Not so social, social media

4 min read
  • Two thirds of the UK set their status to ‘offline’ to avoid talking to friends and family
  • Half of the UK lies about using social media to avoid someone adding them
  • Nearly half of the UK set their profile to private to avoid family members finding them
  • Study reveals three types of online lying
     

New research from Privilege Insurance and a leading cyber-psychologist  Dr Lee Hadlington from De Montfort University has revealed that social platforms are proving less social than you’d expect, with two thirds of adults (62 per cent) setting their status to ‘offline’ in order to avoid talking to friends and family.

Furthermore, half (49 per cent) of all respondents admitted to lying about having social media accounts in the first place to avoid someone adding them, and 42 per cent said they set their profile to private so family members can’t find them.

This growing trend, known as social isolation according to Dr Lee Hadlington is part of a worrying culture of social media deception, common amongst almost half of all UK adults, aged 18 to 85 (47 per cent).

Facebook was revealed as the most popular platform for online deception (32 per cent), followed by Twitter (4 per cent), Instagram (4 per cent), and Snapchat (1 per cent).

The study looked at how adults engaged in lying online and found three types of deception commonly used when portraying one’s self online:
 

Self-centred lying: lying to portray a certain lifestyle or status, for example lying about physical appearance.

Lying in order to socially isolate: lying to protect one’s privacy or for avoidance, such as lying about not having social media so other individuals cannot add them.

Friend-centred lying: lying or distorting the truth in order to protect the feelings of others.
 

Self-centred lies about physical appearance were a common occurrence with many respondents noting they have lied about their looks on dating websites (18 per cent) and editing photos of themselves to appear thinner or more toned before posting them online (28 per cent).

The study revealed further self-centred lying with 17 per cent of respondents admitting to pretending to be on an exotic holiday, posting about working for a company they don’t work for (17 per cent), making out they’ve eaten less than they actually have (28 per cent) and posting videos of themselves having a good time to make someone else jealous (30 per cent).

Interestingly, self-centred lying showcased the biggest gender differences, with males being more likely to exaggerate about how much they earn (26 per cent) and females being significantly more likely to edit photos before uploading them (32 per cent). 

Friend-centred lying, often considered a ‘white lie’ told in order to avoid hurting someone's feelings, was common, with respondents admitting to ‘liking’ a photo of a partner even though they don’t really like it (39 per cent).

Additionally, respondents also ‘liked’ photos of friends because they felt sorry for them (38 per cent) and posted romantic images of partners because their partner wanted them shared (23 per cent).

Christian Mendes, head of Privilege home insurance, said: “With the world focused on being online, it’s interesting to see the change in behavioural patterns and how we choose to present ourselves on social media. We commissioned this research as we wanted to have an insight as to why people lie online and specifically what they lie about.

“The research showcased how easily people are able to provide false information whilst online. This is of particular interest to us when it comes to insurance, as insurance fraud is often committed in online applications. People should never knowingly lie or stretch the truth when applying for insurance, or they could run the risk of paying for a product they are unable to use when the time comes to claim.” 

Dr. Lee Hadlington, Senior Lecturer in cyber-psychology at De Montfort University, said:

“The research highlights a number of key aspects related to lying and deception online. For the most part, it appears that individuals lie about a variety of aspects related to their online lives, including their own self-image, but more interestingly lies used to protect the feelings of others around them.

“People were found to lie in order to protect their online safety and security, or to isolate themselves from people that they didn’t wish to talk to, which is almost like lying about your address to someone in the offline world.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact: Fran Langdon at Richmond & Towers: 

fran@rtc.london / 020 3179 0720

Notes to editors:

Data collection was conducted between February 23rd to February 26th 2018 via an online survey conducted by Qualtrics Participant Panels on behalf of Dr Lee Hadlington, Associate Professor in Cyberpsychology at De Montfort University, and Privilege Insurance. The results from the survey are being prepared for a submission to an academic journal, therefore are currently not peer-reviewed.
 

Privilege

Privilege Insurance specialises in car insurance for safe drivers. It also offers home insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line.

Privilege general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.


Privilege and UK Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  

Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 0515 or visiting www.privilege.co.uk