[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?