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Have You Caught A Catfish? Online Dating Can Be Deceptive

The document discusses how online dating can involve deception, known as "catfishing", where people create fake online profiles to mislead others about their identity or intentions. Some reasons people catfish include getting revenge, boosting their self-esteem, or enjoying the attention. However, others connect more deeply than intended and struggle to reveal the truth. Victims are often trusting and form strong emotional bonds quickly online. The documentary TV show "Catfish" investigates such deceptions and helps victims learn the real identities behind fake profiles.

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Yasmin Lopez
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
93 views

Have You Caught A Catfish? Online Dating Can Be Deceptive

The document discusses how online dating can involve deception, known as "catfishing", where people create fake online profiles to mislead others about their identity or intentions. Some reasons people catfish include getting revenge, boosting their self-esteem, or enjoying the attention. However, others connect more deeply than intended and struggle to reveal the truth. Victims are often trusting and form strong emotional bonds quickly online. The documentary TV show "Catfish" investigates such deceptions and helps victims learn the real identities behind fake profiles.

Uploaded by

Yasmin Lopez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Have you caught a catfish?

Online dating can


be deceptive

On the internet, you can become anyone online wants to start from a place of truth
you want to – at least for a while. And and honesty. Yet, as the show
though deception doesn’t fit well with demonstrates to viewers, online lies can
lasting romance, people lie all the often be easy to detect, by searching for
time: Fewer than a third of people in one images and phone numbers and exploring
survey claimed they were always honest social media profiles. Some people lie
in online interactions, and nearly nobody anyway – and plenty of others take the
expected others to be truthful. Much of bait.
the time, lies are meant to make the
person telling them seem better somehow Why might someone become a catfish?
– more attractive, more engaging or
otherwise worth getting to know. When a deep emotional bond grows with
someone, even via texts, phone calls and
“Catfishing” is a more advanced effort of instant messages, it can be devastating to
digital deception. Named in a 2010 find out that person has been lying about
movie that later expanded into an MTV some major aspect of their identity or
reality series, a catfish is a person who intentions. My analysis of the first three
sets up an intentionally fake profile on seasons of the “Catfish” TV show reveals
one or more social network sites, often that there are several reasons someone
with the purpose of defrauding or might choose to become a deceitful
deceiving other users. catfish. On the show, ordinary people
who suspect they’re being catfished get
It happens more than people might think help from the hosts to untangle the lies
– and to more people than might believe and find the truth.
it. Many times in my own personal life
when I was seeking to meet people Sometimes the deception is unintentional.
online, I found that someone was being For instance, some people don’t know
deceptive. In one case, I did a Google themselves well, so they tend to see and
image search and found a man’s profile present themselves more positively than
picture featured on a site called is accurate. In episode 13 from the show’s
“Romance Scams.” Apparently, not second season, a woman named
everyone looking for love and connection Chasity uses someone else’s pictures and
claims to be named Kristen. Others may
intentionally create a fake profile but In the TV show, victims find out about
then connect with someone unexpectedly the lies the catfish have told, exposed by
deeply and find the situation hard to come the show’s hosts and co-investigators.
clean about. Many who learn of being lied to aren’t
particularly interested in meeting up with
Other catfish intend to deceive their the real person behind the mask they’d
targets, though not out of malice. For been communicating with.
instance, they pretend to be someone else
because they have low self-esteem or for Someone who is enthralled in their
some other reason think people won’t like connection with another person often
the real person they are. On the show, fully believes what they’re told – even if
there are several episodes about people it seems too good to be true. This is what
who are struggling with aspects of their scholars call the “halo effect,” which
gender identity or sexual orientation and suggests that if a person likes someone
don’t know how to behave appropriately initially, they’re more likely to continue
about those internal conflicts, or who fear to view them as good, even if that person
bullying or violence if they openly does something bad. Effectively, that
identify their true selves. positive first impression has created a
figurative angelic halo, suggesting the
Some catfish, though, set out to hurt person is less likely to do wrong. In the
people: for instance, to get revenge on a very first episode of “Catfish: The TV
particular person because they are angry, Show,” Sunny believes that her love
hurt or embarrassed about something that interest Jamison is a model holding cue
has happened between them. In one cards on a late-night comedy show and
episode, for instance, a woman catfishes studying to become an anesthesiologist.
her best friend to get back at her because Sunny has a very hard time accepting that
they’re both interested in the same real- none of those claims are true of Chelsea,
world man. the real person claiming to be Jamison.

The show also highlighted a few catfish A complementary idea, called


who found enjoyment making fake “hyperpersonal connection,” suggests that
profiles and getting attention from people who develop deep emotional ties
strangers online. Others wanted to see if to each other very quickly may be more
they could make money. Still others trusting, and may even feel safer sharing
hoped to capitalize on the growing things facelessly online than they would
popularity of the show itself, wanting to in person. So someone who met a new
actually meet someone famous or become friend online and felt an immediate
famous by being on TV. connection might share deeply personal
feelings and experiences – expecting the
Why do people fall for a catfish? other person to reciprocate. Sometimes
the catfish do, but they’re not always
People want to trust those they interact telling the truth.
with online and in real life. If a person
believes he or she is on a date with Another reason people might not look too
someone being deceptive, things tend not deeply into whether the person they’re
to progress to a second date. talking to is real is that they don’t want
the relationship to change, even if they
say they do – or think they might in the People can still meet and develop real
future. If it’s meeting their needs to feel relationships through dating sites, apps
accepted, appreciated, connected and less and social media. But catfish are still out
lonely, why rock the boat? That could there, so it pays to be skeptical, especially
risk shattering the fantasy of a potential if the person is never able to talk on the
“happily ever after.” Some people also phone or by video chat. Ask questions
might not really plan ever to meet in real about their lives and backgrounds; beware
life anyway. So they don’t feel a need to if someone gives fishy answers. Do your
verify the identity behind the online own background checking, searching
mask, and any lying will never actually images, phone numbers and social
matter. networks like they do on the “Catfish”
show. Someone who’s sincere will be
Other people might feel guilty, as if they impressed at your savvy – and that you
were snooping on someone they should care enough to ensure you’re both being
trust, who might be upset if they found honest.
out their claims were being verified –
even though the liar is the one who
should feel bad, not the fact-checker.

Source: https://theconversation.com/have-you-caught-a-catfish-online-dating-can-be-
deceptive-109702

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