Catfishing

A word that up until 2010 did not exist as a verb.

Catfishing /ˈkatˌfiSH ing/

verb.

The phenomenon of internet predators that fabricate online identities and entire social circles to trick people into emotional/romantic relationships (over a long period of time).
Possible motivations: revenge, loneliness, curiosity, boredom
The term catfishing was inspired by the 2010 documentary “Catfish.”

Who are you? Who do you want to be? Who do you wish you were? The internet provides a limitless world where you can be who you want to be, act how you would like, and live a different life. The allure of creating a new identity is too magnetic for many people. Catfishing is slowly rocking the inter web. With arenas like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace, that are essentially playgrounds for the socially deprived and blissfully imaginative. These breeding grounds for the socially constructed prompt the Catfishers to make false identities to entreat online relationships spanning from friends to love interests.

This is great news! It is winter after all, far to cold to go outside and interact with real people, and then before you know it, it will be summer and then it will be way to hot out. Plus, why risk getting caught in the rain which might ruin your hair. Your online pictures will always be perfectly photoshopped to your ideal specifications.

No need to worry about implications or consequences for your actions, the act of taking pictures or names of other people and using them as your own identity online is not actually illegal. When the person on the other end of your screen inevitably finds a way to hack into your bank account or finds out where you live so they can rob your house, however, then it becomes illegal. Oh well.

So next time your bored or feeling lonely, don’t worry! Just get online and make a fake profile for someone that people would actually like (no offense). In seconds you will have access to thousands of people, who may or may not be fake as well, and pretend you have a social life!

Happy Catfishing!

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