1. ^Chandler, Daniel; Rod Munday (March 2016). A Dictionary of Social Media (First ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN . OCLC 952388585.
2. ^ ^abMcCarthy, Ellen. "What is catfishing? A brief (and sordid) history". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
3. ^ ^abHarris, Aisha (January 18, 2013). "Catfish meaning and definition: term for online hoaxes has a surprisingly long history". Slate. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
4. ^"Why is MTV's 'Catfish' TV show called Catfish?". starcasm.net. November 26, 2012. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
5. ^ ^abZimmer, Ben (January 27, 2013). "Catfish: How Manti Te'o's imaginary romance got its name". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
6. ^Martin, Denise. "Here's How MTV's Catfish Actually Works". Vulture. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
7. ^"The Psychology of Cyberspace - Home Page/Table of Contents". truecenterpublishing.com. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
8. ^Lohmann, Raychelle. "The Two-Sided Face of Teen Catfishing". Psychology Today. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
9. ^ ^abSlade, Alison F.; Narro, Amber J. & Buchanan, Burton P. (2014). Reality Television: Oddities of Culture. Lexington Books. pp. 237–244. ISBN .
10. ^ ^abcCommission, Australian Competition and Consumer (2015-05-14). "Dating & romance". www.scamwatch.gov.au. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
11. ^"Young women 'catfished' ISIS out of $3,300. Will they be punished?". Christian Science Monitor. 2015-07-30. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
12. ^Lohmann, Raychelle. "The Two-Sided Face of Teen Catfishing". Psychology Today. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
13. ^Patchin, Justin W. (2013-02-07). "Catfishing as a Form of Cyberbullying". Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
14. ^"Tortoise launches podcast based on cat-fishing case". 5RB Barristers. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
15. ^"Alicia Kozakiewicz - Innocence Lost". Investigation Discovery. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
16. ^Fuoco, Michael A. (5 January 2002). "Missing teen found safe but tied up in Virginia townhouse". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
17. ^Perry, Tony (2002-12-07). "Kidnap Suspect Kills Girl, 13, Self". Los Angeles Times. San Diego. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
18. ^"Kacie Woody Foundation". kaciewoody.homestead.com. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
19. ^Lauren Collins (January 21, 2008). "Annals of Crime. Friend Game. Behind the online hoax that led to a girl's suicide". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
20. ^Zetter, Kim (November 20, 2009). "Prosecutors Drop Plans to Appeal Lori Drew Case". Wired News. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
21. ^Australian Woman’s Weekly (2017-09-07). "My little girl was killed by an internet predator". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
22. ^"Man found guilty of murdering Carly Ryan – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Abc.net.au. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
23. ^Brown, Dani (2018-07-05). "Full version of Carly's Law signed off at state level". The Times. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
24. ^"Love triangle killer takes plea deal", The Buffalo News, 2007-08-21
25. ^Shapiro, T. Rees (December 10, 2014). "U-Va. students challenge Rolling Stone account of alleged sexual assault". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
26. ^Shapiro, Jeffrey Scott (December 15, 2014). "U.Va. rape accuser's friends begin to doubt story". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
27. ^"Lincoln Lewis warns of social media dangers after online impersonator convicted of stalking", ABC News Online, 2019-04-09
28. ^"Catching a catfish: A terrifying story of virtual deceit and inexplicable malice, perpetrated by the last person anyone expected", James Oaten, ABC News Online, 2019-04-09
29. ^"Sweet Bobby on Apple Podcasts".

We matched on Hinge, and while he was 12 years my senior, I gave him the swipe right because he was handsome and charming despite skewing toward the higher end of my age limit.

“Are you really 35?” I asked him brazenly one night. “It just seemed like something to address considering you might be Benjamin Button,” I added. Comic relief, yes, good.

“Yes.” He answered, to which he responded by reminding me he will be turning 36 the following week. Oy.

“And your pictures are up-to-date?” I pressed. Are you really who you say you are?

“Hold on,” he told me. I don’t even know what pictures I have up.” Not everyone keeps a folder with potential dating app pics?

“The one with Mariano Riversa is old. The rest are all up to date.” Honesty, okay, I can deal with that.

Score for Tay, I thought. What an attractive, successful, man. My damn near trusting heart took his honesty for what it was… him, like, actually being honest.

It wasn’t until I scoured through his (private, but requested) social media later the next day that I found the handsome, brown-haired, toothy-grinned man I’d been flirting with had actually aged 10+ years within the week we’d been bantering about football, past relationships, and our Trader Joe’s addiction.

Now, I’m not shaming someone’s appearance, but when you think you’re talking to someone who you later find out has more salt than pepper hair because his dating app profile only has photos of him from ten years ago, this will throw you for a serious loop.

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The good thing? He was honest about his age. The bad thing? He was not honest about his pictures—they were old, and probably from when he was 25 or 26. No wonder I thought he had good genes!

So what do we call this? It’s not catfishing by definition, right? This was not a case for Nev and Max. But his pictures did deceive me, despite the fact that they were, indeed, pictures of him.

So I’m coining the term now: let’s call it half-ass catfishing.

It’s the act of putting up deceptive photos on your profile so that you look five inches taller or five years younger than what you really are, even though they are legit photos of you.

Half-ass catfishing also includes that “entrepreneur” status on their profile, which really means they’re jobless and living at home with the rents. Or, in my case, it's when someone uses pictures of themself that were taken when I still had an hour of recess. Sigh.

Amanda Bradford, founder and CEO of The League, is super wary of this kind of dating app deception."Anything with the word 'catfishing' is bad regardless if it’s happening 'half-ass,'" she says.

Dating a lot of the time is uncomfortable and awkward as it is… you’re putting yourself out there, taking a risk to find a true connection with someone.

