Deception on Social Networking Sites
Online deception can occur on virtually any website on the Internet, but one of the most common places is through social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Social networking sites allow users to pick and choose what parts of their lives they want others to see, and usually that is their "ideal self", which is who the user wants to be, or the "ought self" which is who the user thinks he or she should be (Strano & Wattai, 2012). This ability makes social networking an easy place to deceive others.
There are a number of ways deception can occur on social networking sites. Like with online dating deceit, users can create fake profiles, use a fake identity, use someone else's photos, and basically create a fake life. Strano and Wattai (2012) focused on Facebook in their study, specifically on the photo section. Users' photos "function as evidence supporting claims about group values and past activities" (Strano & Wattai, 2012). Due to modern technology, this isn’t always the case, however. Besides using other people’s photos, there is also the ability to photoshop, crop images, untag yourself from photos you do not want others to see, or delete photos. The ability to manipulate their physical online identity may “give users greater control over the
shaping of their own identity” (Strano & Wattai, 2012). This could be beneficial for some users who are especially unhappy with who they actually are, but there are flaws in changing online identities. Social networking sites are usually used for people to communicate with others whom they also see in offline settings, which doesn’t give users as much control over their online identity (Strano & Wattai, 2012).
Besides altering photos, there are other methods users can deceive others. One way is by creating a fake profile (sometimes more than one) and using a different name and someone else’s photos. Another way deception can occur is through pages targeted at specific users. For instance, every now and then on Facebook, pages targeted at parents would actually be run by pedophiles who would then gain access to the users' information and any photos of their children. There are many others like this that are usually run by hackers or spammers who could then gain access to the victim’s friends list and do the same to them, and the cycle could continue if users are not warned.
There are a number of ways deception can occur on social networking sites. Like with online dating deceit, users can create fake profiles, use a fake identity, use someone else's photos, and basically create a fake life. Strano and Wattai (2012) focused on Facebook in their study, specifically on the photo section. Users' photos "function as evidence supporting claims about group values and past activities" (Strano & Wattai, 2012). Due to modern technology, this isn’t always the case, however. Besides using other people’s photos, there is also the ability to photoshop, crop images, untag yourself from photos you do not want others to see, or delete photos. The ability to manipulate their physical online identity may “give users greater control over the
shaping of their own identity” (Strano & Wattai, 2012). This could be beneficial for some users who are especially unhappy with who they actually are, but there are flaws in changing online identities. Social networking sites are usually used for people to communicate with others whom they also see in offline settings, which doesn’t give users as much control over their online identity (Strano & Wattai, 2012).
Besides altering photos, there are other methods users can deceive others. One way is by creating a fake profile (sometimes more than one) and using a different name and someone else’s photos. Another way deception can occur is through pages targeted at specific users. For instance, every now and then on Facebook, pages targeted at parents would actually be run by pedophiles who would then gain access to the users' information and any photos of their children. There are many others like this that are usually run by hackers or spammers who could then gain access to the victim’s friends list and do the same to them, and the cycle could continue if users are not warned.