People Have Told Lies Since the Beginning Of History, Despite This Fact There Have Been No Advances In Lying Technology

A lie is a false statement to a person or group intentionally made by another person or group who knows it is not the whole truth. 

There are a few variations to the intentional lie.  A bald-faced lie is one that is obviously a lie to those hearing it.  A big lie is a lie which attempts to trick the victim into believing something major which will likely be contradicted by some information the victim already possesses, or by their common sense.  Bullshit is often used to make the audience believe that one knows far more about the topic by feigning total certainty or making probable predictions.  An emergency lie is a strategic lie told when the truth may not be told because, for example, harm to a third party would result. An exaggeration (or hyperbole) occurs when the most fundamental aspects of a statement are true, but only to a limited extent.

A Brief History of Lying (below) demonstrates that lies have been with us forever, and in many settings.

Adam and Eve
In the Garden of Eden a booming "Who ate my apple?" was met by innocent looks all around and, eventually, a timid chorus of "Not me." This original lie was followed by punishment for being untruthful.

Old Testament
The Old Testament describes lies people told one another, or worse, told God.  After not getting His message clearly understood by the chosen people, God finally put it in writing in the form of the Tenth Commandment given to Moses up on that mountaintop. Let's review:

10.  Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor.

Compared with other commandments like Thou Shalt Not Kill or Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery, the Tenth Commandment seems to have a little wiggle room.  What's a "false witness"?  And who is a "neighbor"?  And what does "bear" mean, exactly?

Despite the Godly Tenth Commandment, history does not record a period of reduced lying.  There is no Golden Epoch When All Men Were Truthful in any record of history.

 Early History Of Lying - The High Points
In 59 B.C., lying began to be disseminated more broadly when Julius Caesar started up the first state-run newspaper, thus beginning a tradition that continues to this day.

In 991 A.D, the British elevated the art of lying to near-perfection when they dreamt up something called Parliament.  In Parliament they brought together the best liars from across the country and gave them the mandate of telling the rest of the country how they should live, thus beginning a government tradition that continues to this day.

In 1278, the invention of the glass mirror necessitated a wholesale change in how we lied, as "No one will notice if I comb it over the top" became "I think we need a new mirror."  And men began saying "That dress does not make thee look overly large" to their wives and daughters, thus beginning a tradition that continues to this day.

In the 1300s, the Scots introduced the world to golf, perhaps the greatest single achievement in the history of lying. For the game perfectly lends itself to lying ("Put me down for a four on that hole").  Further, golf nurtures corollary lies like "I won't be at work today, I have a backache" and "I sunk a perfect 50 foot putt", traditions that continue to this day.

Middle Era Lying
In 1581 the French invented ballet, which, in a sleight worthy of the emperor's new clothes, mysteriously convinced many foreigners that the French were cool. To this they eventually added the guillotine and the metric system.  And in 1984, awarded Jerry Lewis the French Legion of Honour. To this day, no one has called their bluff.

By 1692 lying began to die out for a time when advancements in the scientific process made the practice virtually impossible.  Accused witches in Salem, Massachusetts, for example, proclaiming their innocence, were tied in a sack and thrown into a pond.  Those who sank to the bottom were proven to be telling the truth, and set free (although many in an unfortunate drowned state).  Those who floated were liars, and were hanged.  A similar test involved setting them ablaze. Those who ignited were deemed truthful, while those who didn't were lying witches, and, again, hanged. Almost overnight, the art of lying lost much of its esprit.  It would soon rebound and forge ahead.

Modern Era Lying
Global warming, which has been proven to be the result not of excessive fuel emissions and other pollutants, but rather of the CO2 expelled by thousands of environmentalists all talking at once is a major lie believed by millions, despite solid evidence to the contrary. 

Celine Dion's Grammy Award is an obvious lie which could only be the work of the French, or in this instance, the French Canadians.

The most notable lies in the modern era have been "I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" and "If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. Period." And of course, "You're a RACIST!!"

Why People Lie
Nearly everyone lies to some extent, greater or smaller.  The television show House was built on that very premise.  Everyone lied, most especially the patients Dr. house treated.  His task was to discover the lie(s) and voila! being in possession of the truth, cure the patient fifteen seconds before the show ended.

But why lie, especially when everyone knows from early childhood on that it is wrong to lie?

People lie to discredit and get even with rivals.

People who are procrastinators lie because of their habit. For example, many people feign illness or some other "emergency", to explain away the fact that they've not finished their work on time.

Many people lie for making quick financial gains.

Some lie to avoid being saddled with responsibility.

Still others do it to stave off being fired.

Sometimes, people lie because of the misconception, that the "bitter" truth is not accepted without some sugar-coating, and that a little embellishing of facts will not hurt anyone.

To manipulate others.

To lie to ourselves to avoid the truth about ourselves in a situation.

Nothing has changed about lying since that lie in the Garden of Eden.  Technology and communications advances make it easier and perhaps more rewarding to lie, but lying itself has not changed.  So how do you know when someone is lying to you?  You already have a pretty good BS detector, I'd bet.  Here are the symptoms of someone lying to you:

A liar avoids eye contact, touches the face, nose, etc.

A liar smiles using only the few muscles around the mouth while the eyes remain alert and watchful.

A liar has the body in a kind of retreating posture, as if he or she quickly wants to get away from you.

There also are verbal clues such as:

A liar may answer your question in an unnaturally loud or exuberant manner.

A liar may vociferously deny something instead of just stating it simply.

A liar will avoid answering questions directly.

A liar will give hints or clues and add unnecessary details in an attempt to make the lie seem authentic.

Liars are now what they were at the beginning of time: people who know truth but are unwilling to be truthful because it is, they believe, to their advantage to be untruthful.  And also since the beginning of time, people can tell what statements are lies, and will do well to be away from liars.