Luckily, Bradford is laying out some major clues on what you can look for in a dating app profile to tell if someone's attempting to half-ass catfish—or even full-on catfish—you. These include:

1.They don't provide vital/basic info. Think: region, age, occupation, etc.

2. They don’t give you their IG handle or 'don’t have social media at all.' It’s 2018, who doesn’t have any sort of social?

3. They postpone meeting up IRL.Not looking for a pen pal.

4. They’re wearing sunglasses or actively covering up their face.

5. All the pics on their profile are group photos—you can’t even really tell who they are.

6. Their pics are grainy or from far distances away.

Moral of the story: Just do your homework, okay? Trust—it’s normal, not creepy, to do some back-stalking before a date. “Google search should be on your priority list,” says Bradford.

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Invest some time surfing the web and seeing what comes out of it. Think of it as a job interview. If you were an employer, you’d search your prospective new employee, right?

And while silver fox and I never made it out on a date—he actually responded with a dumbfounded, “Wow, ok,” when I called him out for the deceitfulness—remember it’s not shallow of you to change your mind about someone when you realize they look or are something other than what their dating app profile depicts.

Follow Taylor on Instagram.

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Ever wonder if that guy you're chatting with online is legit? Maybe the girl you found on a dating site seems a bit too good to be true, and yet, she seems really into you... could this be love or something else?

Online dating is a convenient way to meet new people, but it's also a convenient way for people to engage in selfish, or even malicious, acts of deception. This is of increasing public concern, given the growing use of dating apps. For many people, dating apps are a path to finding stable and healthy relationships. In fact, a recent survey suggests that over 40 percent of people in established relationships met their current partners online (Rosenfeld, Thomas, & Hausen, 2019), a number that has skyrocketed in the last decade. Online dating is clearly a helpful way to meet partners. But there are risks—not the least of which is catfishing.

What Is Catfishing?

When people intentionally misrepresent themselves online, perhaps adopting a fake identity or spinning stories about a past that holds no link to the truth, they are—in colloquial terms—"catfishing." Catfishing relationships typically remain online, with one person believing it is legitimate, and the other knowing it is not.

Online dating deception is fairly normative and largely benign. It usually refers to simply accentuating favorable features or downplaying less desirable ones. In other words, people using online dating apps regularly self-present in a not-perfectly-accurate way (e.g., perhaps noting their height or weight imprecisely) and most of these people have good intentions; they are simply engaging in strategic self-presentation.

The goal of catfishing is different. From the very start, catfishing's core is deception; there are usually no plans to move a relationship offline because it's not an honest relationship.

In its most extreme form, catfishing involves throwing out the bait (e.g., attractive photos, words expressed that suggest sincere interest) and then stringing the victim along for a bit before escalating to requests for money or personal information. Not all catfishing involves financial scams, but when it does, catfishing can mislead individuals to think they are in a legitimate relationship to the point where they want to send money or help. They've been scammed: hook, line, and sinker.

Who Perpetrates Catfishing and Who Are the Victims?

A recent study (Mosley et al., 2020) suggests that both men and women perpetrate catfishing, although proportionally, men are more likely to do so. Remember here that catfishing need not necessarily involve financial scams: simply creating a relationship that is false—maybe even a game to the catfisher—while it feels real and important to the other person fits the definition of catfishing. Women are more likely to be victims of catfishing. Both of these findings may reflect cultural norms that define men as relationship initiators, placing them in a position to catfish, versus being the target of catfishing.

People higher in attachment anxiety appear to be more prone to perpetrating catfishing and are more likely to be victims of catfishing compared to individuals with more secure attachment orientations. Perhaps concerns of rejection and distrust about one's own self-worth motivate the deceptive self-presentation that underlies catfish perpetration by highly anxious individuals. Maintaining a relationship without putting the self at risk might allow for relational closeness while protecting the self. Why anxious individuals are victims of catfishing is less clear.

Be on Alert for Red Flags

Prioritizing safety is a critical first step in seeking companionship. Be skeptical when a person seems "too good to be true," or has online friends who are predominantly the sex they seem to be attracted to; these might be people who, like you, are being victimized with a false relationship. When people make excuse after excuse for not meeting up in person, this too may be a red flag. And of course, any requests for private information (e.g., bank info or social security numbers) or requests for money transfers signal this is very likely a scam. Loneliness can make us long for a relationship; be proactive in taking steps to protect yourself from becoming a victim of catfishing.

Facebook image: fizkes/Shutterstock

References

Deceptive online social network presence

Not to be confused with Catfisting.

This article is about the online deception activity. For the practice of manipulating a cat toy on a string to stimulate a cat into activity, see Cat play and toys § Defining object play.

Catfishing is a deceptive activity where a person creates a fictional persona or fake identity on a social networking service, usually targeting a specific victim.^[1] The practice may be used for financial gain, to compromise a victim in some way, as a way to intentionally upset a victim, or for wish fulfillment. Catfishing television shows have been produced, often featuring victims who wish to identify their catfisher. Celebrities have been targeted, which has brought press attention to catfishing practices.

