World Wide Web of Lies: Personality and Online Deception — Exam Notes
Study Overview
The study examined links between personality traits and identity-based deception on Social Networking Sites (SNS). Sample: (18–72 yrs, 70 % female). Participants self-reported eight common deceptive acts (e.g., fake name, altered age, fake profile) and completed measures for the Dark Tetrad traits and self-esteem.
Key Measures
• Online Deception Questionnaire: 8 yes/no behaviours + frequency (1–5) across platforms.
• Personality: Short Dark Triad (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy), Short Sadistic Impulse Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.
Prevalence of Deceptive Behaviours
Most frequent lies: age , name . About created entire fake profiles. All eight behaviours were present in the sample.
Core Results
• Machiavellianism uniquely predicted using a fake name and altering age, and correlated with higher frequency of lies about name, age, appearance, relationship status.
• Psychopathy did NOT uniquely predict any online deception when controlling for other traits.
• Narcissism linked to posting drastically edited photos and higher frequency of wealth- and image-related deception.
• Sadism associated with more frequent age alteration; also tied to general deception correlations.
• Lower self-esteem predicted frequent use of fake photos; higher self-esteem predicted more drastic photo editing and wealth deception.
• Gender: women solely reported drastic photo editing. Younger users more likely to lie about age; among deceivers, older age linked to higher frequency of age alteration.
Interpretation
Machiavellian deception appears calculated and strategic online. Narcissistic and low-self-esteem users focus on self-image enhancement rather than broad deception. Psychopathic impulsivity may be less compatible with SNS norms, showing minimal unique influence.
Methodological Notes
Two-part modelling (logistic + gamma) accounted for zero-inflated deception frequencies; covariates: age, gender.
Limitations
• Convenience sample (university + Twitter) limits generalisability.
• Self-report, retrospective; potential recall and recognition bias.
• Low base-rate behaviours led to underpowered tests and small effect sizes.
Conclusions
Online identity deception is common. Personality, especially Machiavellianism, plays a significant role, suggesting online deception is often deliberate and goal-directed rather than purely impulsive or compensatory.