Do you lie on the internet?

[CherryLipgloss]

I often see the phrase "everyone lies on Mumsnet / the internet", but personally I don't! I might alter the odd tiny detail (to make something easier to explain or less likely to be outing), but nothing that changes the sense of what I'm saying.

Of course I know there are trolls, but AIBU to think most posters are genuine?

Please vote for yourself (not what you think other people do).
YANBU I'm as honest as the day is long
YABU making up stuff is half the fun of posting anonymously

I don't lie personally. I think the trolls are quite easy to spot because they deliberately want to wind people up.

I think your vote is backwards, anyone who doesn't bother to read your OP properly (and there's a lot of people here like that) will vote YANBU to say that people do lie.

Anyway, I don't lie because what's the point but I might change small details if I think I'm divulging something potentially outing.

Oh. I thought I had made the voting really clear!

I don't see the point of lying when people don't know who I am!

I do very often simplify or alter details to make it easier to understand, or less for me to type. And if think someone might identify me and I don't want that, I will alter one or two details.

Of course not! Everything is true that I post. Why would I lie?
(Or am I lying?)
Nobody will post a truthful answer, surely?

I don't lie. And I don't mind if anyone identifies me- I don't post anything I want to keep confidential.

No. I think it's often a phrase used when people can't believe you could disagree with them

I don't lie about anything that's important but I might slightly change a detail if I'm worried about being linked by my posts e.g the colour of something / slight name change / say something happened last year when it was a month ago etc.

Nothing that changed the meaning of what I'm saying but enough that if a friend read it they wouldn't be like oh I know bips!

No I don’t, I have however had an incredibly bizarre and at times extreme life most of which I do not ever share because I do think people would think it is lies. Here are a few examples.

I modelled when young, have been a victim of extreme domestic violence, worked with DV survivors, helped set up a charity. That’s the tip of the iceberg.

No. I haven't got a good enough memory to be a liar.

I do choose what I share though so the picture people get would not be the full one so maybe lying by omission, I suppose. But then people aren't entitled to the ins and outs of my life. Nor I suspect do they give a flying fuck. 😁

Suppose it's down to what you consider a lie?
I don't lie by making up scenarios but I may change things as you say to hide my identity.

So say you say 'I took my DD to McDonald's today' but you actually went to kfc it's not the truth, so technically it's a lie, but if it's not pivotal to the story it's irrelevant.

I guess on Mumsnet that happens a lot and real lies are few and far between?

No, I don't lie. There's no point, I'm not normally identifiable and who cares anyway? I either post a comment or ask a question, and I'm not going to get any useful answers if I don't post the truth.
I never have understood the posters who spend hours making up untrue stories or false selves, can't understand what they get out of it.....

I don’t see the point of lying but I may say it’s about my great auntie Edith when it’s really about my brother’s pet hamster.

No I don't. I never post anything that I wouldn't say in real life to someone's face and any personal details are very generic.

@storminabuttercup I wouldn't consider that example to be a lie

Only to remove identifiers especially if they may refer to someone else who could be on here

No I don't lie, what's the point? Nothing is accomplished by trying to impress random anonymous people on the internet and if people are doing it for attention then that's quite sad.

I can understand changing some details to protect identity but that kind of 'lying' has a sensible purpose.

I don't lie online but I might change a few details to remove identifying information. Nothing that is dishonest or changes the base facts though.

Ah you got me! My name isn’t really strawberrywater. Sorry guys. 😔

No more seriously. I keep enough out of my answers not to be identifiable while keeping my experience and knowledge of things accurate. No I don’t lie in my posts.

I change details to stay anonymous. Like I alter dc's ages slightly, but that is it.

But it's not the truth?

That's my point really.

Don't lie in real life and don't lie online whats the point

No, I don’t lie. I name change every week to make sure I’m not identifiable to anyone who might recognise a detail and do an advanced search.

The only time I’ve ever altered details was when a thread of mine got hugely popular, which freaked me out because so many people were posting and asking for updates — on that thread, I altered the sex and age of my child and concealed the nature of my job, neither of which were relevant to the topic.

I don’t lie online or in real life, it sounds exhausting to remember and maintain fiction and I’ve got enough “mental load” (love a MN trope 😆).

I am however a MN cliché in some regards and maybe some posters think I’m lying when I talk about not feeding my family any UPF. 🤭

Don't lie but NC a lot and often change details. Say DD instead of DS. Change my profession. Etc.Because many friends use MN.