History[edit]

The modern term originated from the what is catfishing online dating American documentary Catfish. The documentary follows Nev Schulman, the executive producer, as a victim of catfishing. He had cultivated a relationship with what he thought was a 19-year-old girl from the Midwestern United States. The woman with whom he had been communicating was actually a 40-year-old housewife. In the documentary, the woman's husband makes a comparison between the woman’s behaviour and a mythical use for literal catfish in the shipping of live cod fish. The myth is that cod were shipped with catfish in the same tanks to keep the cod active, ensuring the quality of the cod, whereas when shipped alone the cod would what is catfishing online dating pale and lethargic.^[2][3][4] This myth originated in the fiction writing of Henry Nevinson (1913, Essays in Rebellion) and Charles What is catfishing online dating (1913, The Catfish).^[5]

The term catfishing has become more widely known throughout the subsequent decade, thanks to a television series which followed the main star of the movie, Yaniv (Nev) Schulman, helping other people investigate their possible catfish situations.^[6]

The term also spiked in popularity during an incident involving University of Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o in 2013.^[3][5]

Practice and sociology[edit]

Catfishing has been thought to have grown in popularity as it allows participants to disassociate from one's everyday identity, shielding from moral obligation or responsibility, what is catfishing online dating. This is attributed to the online disinhibition effect, due to which online users feel more comfortable sharing information, some of which may be untrue, on an online forum than through in person communication.^[7]

In catfishing, an internet user uses a fake identity to persuade another person to believe they are the person they portray. This often is used for relationships, what is catfishing online dating, such as the scenario in the movie Catfish. The person catfishing uses another person's photos and life facts to make them appear as a real person. Often, the person who this identity has been molded from does not know that their pictures and name are being used, what is catfishing online dating. They are unaware that their identity was used to create these fake relationships online. The person uses catfishing in order to appear as what is catfishing online dating better version of themselves by using a fake identity. Their primary reason to appear as a fake person is to befriend the other person for a relationship or sexual reasons.^[8]

Some online users have used catfishing to explore their gender and/or sexual identities.^[9] Known this way as a type of romance scam, catfishing is often employed on dating websites however the use of social media or email will serve for scammers as a way to make initial contact.^[10] For example, on the MTV show Catfish, based on the documentary, a girl named Sonny connects with a male model named Jamison who is, in reality, Chelsea, a woman using her alternative identity to interact romantically with other women in an online space.^[9]

Financial gain can be another motive of catfishing. In 2015, three girls created a fake social media profile and managed to steal $3,300 from the Islamic State, a terrorist group. The three girls had been approached by a recruitment officer to join the organization. After coming into contact the three girls proceeded and asked for money to travel to Syria. When they received the money, the girls immediately deleted their internet account and pocketed the cash that was intended for their own personal travel.^[11]

Catfishing has also been used as a tactic to stop criminal activity. In 2004, Dateline NBC produced the segment, To Catch a Predator, which documented undercover cops posing as minors online to catch pedophiles. Pedophiles would then be lured into spaces arranged by the undercover dating apps for people with stds where an encounter between the posed minor and the adult were to occur.

Catfishing can also be used as a tactic to cyberbully someone online by attacking other individuals online working under a fake or anonymous identity. Since they are using another person's identity or a made up identity, the person will not get in trouble and will not have any consequences as the cyberbullying cannot be traced back to them.

Dangers[edit]

There have been incidents where catfishing has led to murders and kidnapping. It can be used to attract a person from the Internet and allow them to meet them in person. The person catfishing can lure a victim to a place to be kidnapped, or hurt in another way. Catfishers may also show up at the victim's home unexpectedly to abduct them. Catfishing has also been a new way for sexual predators to interact with their victims and possibly harm them creating another threat. These sexual predators use fake identities to talk to teens, allowing what is catfishing online dating to get close to them so that the victim will trust them. This then allows for the predator to get information from the victim to use that information to potentially harm them.^[12] Examples of this are the 2002 murder of Kacie Woody and 2007 murder of Carly Ryan.

Catfishing as a way to harass others online also has increased the number of suicides in teens as mental abuse is involved,^[13] an example being the 2006 suicide of Megan Meier.

Signs[edit]

Although subjective, there are multiple warning signs attributed to catfishing behavior.

• If an unknown person starts following or messaging a user and the person's profile picture looks fake or too good to be true.
• If profiles between dating and social media sites are inconsistent, for example having different names or pictures between websites.^[10]
• If after a few encounters the opposing party starts proclaiming love, especially after only a few days or weeks of contact.^[10]
• If a person refuses to send photos of themselves or talk on a phone or video call.

Legal cases[edit]

The first successful civil claim relating to a catfishing scam in the UK, and in the common law world (Kirat Assi v Simran Kaur Bhogal) was won in June 2021 after Kirat, a British radio presenter, discovered she was a victim of a nine year catfishing campaign perpetrated by her younger cousin Simran, a former Barclays Investment banker. ^[14]

Notable instances[edit]

• 13-year-old Alicia Kozakiewicz befriended who she believed was a boy of her age in a Yahoo chat room in either 2000 or 2001. On January 1, 2002, he invited Kozakiewicz to meet him near her Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania home. The boy was actually 38-year-old Scott Tyree from Herndon, Virginia, who, after coercing Kozakiewicz into his vehicle, drove her to his home where he held her captive, shackled, raped and tortured her in his basement dungeon while live streaming online. A Florida viewer recognized Kozakiewicz from news stories and a National Center for Missing & Exploited Children flier, and gave an anonymous tip to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). After tracing Tyree's IP address, FBI stormed the house on January 4 and freed Kozakiewicz at 4:10 PM. Kozakiewicz has gone on to become a motivational speaker, Internet safety and missing persons advocate, and has founded The Alicia Project.^[15][16]

• In 2002, 13-year-old Kacie Woody (screen name: modelbehavior63), from Arkansas began an online friendship with a supposedly 17-year-old boy named Dave Fagen (screen name: jazzman_df) from California. "Dave Fagen", whose profile picture was of a young man, was actually 47-year-old David Fuller from La Mesa. Fuller traveled to Arkansas and abducted Woody from her home on the night of December 3. What is catfishing online dating an investigation by Arkansas law enforcement and the FBI, Woody and Fuller's bodies were found the next day in Fuller's rented minivan inside Guardsmart Storage in Conway. Fuller had sedated Woody with chloroform, bound, raped and shot her in the head before shooting himself upon law enforcement's arrival.^[17] Woody's friends and family subsequently founded the Kacie Woody Foundation in order to educate parents and children about Internet safety, and her case appeared on the Investigation Discovery TV shows "Web of Lies" and "Man With a Van."^[18]

