Ask HN: Does anyone else lie on the internet?

I regularly lie and pretend I know about topics and areas I have zero experience in. I began noticing I received more upvotes and engagement when I pandered to views or opinions that are either the direct opposite of what the original content suggests (through cherry-picked exceptions), or I'll find a tangentially related view that's either current and popular, or supports a topic or viewpoint I'd like to know more about - often pandered with some popular topic.

Often this results in a thread about stuff that I actually want to read about, or someone actually knowledgeable on the subject will correct me - and call me out, but will receive far less approval (and often be flamed for criticizing me). On the plus side, I get to learn from someone really knowledgeable about how something works! (EDIT: Later I'll often go back and reply to the person saying they are correct, I was wrong - and thank them for their reply.)

Here's one of the worst examples (which I regret) because it perpetuates a view about a place I've never been, I've never stepped foot in the continent of Africa - it's one of the few times I wish I could go back and "correct the record": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9309170

I know nothing about IP law - >200+ upvotes: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27035901

I know nothing about, and have never been through Australia's ACCC courts - almost 200 upvotes: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26787289

I've never hosted any copyrighted media, ever: https://news.ycombinator.com/context?id=16955522

I know nothing about tax havens, I've never even submitted my own taxes: https://news.ycombinator.com/context?id=16809428

Does anyone else do this?

I'd say it's more of a fucking weird hobby (some obscure role-playing?) than anything else.

Appreciate the links though! You're good people.

I take that to include, lying regularly on HN. You act like it's no big deal. How many people regularly lie on here, do you think? Sure, you are asking about it now, I guess that's good. I would guess, vanishingly few, besides maybe the lunatic/troll fringe who get banned.

I can't imagine lying on here or any other internet forum, or a real life forum, and it's disturbing to see the way you convince yourself it isn't wrong, and has no bad effects. "I don't think anything I've done has any real impact on people." - how would you know if it did? You assume it's fine. I don't think so. I don't know what to say besides, that sounds very wrong. I've seen documentaries about internet trolls where they evidently say to themselves "It's not illegal, so I've done nothing wrong". As if ethics, right and wrong, does not exist. I get a similar feeling from reading your comments.

Also I try not to say untrue things. Not to claim knowledge of something I'm not certain of. The truth is all we have. It's very valuable.

[after actually looking at a couple of your links] Ok, that's much worse that I thought.

Read this and see if you recognize yourself in it as much as I did (a lot), from the little I know about you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy

p.s. ..Do you (like in the 10 years you've been on here) assume most people on HN are being honest, or do you consider they may be trolling and not believe a word people say? The world kind of relies on most people not being like you, doesn't it?