Electronic Lies

eMail has become a cornerstone of modern communications. But a growing body of research suggests we've yet to adapt our social behaviors to fit with an era where every message we send is next to impossible to digitally erase.
"People don't quite grasp that aspect of it," says an assistant professor of management at DePaul University in Chicago. The disconnection may help explain why the research shows that e-mail is the most deceptive form of communication in the workplace.
What's more, lying e-mailers tell more egregious lies and felt more justified about their lying, to boot.
It's easier, for example, to call a co-worker a jerk in an online evaluation than it is to her face. The new work suggests it is even easier to call that person a jerk in an e-mail than it is with a pen and paper, even though neither form of communication requires a personal interface.
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