• The suicide of Megan Meier in October 2006 was attributed to Lori Drew, a neighbor of the Meiers and the mother of Megan's friend Sarah, who had created a fake account in order to cyberbully Megan for allegedly spreading gossip about Sarah. Sarah and several other people were also involved. On MySpace, Megan had received a friend request from a supposedly 16-year-old boy named "Josh Evans", who claimed to have recently moved to a nearby city, O'Fallon. The two became friends, however, on October 16, Josh began sending increasingly hurtful messages to Megan, the last of which told her that the world would be a better place without her. Megan had become upset, and after being confronted by her mother, Tina, what is catfishing online dating, for not signing off when she was told, ran to her bedroom. A while later, when Tina went to Busty dating site room to check on her, she found that Megan had hung herself with a belt inside her closet. Attempts to revive her failed, and Megan was pronounced dead the next day, three weeks before her 14th birthday. About a year later, the scheme behind the account was discovered. In 2008, a jury indicted and convicted Lori of violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in connection with the incident, what is catfishing online dating, but the conviction was later vacated by a federal judge on a post-trial verdict, on grounds that the act did not intend to criminalize Drew's alleged conduct. The government decided against appealing the ruling. In 2009, Drew was also acquitted of cyberbullying in United States v. Drew. Tina founded the Megan Meier Foundation, an organization intended to fight cyberbullying.^[19][20]

• In 2006, 14-year-old Carly Ryan from South Australia befriended and began dating an American-Australian teen named Brandon Kane over MySpace, what is catfishing online dating. "Kane" turned out to be Garry Francis Newman, who in January 2007 travelled from Melbourne to meet Carly and give her birthday presents, what is catfishing online dating, while posing as Kane's father Shane, but after behaving erractically and inappropriately, her mother Sonya told him to leave. Nearly a month later, Carly left the house apparently to have a sleepover with friends, but after being reported missing when she didn’t return home the next morning, her body was found floating in Horseshoe Bay in Port Elliot. She had been beaten, smothered in beach sand and then thrown into the ocean to drown. An investigation led back to Newman, who was arrested and, in January 2010, found guilty of Carly’s murder and sentenced to life in prison with a 29-year non-parole period.^[21][22] Carly's mother, Sonya Ryan, founded the Carly Ryan Foundation, which successfully lobbied for "Carly's Law" being enacted in order to protect Australian minors discreet dating approval site Montgomery (screen name: marinesniper), a 47-year-old married man, pretending to be an 18-year-old male named "Tommy" who is in the Marines, ended up in a love triangle with Mary Shieler (screen name: talhotblond), a middle-aged married woman, pretending to be an 18-year-old female named "Jessi", and a co-worker of Montgomery's, 22-year-old Brian Barrett (screen name: beefcake). As a result of jealousy, Montgomery murdered Barrett, and the deceptions unraveled. These events were covered in a 2009 documentary film, Talhotblond and a subsequent movie adaptation.^[24]

• The identity of an Australian actor, Lincoln Lewis, was used by an impostor over four years. The actions resulted in the suicide of one victim, who had what is catfishing online dating one point reached out to the real Lincoln Lewis as they had attended primary school together, so she was familiar with some aspects of his life that were discovered and exploited by the perpetrator. The female why i stopped dating women operated from at least mid-2011 until arrested in mid-2016, and in early 2019 was found guilty of stalking six people.^[27][28]

• Sweet Bobby is a podcast about how Kirat falls for Bobby, and the investigation into one of the most sophisticated catfishers.^[29]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Solar_Opposites#Main

External links[edit]

• The dictionary definition of catfishing at Wiktionary

"What a waste of fucking time," I thought when I scrolled through his Instagram and realized the dude I’ve been pen-palling with for the past week didn’t look anything like his pictures. Ugh.

We matched on Hinge, and while he was 12 years my senior, I gave him the swipe right because he was handsome and charming despite skewing toward the higher end of my age limit.

“Are you really 35?” I asked him brazenly one night. “It just seemed like something to address considering you might be Benjamin Button,” I added. Comic relief, yes, good.

“Yes.” He answered, to which he responded by reminding me he will be turning 36 the following week. Oy.

“And your pictures are up-to-date?” I pressed. Are you really who you say you are?

“Hold on,” he told me. I don’t even know what pictures I have up.” Not everyone keeps a folder with potential dating app pics?

“The one with Mariano Riversa is old. The rest are all up to date.” Honesty, okay, I can deal with that.

Score for Tay, I thought. What an attractive, successful, man. My damn near trusting heart took his honesty for what it was… him, like, actually being honest.

It wasn’t what is catfishing online dating I scoured through his (private, but requested) social media later the next day that I found the handsome, brown-haired, toothy-grinned what is catfishing online dating I’d been flirting with had actually aged 10+ years within the week we’d been bantering about football, what is catfishing online dating, past relationships, and our Trader Joe’s addiction.

Now, I’m not shaming someone’s appearance, but when you think you’re talking to someone who you later find out has more salt than pepper hair because his dating app profile only has photos of him from ten years ago, this will throw you for a serious loop.

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The good thing? He was honest about his age. The bad thing? He was not honest about his pictures—they were old, and probably from when he was 25 or 26. No wonder I thought he had good genes!

