[QuantumChaos]

>The reasons behind her actions, however, are noble: it was all part of a university project, in which she wanted to show how Facebook activity is not necessarily reflective of real life.

I don't think doing academic research is a carte-blanch to lie to people. One girl might do this sort of thing for the ego boost of appearing cool. But what about the ego boost academics get from pulling this kind of trick on other people.

[resoluteteeth]

This isn't a research paper, it's an art project. If I saw these photographs exhibited as merely theoretical explorations of the idea of lying on Facebook, I would be underwhelmed. It's the fact that she actually convinced her friends and family that they were real that makes it great.

[coldtea]

>I don't think doing academic research is a carte-blanch to lie to people.

No, living in a free country is a carte-blanch to lie to people. She isn't doing anything illegal, and she is best to know if it's ok with them or not.

[PhasmaFelis]

I'm not actually much fussed by the story, but I am kind of sick of this ridiculous notion that anything not actually illegal is perfectly okay.

[coldtea]

Well, how about the ridiculous notion that her relationship with her relatives is our business?

[n09n]

That's not the part people care about. People promoting a culture where it's okay to lie to others because "hey, it's not illegal" is everyone's business.

[jacquesm]

The ego-boost is speculative. I think she was genuinely interested in the question. And she's made the point very well.

[hashbazz]

Every time someone posts to Facebook, it's a lie. All of Facebook is a lie. No ones posts all of the details of their lives, especially the ugly details, or the uncomfortable details, or the embarrassing ones. This student set out to underscore that fact, and I am tickled that she did so quite effectively.

[Squarel]

I am pleased to know that the breakups, affairs, deaths and births I have heard of over facebook did not actually happen.

No one ever gives people the full details of their lives, whether via speech, writing, text message or facebook post, so, perhaps, everyone is always lying.

[icebraining]

On that note:

(...) An habitual truth-teller is simply an impossible creature; he does not exist; he never has existed. Of course there are people who _think_ they never lie, but it is not so--and this ignorance is one of the very things that shame our so-called civilization. Everybody lies--every day; every hour; awake; asleep; in his dreams; in his joy; in his mourning; if he keeps his tongue still, his hands, his feet, his eyes, his attitude, will convey deception--and purposely. Even in sermons--but that is a platitude. (...)

Excerpt of "On The Decay Of The Art Of Lying", by Mark Twain: http://www.online-literature.com/twain/1320/

[mgiannopoulos]

And this is opposite to real life in what way? Do you tell everyone you know every problem you have? Do you tell all your friends everything about you all the time? Why would a digital medium of communication be any different?

[QuantumChaos]

Selectively providing information is not equivalent to lying.

[jacquesm]

That's the second time in a week that I come across that statement on HN. You'd be surprised how the rest of the world views lies of omission, hint: not kindly.

[PhasmaFelis]

Lying by omission is not the same thing as not mentioning irrelevancies.

[rhizome]

There are lies of commission and lies of omission.

[collyw]

You know the bit in a court, when they ask to hear "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth"?

[ddunkin]

Omission is not a lie, these details are left out because you are not supposed to post every detail of your life, especially not the ugly ones, to the mass public (which is what pasting to Facebook is).

[PhasmaFelis]

That's kind of a ridiculous position. You think a liar is anyone who doesn't inform the public of their bowel movements?

[JetSpiegel]

People lying on the Internet? Inconceivable!

[mgiannopoulos]

Amazing truth: people lie in real life too :)

[inportb]

What would you think of a similar experiment to probe deception in academic research?

[QuantumChaos]

I think we need to balance the need for deception in some cases, against the fact that tricking/pranking people is fun, and makes you look cool. There is an inherent ego boost from making other people look stupid and foolish, and that applies as much to the Sokal hoax as this.

That said, there are some reasons why I would be more in favor of using deception in your example:

- Facebook doesn't claim to have mechanisms that prevent deception. It is an extension of social life, and people are already equipped to understand that other people might lie to them. Academia claims to be robust against deception, because of the impact that a single faked academic result could have.

- The purpose of a probe into academic deception would probably be to prove that the safeguards were inadequate. This research, on the other hand, is used as evidence that people are always being dishonest when they use Facebook. It is very bad evidence for this claim. I would object to submitting a fake paper, and using it as evidence that all academics are biased.