lurking out there in the unknown was a threat until proved otherwise. And to a certain extent, you can see their reasoning: if we go along with the basic introduction to any psychology course, we're more likely to lie to people when there's distance between us. Eventually, though, many suspicions
tumed out to be unproven.
PARAGRAPH 3. What is it, then, about online life that makes us more truthful? It's simple: we're worried about being exposed. In real life, after all, it's pretty easy to get away with deception,If you lie to someone at a party, you can always claim you said no such thing. On the intemet, your words often come back to haunt you. The digital age is tough on liars, as an endless parade of executives are finding out. It isn't a problem for only corporate barons. We read the headlines; we know in cyberspace our words never die, because machines don't forget. 'It's a cut-and-paste culture', as professor Hancock put it, though he said that on the phone, so who knows if he really meant it? And consider that many email programs automatically 'quote' your words when someone replies to your message. Every time I finish an email message, I pause for a few seconds to reread it just to ensure I haven't said something I'll later regret.
PARAGRAPH 4. Maybe this helps explain why television programs like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation are so popular. They're all about revealing the sneaky things that people do. We watch with fascination and unease as scientists inspect the tiniest of clues - a stray hair on a car seat, a latent fingerprint. After you've seen high-tech cops rake over evidence from a crime scene with ultraviolet light and genetic sequencers enough times, you get the message: Watch out - we've got files on you. Forensic science has become the central drama of pop culture, and our fascination with
Next
1