So what do we call this? It’s not catfishing by definition, right? This was not a case for Nev and Max. But his pictures did deceive me, despite the fact that they were, indeed, pictures of him.

So I’m coining the term now: let’s call it half-ass catfishing.

It’s the act of putting up deceptive photos on your profile so that you passions network dating sites five inches taller or five years younger than what you really are, even though they are legit photos of you.

Half-ass catfishing also includes that “entrepreneur” status on their profile, which really means they’re jobless and living at home with the rents. Or, in my case, it's when someone uses pictures of themself that were taken when I still had an hour of recess. Sigh.

Amanda Bradford, founder and CEO of The League, is super wary of this kind of dating app deception."Anything with the word 'catfishing' is bad regardless if it’s happening 'half-ass,'" she says.

Dating a lot of the time is uncomfortable and what is catfishing online dating as it is… you’re putting yourself out there, taking a risk to find a true connection with someone.

Luckily, Bradford is laying out some major clues on what you can look for in a dating app profile to tell if someone's attempting to half-ass catfish—or even full-on catfish—you. These include:

1.They don't provide vital/basic info. Think: region, age, occupation, etc.

2. They don’t give you their IG handle or 'don’t have social media at all.' It’s 2018, who doesn’t have any sort of social?

3. They postpone meeting up IRL.Not looking for a pen pal.

4. They’re wearing sunglasses or actively covering up their face.

5, what is catfishing online dating. All the pics on their profile are group photos—you can’t even really tell who they are.

6. Their pics are grainy or from far distances away.

Moral of the story: Just do your homework, okay? Trust—it’s normal, not creepy, to do some back-stalking before a date. “Google search should be on your priority list,” says Bradford.

This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, what is catfishing online dating, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Invest some time surfing the web and seeing what comes out of it. Think of it as a job interview. If you were an employer, you’d search your prospective new employee, right?

And while silver fox and I never made it out on a date—he actually responded with a dumbfounded, “Wow, ok,” when I called him out for the deceitfulness—remember it’s not shallow of you to change your mind about someone when you realize they look or are something other than what their dating app profile depicts.

Follow Taylor on Instagram.

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The growing popularity of online dating

The dating scene has been changing over the last decade. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, approximately 6% of Internet users who are in a marriage or other committed relationship met online, compared to 3% who reported this in 2005. Additionally, 42% of Americans know someone who has used an online dating site or app, an increase of 11% from 2005, and 29% of Americans know someone who has met their partner through this medium, compared with 15% who made this claim in 2005.

This data represents a significant shift in the perception of online dating, suggesting that the stigma associated with the practice is dropping:

• 59% of Internet users feel that online dating is a good way to meet people (compared with 44% in 2005),

• 53% of Internet users feel that online dating is a good means of finding someone with shared interests (compared with 47% in 2005), and

• 21% of Internet users feel that employing an online dating service is a mark of desperation, which is down from the reported 29% in 2005.

Despite these signs of growing acceptance, an undercurrent of hesitation and uncertainty persists when it comes to online relationships:

• 54% of online daters believe that someone else has presented false information in their profile,

• and 28% have been contacted in a way that left them feeling harassed or uncomfortable.

While some of us may Friend more discriminately than others, we live in a time where it's common to build online networks that include secondary and tertiary connections. So don't look so sheepish if you've ever added your friend's aunt's step-brother's son or a random bartender or significant other of a friend you haven't spoken to since high school to one of your online networks—you aren't alone! We've actually been taught that this makes us good networkers—even thought it overlooks quality in favor of quantity—because the objective is to cast as wide a net as possible when building a network. But in this social strategy, how do we know that anyone is who they claim to be?

And more importantly, could we spot a catfish if one swam into our network?

Casting a hook

The term catfish was made popular by the 2010 documentary film by the same name (which has also morphed into a series on MTV). It refers to a person who is intentionally deceptive when creating a social media profile, often with the goal of making a romantic connection. This deception can be elaborate, and may involve the use of fake photos, fake biographies, and sometimes fictitious supporting networks as well.

The documentary followed the online relationship between photographer Yanev "Nev" Shulman and a young woman named Megan, whom Nev "met" after receiving a painting of one his photographs from her younger sister Abby, what is catfishing online dating. Nev connected with Abby, and subsequently her family, over email, what is catfishing online dating, phone, and eventually Facebook. His relationship with Megan grew until discrepancies in the information she shared venezuelan women dating revealed, what is catfishing online dating. When questioned, she was evasive, prompting more questions and leading to additional disappointments as Nev discovered that not everything was as it seemed. He traveled to her home where he learned that Abby's mother was actually playing the part of Megan. She fabricated an entire life on Facebook using strangers' pictures and their information. She even went so far as to have her fictitious characters interact with each other on Facebook to make it appear on though they were members of a real network.

In the television series, Nev documents the stories of people who have been in online relationships for lengthy periods of time without meeting the other person. They contact Nev because they are ready to take the next step or because something feels off and they want answers. He travels with one of the couple for the meeting, helping to highlight skeptical elements of the what is the best dating site for relationships along the way, asking them to question why the relationship has unfolded as it has. Sometimes things are what they appear to be and distance or time has kept the couple from formally meeting, but often there's an element of deception; for example, people may look nothing like their photographs or may be pretending to be of another gender or are in another relationship.

The web has had a reputation as a place where anonymity is permitted. However, social networking sites tend to encourage greater degrees of transparency. Users are required to create a profile, which helps to establish an online identity. Over time a user's sum total of online activities paint a picture of who that user may be but we don't always question this information. We tend to forget that we see what others want us to see when it comes to crafting an identity.

