Mar 7, 2008 7:00 pm US/Central
Guilty Internet Users Flock To Cyber Confessionals
(CBS)
Deep dark secrets are finding the light of day on the Internet, and Heather Lissor likes to sneak a peek, CBS station WBZ-TV in Boston reports.
"There is an element of wanting to know someone else's business, and just being amazed at what another person's life is like," she said.
New Web sites, such as grouphug.us, truemilitarywivesconfessions.com, I'vescrewedup.com, and dailyconfession.com are acting like cyber confessionals for people looking for a place to share their hidden pasts.
Greg Fox of dailyconfession.com says, "It's literally like the car wreck on the side of the road that you can't help but look at as you go by."
Fox says he gets emails from all walks of life.
"There are all kinds of things that people confess to, theft at work, theft from their spouses, fear of things that go bump in the night," he said. "A lot of them are about adultery."
Some experts believe that the act of confessing, even in this type of environment, can be beneficial.
Psychologist Larry Rosen says, "You can put out there exactly what you did wrong, why you think it was wrong, and then what happens is you get it out of your brain and onto the Internet, and you feel better."
If you confess something however, you have to be prepared for feedback, which can often be brutal.
Rosen says these sites are extremely addictive in the same way that reality shows are habit forming.
"We like to look at what other people do wrong or what other do when they make mistakes," Rosen said.
Lissor says she has another reason for reading these confessions, however.
"What makes me respond is if I see someone struggling with something and I think I can offer a piece of advice," she said.
Lissor said she believes that can be helpful for other people.
"I think that a lot of people can find comfort in the fact that they are not the only weird ones in the world, you know, everyone has their bizarre secrets."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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