Are Our Instincts Failing Us In Virtual Reality?

“Humans are biologically wired to make trust judgments through attunement to faces, gestures, and verbal intonations. Social networking sites strip away these primal cues.” (Juels, 2010)

I found an intriguing article subtitled “Cybersecurity Depends on the Human Dimension.” It discusses the change that we must make to stay safe while communicating on the internet. So much of our communication is non verbal and when interacting with others through a computer some if not most of these non verbal cues are lost. The author explains that virtual worlds are becoming intertwined with the real world and our usual idea of security is no longer enough. “Cybersecurity education often fails because it doesn’t teach fundamental principles that can be grafted onto our instincts.” (Juels, 2010) Even the most experienced internet users are vulnerable because our instincts have not fully adjusted to the risks and consequences of a virtual world.

This hit home with me because I am just getting out of a long term relationship and many people are suggesting that I try meeting people online. When meeting someone in person we are programmed to trust our intuition or gut instincts that develop. Online, however; we are not able to use our other senses to make these important first impressions. For instance, if you are chatting with someone on a social networking site, a profile may state that he is a 30 year old man from Chicago. In reality you have no idea if this is true or false because you are relying on the assumption that he has been truthful on his profile- you are putting your trust in someone you don’t know. This can be dangerous on many different levels because everyone, from your grandparents and children, to felons and pedophiles have access to the internet which is largely unregulated and undiscriminating. As pioneers in cyberspace, it will take a conscious effort to train our instincts as to what and who can be trusted. As the virtual world expands so to must our intuition and perception of security online.

Laura GB

Works Cited
Juels, Ari. "Future Tense: The Primal Cue." Communications of the ACM 53.3 (2010): 120-119. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.