Near-Lies in the Era of Advanced Technology: Anticipation and Uncertainty

Abstract

Recent technological advancements have brought both anticipation and uncertainty to the forefront. In this era, it is crucial for entrepreneurs and external stakeholders in technology industries to distinguish between realistic and unrealistic future prospects regarding new technologies. To address this, this study introduces the concept of near-lies defined as idealistic statements formally made by entrepreneurs, such as promises or predictions of a firm's future performance that might exceed its capacity, potentially leading to future falsehoods. Near-lies differ from existing notions of corporate dishonesty because they are potential falsehoods, or they assume facts that are actually unknown at the moment, whereas existing notions represent exposed falsehoods. This concept of near-lies offers practical implications in the advanced technology era. To prevent dishonesty, entrepreneurs need to engage in transparent communication when offering statements about their firm's future performance, prioritizing long-term impression management toward external stakeholders. External stakeholders are required to rely on factual information to predict truths and to effectively respond to near-lies from entrepreneurs.

Keywords: near-lies, technological advancement, anticipation, uncertainty, dishonesty