A catfish banks on this shortsightedness and shapes his or her profile(s) to serve us exactly what we want. They're emphatic, they're sympathetic, and they're like-minded. The manipulation is so subtle that we don't realize the ways in which the "click" that is the hallmark of a relationship is being orchestrated.

Pleasing to the eye

Catfish are successful because their actions mirror offline behaviors. We choose what we believe to be the best of ourselves to share with others, what is catfishing online dating. We highlight knowledge, skills, and tendencies that help establish our connection to particular social groups—and hopefully the person in front of us well. Sociologist Erving Goffman believed that this sort of editing of the self to shape the impression we make on others sits at the core of social interaction. We want to appear as similar as possible to the object of our interaction; acceptance secures our place within our networks.

This plays out online as well. Think about your Facebook profile photo, for example. How much time and thought did you invest in its selection? Did you think about how that photo represented you? You probably didn't pick a photo where you thought you looked badly. And if it was a particularly good picture, when was the last time you changed it? Do you still look like that person or are you choosing to represent yourself as the person you were in that moment?

I know I'm firing off a lot of questions, but the point is that these are exercises of representation. And within these exercises deception might actually help us create an image of ourselves that has mass appeal. This type of deception can be somewhat contained offline. After all, when you're face-to-face with someone, they have to support the image they're presenting. This isn't quite as true online—or rather, there's some flexibility that arises from the disjuncture between a user's profile and interaction with that user. Because it's not instantaneous, users have the opportunity to craft a specific image and adjust that image over time. We can plan and edit ourselves in this medium.

This becomes slightly more nuanced with online dating. Online dating profiles are designed to emphasize relatively personal data, including things like height, weight, age, and preferences. Users may feel pressured to alter this information to present what they perceive is their ideal self and maximize their attractiveness. Though there’s a need to reconcile this self with reality and participants on these what is catfishing online dating claim they are truthful, research has found that nine-out-of-ten online daters will fib about their height, weight, or age. Men are more likely to alter their height, perhaps because it is a reflection of status, while women are more likely to provide lower estimates on weight, what is catfishing online dating, likely because we place a high premium of desirability on the notion of "skinniness." Both genders will lie about age (though incidences of deception in this category are small). Online presentation in dating applications and social networks is guided by the possibility of a future offline meeting. This means users eventually have to come to terms with the image they craft online. In this regard, it's easy to explain discrepancies in weight and height as both can fluctuate. But age? Not quite as easy to get away with.

But before that offline meeting, users have to judge the information they see. Profiles in these settings are highly scrutinized against the measures by which users believe they will be judged themselves. For example, rampant misspellings or language misuse might be interpreted as a lack of interest or a lack of education. Writing style is also believed by some users to indicate personality, and care may be taken to adopt or avoid a certain tone—one user wanted to avoid sounding “cutesy” because she wanted to avoid people who might be looking for less serious relationships.

These types of deceptions allow online daters to create an ideal self. And that's no different from the selves we create on other social networking sites, or the selves we try to generate when we meet people in offline settings. However, what is catfishing online dating, we're kept honest to certain degree by the real-time interactions. This expectation of honesty helps us trust in the online networks that we build, particularly when it comes to secondary and tertiary contacts.

Don't tell fish stories where the people know you

But there are places online where the possibility of that offline meeting is minimized, what is catfishing online dating. For example, in MUDs where people are actively creating characters outside of themselves, there is little expectation of a real life meeting with the character you might interact with online. That character is free from any trait of what is catfishing online dating originator. It is free to hold any occupation, be any age, switch gender, and be an expert in anything. This freedom allows these spaces to be used for exploration, which is guided by the understanding that the character is not a person but a mask that’s being employed.

These spaces are greatly different from social networks where you also have the expectation of interacting with an actual person. This expectation generates the trust that allows a catfish to infiltrate the network and survive, what is catfishing online dating. The degree of scrutiny of profiles and the effort of validation of identity are less on social networking sites than dating sites because the end goal is not necessarily an offline meeting. The assumption is that behaviors on the social networking site are uniform, so if the catfish adopts the social norms of the network (e.g., he or she must have a network of their own, which they will often fabricate), then the catfish can pass without attracting unwanted attention.

Why do they do it? The reasons are complex, but may be rooted in the "online disinhibition effect," where the potential for anonymity in online spaces reduces people's responsiveness to social and moral codes. There is a certain pleasure in deception—in knowing that you’ve managed to fool someone in some way. Online spaces mean that user don’t always have to face the people they fool, so feelings like stress, tension, guilt and shame can be avoided as they explore who they might want to be or how far they can press a storyline. Catfish lean heavily on avoiding offline meetings, what is catfishing online dating. They paint a picture of busy-ness or tragedy that keeps them away even while they continue to emotionally feed the relationship with an other.

Catfish avoid detection by positioning themselves in a position of perceived referential power. They build relationships of confidence and trust, which are aided by the medium of social networks where users are encouraged to share information. Catfish appear just like everyone else; and it’s much harder to believe that a friend would deceive you, so the tendency is to trust. It’s rare that a user will try to verify the information offered by a catfish for these reasons.

The sea grows wider

This discussion is relevant because as online dating sites grow in popularity, the act of entering into a relationship online is also gaining acceptance. Social networking sites provide a rich research venue for people who are interested in getting to know someone romantically—and the information may be more honestly presented here than in online dating sites as we try to capture our lives through personal photos, shares, and Likes. According to Pew Internet, 41% of social network site users have used a social networking site to get more information about a potential partner, and 18% have Friended someone because they wanted to date them. As our culture encourages us to widen our online networks, it may be time to begin to emphasize quality over quantity.

Have you been catfished? How did you find out? What do you think the trigger signs are that not all is as it seems?

