FYI: Why Would Someone Create A Fake Internet Girlfriend?
Manti Te'o US PresswirePut some people in front of a screen, and they won't always reveal the most truthful information. This week, Deadspin broke the news that Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o's dead girlfriend--one of the most heartbreaking sports stories of last year--was a hoax. The fake girlfriend was created by a 22-year-old guy named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Turns out, Tuiasosopo might've engineered other false personalities, too. We had to ask: What would make someone do that? The short answer is, some people look at the internet and, subconsciously, see a chance to experiment with identities, free of consequences. Those people can be shy or outgoing, cheerleader or geek, but there seems to be some kind of personality type that changes when given a megaphone and the shelter of anonymity. We don't know who, exactly, will be the ones to open up--it's even debatable if it's an "opening up"...