who is left with a permanent record of sleeping with a minor, and it could cause psychological, emotional, and possibly physical (if the deceiver becomes pregnant or gets an STD) problems for the deceiver.
As with any kind of deceit, some individuals get so caught up in the act that they start to believe their own lies. In an online dating profile, for example, a person could assume a new name, a new image, and a new life completely different from their own, and they could live in the lie so much they forget who they actually are, which could result in losing the people from their "old" life, and the people in their "new" life will possibly never know who they really are.
Just like in face-to-face deception, if the victim finds out about the deception, then it could be damaging to the deceiver's reputation. Some lies can be innocent, in which case they would probably just lose some of the victim's trust. Other lies, for instance, as a means to get ahold of the victim's personal information, if caught, could result in a prison sentence. If they are not caught, the victim is the one who suffers the consequences, such as: a loss of identity, credit, money, and so on. Deception in online dating could also be harmful, especially if there is a minor involved. This could hurt both the deceiver and the victim if the relationship becomes sexual. If the deceiver claims to be older than they are (ex. a sixteen-year-old saying they are eighteen), and the victim of the deception is legally an adult, then it is usually the victim who is left with a permanent record of sleeping with a minor, and it could cause psychological, emotional, and possibly physical (if the deceiver becomes pregnant or gets an STD) problems for the deceiver.
As with any kind of deceit, some individuals get so caught up in the act that they start to believe their own lies. In an online dating profile, for example, a person could assume a new name, a new image, and a new life completely different from their own, and they could live in the lie so much they forget who they actually are, which could result in losing the people from their "old" life, and the people in their "new" life will possibly never know who they really are.