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You might online dating for 50+ like:

Creeping Connectivity: Work and Life in a Hyper-Connected World

Don't read the comments! (Why do we read the comments when we know they'll be bad?)

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Oracles Past and Present: Our Means of Managing Information

References:

Caspi A, & Gorsky P (2006). Online deception: prevalence, motivation, and emotion. Cyberpsychology & behavior : the impact of the Internet, multimedia and virtual reality on behavior and society, 9 (1), 54-9 PMID: 16497118

Ellison, N., Heino, R., & Gibbs, J. (2006). Managing Impressions Online: Self-Presentation Processes in the Online Dating Environment Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11 (2), 415-441 DOI: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00020.x

Hancock, Jeffrey T. (2007--1--1) The truth about lying in online dating profiles.449. DOI: 10.1145/1240624.1240697

What is catfishing?

Catfishing is when someone uses images and information (often taken from other people’s social media accounts) to create a new identity online – sometimes using an individual’s entire identity as their own. Newly created social media accounts can then be used to damage the reputation of the true owner of the identity, or alternatively any fictional identities that are created using other people’s images and information can be used to form dishonest relationships online. Although catfishing used to be seen more among adults using online dating platforms, it has now become a more widespread problem among adults and teenagers. Some people who catfish go to extreme lengths to create fake identities – having multiple social media accounts with the purpose of building up and validating their catfishing profiles.

Why is it called catfishing?

Although the practise of catfishing has been around almost as long as the internet, catfishing only gained its name in 2010 after a documentary titled “Catfish” was released. Catfishing then went on to became a recognized term in 2012 after the MTV series “Catfish” premiered.

Why do people catfish?

People choose to catfish other what is catfishing online dating for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons people catfish include:

• Insecurities – Someone might choose to catfish another person due to their own personal insecurities. They might consider themselves ‘ugly’ or ‘not good enough’ and feel more comfortable using the images or identity of another disability datings app free that they consider ‘attractive enough’ free dating local ‘worthy’.
• Mental illness – Somebody suffering from some forms of mental illness might feel too anxious to reveal their true or authentic self. Someone suffering from depression might have very low self-esteem adventure dating site feel like they are not ‘good enough’. There are many different conditions that can make people feel that the only way they can communicate with people effectively or with confidence is by pretending to be somebody else.
• Hide their identity – Somebody who wants to hide their identity when using social media might use another person’s images and/or information. They might want to hide who they are to troll others, talk to people outside of an existing relationship or in some cases, they might catfish with the intention of trying to extort money from the person they have targeted.
• Revenge – Some people use catfishing as a tool of seeking revenge on previous partners or people they consider ‘deserving’. Those seeking revenge often create social media accounts, which use the victim’s images what is catfishing online dating information in order to humiliate them or damage their reputation. They can also use fabricated identities to lure the person into a fake relationship to hurt them emotionally.
• Harassment – Some people set up multiple catfishing accounts to maximize the emotional impact when harassing someone online. They might set up several social media accounts because the recipient of the harassment has blocked their initial catfishing account or they might do it to create the impression that there are growing numbers of people participating in the abuse, in an attempt to overwhelm the victim.
• Exploring sexual preference – When someone is confused or curious about their sexuality, they might create false profiles so they can confidently explore their curiosity without having to reveal their true identity.

The most common reason people will catfish others is a lack of confidence. If people aren’t happy with themselves, they feel that by being someone more attractive, they are fully able to express themselves freely without their insecurities holding them back.

The effects of catfishing

When someone is catfished, it can be extremely damaging to their mental health – especially if they are emotionally invested in a friendship or romantic relationship with the catfisher. Victims of catfishing can find it extremely difficult to trust after their experience – affecting relationships both personal and professional.

As well as the emotional devastation that someone who has been catfished can potentially go through, they can also face online dating when should you meet in person and regret for believing and ‘falling for’ a completely non-existent person. Financial loss and mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression can all come about because of catfishing.

If the person that has been catfished has sent any explicit images or ‘sexted’ with the catfisher, the victim will feel that their trust has been completely betrayed and become paranoid that they might be exposed publicly in the form of revenge porn or be sextorted by the catfisher in the future. This can lead to serious longterm problems such as anxiety disorders and depression.

Signs that you might be being catfished 

It can difficult to spot a catfish. Although the signs you might be getting catfished can be different for each situation, some of the most common signs that you could have fallen victim to catfishing include:

• They don’t have many friends or images on their social media accounts – When someone is catfishing, what is catfishing online dating, they will have to take the photos they choose to use from another source. Most commonly, they will take images from someone else’s social media account. Because the images are taken from an authentic source, catfishers have no what is catfishing online dating over when or what is posted so will only have access to a few images at a time – when the ‘real’ person shares images themselves. They might also have very few friends and show little or no interaction with them online.
• They never want to video call – Someone who is catfishing, will not want to video call if they are using another person’s identity. In order to avoid video chatting, catfishers make up excuses. They might say their webcam is broken or they’re always too busy.
• They don’t want to meet up – For obvious reasons, catfishers will never want to meet up. To avoid this, some catfishers will agree to meet up with you (to seem more what is catfishing online dating only to back out at the last moment.
• If they don’t use Snapchat – It sounds strange but Snapchat has now become so popular that if somebody is active on various social media platforms but doesn’t use Snapchat, this could be suspicious. Snapchat is based around sharing ‘live’ selfies – making it impossible to use images taken from other people’s accounts. If you are being catfished, they might say they don’t use snapchat or add you on it and then refuse to send you a photo of themselves.

Although most people feel confident that they would know if they were communicating with a completely fabricated identity, it is also very easy to assume after seeing a few images what is catfishing online dating some conversation that you are communicating with exactly who you are looking at in the images! It is important to remember that although many of the signs that you are being catfished listed above can be indicative of something sinister – they can also be completely innocent too.

