Is it 'lying' to have a realistic profile that is not true?

This is more an opinion question than anything else, but it's come up in a conversation I've had recently, so I thought I'd ask more generally what the SL opinion is.

Person 1's profile (2nd life page) says, "I'm a fairy princess from the land of Brightwood."

Person 2's profile (2nd life page) says, "I was born in the 1970's and work as a police officer."

If Person 2 is _not_ in fact that age, and isn't a police officer, are they lying?

Yes. And in actuallity I *am* a 20m long flying purple dragon.

Yes.

If you put incorrect information in your profile, you are lying.

Both people are lying.

I wouldn't say so. If that was under the FL page of their profiles....sure. Under the default SL section of the profile however? Naaaah.

Person 1 is roleplaying. It's as much a lie as a work of fiction.

Person 2 has clearly put his 1st life information on the 2nd life tab. Except that's the kind of first life info I'd take with a pinch of salt. If it's not true, then yeah, he's lying.

Roleplaying is lying.

Person 2 is lying but I think it's no one's business. I think people have too high expectations in SL.

If I choose to put that I am a 21 year old female flight attendant who lives in Chicago then that's my prerogative and it's nobody's business. It just means that is the persona I've chosen to give myself in RL from a SL perspective.

As for me, when I choose to give out RL info than I am truthful, but I don't expect it from someone else. Actually, that is not true. If I just meet you and you start asking RL questions, then I'm likely to feed you a bunch of BS cause I think you're rude.

Course the question wasn't whether lying was always wrong ...

Does it matter? I take people for how they are and how they act. SL or FL it is how a person treats you that is the truth of who they are.

Acting is lying, too. This thread reminds me of "Galaxy Quest".

I haven't voted because you worded your "yes" answer to imply that it was also wrong and made it into a simple cut-and-dry moral question, which it isn't.

My answer would be "Yes, it's lying, but that's okay because there's nothing inherently wrong with lying."

Person 2 is lying. Person 1 is informing other roleplayers of her preferred role; a valid use of the profile, imho.

I assume that everything on the front page of the profile is open to interpretation. The First Life page, if one cares to enter info, should be real. I don't know a whole lot of people who DO enter stuff into their First Life profile page.

Well.. to me the word "lying" itself carries a moral pejorative, and I think it does for many other people too. It means engaging in deliberate, and non-consensual, deception. Role-players don't casually call each other "liars", and if you walked up to an RPer and called them a good liar, they typically wouldn't think you were complementing their RP skills.

My point exactly (above).

However, I don't think the fairy princess bit is lying. I think, for it to be lying, there has to be some possibility of a normal healthy person free of psycoses would believe them. If you say something so outrageously and obviously false that no right thinking person (i.e people who don't use the word "metaverse" and think that there is a pigeon in France that controls their legs) would believe it, then that is called "having a bit of a laugh".

Speaking from personal experience as world championship speed skater and well known seducer of many beautiful women, I can see nothing wrong with wanting to give yourself an interesting back-story when speaking to people hundreds of miles away that you will never meet.

Person 2 has put data on his 2nd life page that COULD be something true in real life. But it is on his 2nd life page in this example, which means it is what he is saying about himself in SL, and could be what he is roleplaying in SL.

Or not. If it appears intended to make you believe it is true in RL and it is not true in RL, yeah, it's a lie - if that matters. After all, everyone on line knows or should know that on the Internet no-one has to know you're an airedale, and that you believe what people (and airedales) tell you on line at your own risk.

Otherwise, it's just pretend.

But the one I want to know about is Person 1. Is she a fairy princess in RL or not?! I've dated a girl or two who turned out to be like that in RL, and believe me, it's really important to know what you're getting into.

In the "MORAL" sense its not "LYING" unless someone tells you something in chat or on voice that turns out to be false information.

Since a profile isn't them telling you ANYTHING directly. Its like a brochure.

If both people involved know they are role-playing and an exchange occurs, then "morally" it isn't "lying" its "role -playing"

Of course anyone who says anything they know to be false in chat, voice or profile is still lying. They just might not be "lying" in a "Moral" sense.

Person 1 is in the roleplaying mode, and you can put anything you want there.

Person 2 is just confused, and needs to be showed the location of the 1st life tab.

Here's something that makes my point a bit more clearly.

Answer the following question before reading ahead in this post. If person 2 had claimed to be a fireman rather than a police officer, would they still be lying?

Decided on your answer? Ok, now read on..

There is a role-playing fire department in SL (search places for "Second Life Fire". Now you know that exists, are they still lying by making that claim?

I always accept people for how they Choose to Represent themselves In SL. I know a Few women who have admitted to me that they are Males IRL (After long friendships they trusted me enough to Handle it) I Continue to treat them as Women, because that is what they Choose to be in SL. I'm not always Digging for the True RL story. To be Honest, it's None of my Business.

Angel.

I dont think it matters whether its 1st or 2nd life tab,

I also dont think it matters fireman vs Police officer.

Same end result.

The word "moral" seems to have a different meaning to everyone, everywhere. I propose that we all adopt the following stance to avoid ambiguity;

There are things that the ToS, the laws of your country, the laws of the game mechanics and the laws of physics say you can do.

There are things that the ToS, the laws of your country, the laws of the game mechanics and the laws of physics say you can't do.

That to me doesn't leave any room for grey areas in between.

In an online game, if you can do it, it's allowed, because if you weren't allowed to do it LL wouldn't have made it possible.

Sorted.

I wouldnt assume they were a firfighter irl unless a conversation in world went on like this.

Q: "So you are a firefighter irl huh? Thats what your profile says"

A: "Yep"

The existence of a ToS concerning a situation, to be honest, is rather like the existence of a law - it says nothing about the morality, it is merely a practical consideration. If I break a law I may be arrested. If I break a ToS I may be banned. Ethics are not part of it.

(Otherwise one ends up like the bleating ad-farm griefers here, constantly repeating "it's not against the ToS so it's okay!" )

Just my 2c, IMHO YMMV etc.......

No


but where's the pie option?