Nice blogging NIN, I've also pondered about why someone would lie about themselves on the net - any good response to their assumed persona must only underline the feeling of inadequacy that prompted them to assume it in the first place, and try as I might I still don't understand the motivations behind it.
People will say it's the net it doesn't matter - we all know it's the net and people lie, that doesn't stop us from hoping that the people we talk to are honest. When someone's found out to be a faker there are always people who jump to their defence and will say 'although they faked they were still good hearted,' or 'they must have had their reasons,' 'I still think of them as a friend.' No they're not good hearted, there are no real reasons for online fakery and no they're not your friend - you never actually knew them you only knew some made up personality therefore they can't be your friend and someone who's a friend won't manipulatively lie to you.
I've seen lots of people hurt who made online friendships to find that everything they were told was a lie and I for one am glad when the likes of Miss Valentine is outed. Let's hope she learns a lesson that in the end truth will always come out, she's based her whole time here on a lie but human nature being what it is she can't have helped feeling an attachment to the people she chatted to, people she'd still be able to talk to if she hadn't been such a huge liar.
I'd also be interested in hearing who the 'woman' Kotchanski refers to is, my experience on here is that it's a site where women aren't quite as popular as they are on most sex sites so I haven't noticed any guys obsessing over anyone in particular.
Ooops, my usual speech is a little along the lines of your first quote.
