The DARK Truth About Online Dishonesty

April 09, 2025

In partnership with

Growth Feels

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🧠 USE CASE

The DARK Truth About Online Dishonesty

🤔 Did you know…

In a study by behavioral economist Julian Conrads, participants were asked to flip a coin four times in private.

Each time it landed on tails, they earned money.

No one was watching. They simply had to report how many tails they got.

The results?

  • Face to face: 12% lied

  • Phone calls: 15%

  • In a lab: 18%

  • Online: 25%

So… why do we lie more when we’re online?

👻  The “Disappearing Self” Problem

When you’re anonymous or behind a screen, it’s easier to bend the truth, because there’s no one watching your face when you say it.

  • No emotional cost.

  • No awkward stares.

  • Just clicks, likes, claps.

But here’s where it gets slippery:

It works.

Lying online gets you more attention.

More views. More validation.

And so it starts…

→ We share more of what impresses.
→ Less of what’s real.
→ Until we forget the difference.

➰  The Loop of Lost Identity

You carry three versions of yourself:

  1. The actual self

  2. The ideal self

  3. The presented self

The wider the gap between who you are and who you pretend to be…

And social platforms reward the ideal self, not the honest one.

Which is why we scroll through perfect lives and feel worse about our own.

❓️ So what do you do?

Break the loop.

Bit by bit.

  • Share what’s true, even if it’s not polished.

  • Post what matters, even if it doesn’t go viral.

  • Say “I’m still figuring it out,” even when no one else is.

It’s not about oversharing.

It’s about staying real enough that you still recognize yourself.

💥  In Short

We lie more online because the screen creates distance from others and from ourselves.

But the cost?

It’s not just trust.

It’s identity erosion.

Choose honesty, even when it’s not optimized.

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Until next time, happy growing!