How can I prevent being catfished?

Avoiding getting catfished can be very difficult, because of the sheer volume of people we interact with online each day. Therefore it can be difficult to check each identity for authenticity, however there are tips to prevent or reduce your chances of being catfished. Some of the ways you can prevent being catfished are:

• Being cautious – When talking to anybody that you don’t know online, always remain slightly cautious, especially if you have only just started speaking with them or have no solid evidence that they are who they say they are.
• Never giving out money – Some catfishers will target people in order to scam money from them. You should never give money to anybody who asks for it online.
• Taking your time – Always be careful when sending images or sexually explicit messages to another person online. Once you press send, it can’t be taken back!
• Talking to someone – If you have concerns about someone you are speaking to online, confide in someone you trust, what is catfishing online dating. Tell them about your concerns as they may be able to help you identify any “red flags” you may have not noticed yourself. New perspectives often bring new solutions!
• Not being afraid to ask questions – As uncomfortable as it might be, don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to in order to feel comfortable talking to someone. If they are a catfish, they might not be able to answer all the questions accurately and then you’ll be more likely to know that something isn’t right.
• Adjusting your privacy settings – Catfishers will commonly look for potential victims to target, and by having your privacy settings adjusted on your social media accounts to ‘private’, you are less likely to fall victim to catfishing because nobody can see the information on your profile.

We've all heard the catfishing horror stories (I mean, what is catfishing online dating, there's even a whole show about it), and if you're like me, you've always thought, "God, that could NEVER happen to me. I wouldn't be fooled." But the reality is, catfishing is real and there are people out there who are darn good at it. So, to make sure you never catch yourself a catfish, here are the 7 signs to look out for when you're chatting with someone online.

First, some of you may be wondering, what does it mean to be "catfished." Well, that's simple. A catfish is someone who's lying about who they are online. Maybe they made a fake profile using someone else's picture and name. Some catfishing can be fairly harmless. Simply a lonely person who wants to make friends but isn't confident enough with what is catfishing online dating to use their own picture and info, but catfishing can also be a lot more sinister. So, it's important to know the signs of a catfish so you can get ahead of the con, what is catfishing online dating.

1. The relationship is progressing very quickly

Often a catfish will come on really strong because they want to reel you in quickly. After only a few chats, they might already be telling you that they're falling in love or that they could see themselves spending their whole life with you. A catfish wants to gain your trust quickly in order to manipulate you to get what they need. So, what is catfishing online dating they're being over the top and it feels ridiculous, it probably is.

2. They never want to video chat or talk on the phone

You're been chatting for a few weeks and you want to take things to the next level by video chatting or talking on the phone, but they refuse. Maybe they say their phone camera is broken or they have bad service. A catfish will come up with all the excuses in order to keep the lie going. So, if they continue to deny your request to FaceTime or chat on the phone and they keep making excuses to avoid it, you may have caught a catfish.

3. They won't give you their social media info or when they do, it's very suspect

Come on, everyone is on social media, so if your online friend claims they aren't, that's something to be wary of. OK, maybe they're too cool for Instagram, but they aren't on TikTok, Twitter, or even Facebook? Definitely consider that a red flag. Or, they do give you their social media handle, but it's just a little.suspect. Maybe they have close to zero followers or they never post. Or, the photo they sent you is the only one on their Facebook. Come on, you're a pro at social media, so you know when something seems off. These are all signs that the person you're talking to, doesn't actually exist.

4. Their stories seem a little too good to be true

If they're telling you wild stories about their past relationships, their travel experiences, and their immense wealth, what is catfishing online dating, these are all signs that your online friend may be dating app for nerds to manipulate you to win you over, what is catfishing online dating. Be extra critical when they're telling a story, ask questions and see if the story seems legit and holds up to your questioning. Sometimes, if it feels too good to be true, it probably is.

5. They ask you for money what is catfishing online dating

If someone you're talking to online asks you for money, what is catfishing online dating, that's it. Get out, what is catfishing online dating. Right now. You barely know this person, they won't video chat with you, and their stories seem ridiculous. DO NOT give them money or your bank account information. If they ask for money, that should be a sign that that's all they were working toward the whole time. Cut off that connection ASAP.

6. Your friends are suspicious

Sometimes, it's easier to assess a older gay dating app from the outside looking in. So, if what is catfishing online dating tell your friends about your new pal and they aren't as excited as you thought they would be, it's probably for a reason. If your friends are suspicious, you should probably listen to them.

7. Your gut is saying something is wrong

Always listen to your gut, especially in situations like this. If you think something seems weird, and if they're ticking off many of the items on this list, end the relationship on the spot. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Luckily, there are resources now for people who are the victim of catfishing. If you think you may be getting conned, try looking up your new friend's profile on socialcatfish.com. That will hopefully provide you with some information so you can proceed accordingly.

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What is Catfishing?

'Catfishing' is when someone creates fake profiles on social media sites to trick people into thinking they are somebody else.

It is most common on social media and dating apps like Tinder.

They make up life stories and use photographs of unsuspecting victims to create fake identities. Catfishers add life experiences, jobs, friends and photographs to the fake accounts.

This can be seen in cases such as young mum Chloe Davis, 20, who began receiving suggestive text messages from men who believed they had chatted with her on Plenty of Fish after someone set up a fake profile in her name.

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Where did the term Catfish come from?

The term was first used in the 2010 documentary 'Catfish' - in which Nev Schulman what is catfishing online dating the gorgeous woman he fell in love with online was a middle-aged, married mum.

Schulman fell in love with "Megan" - but also spoke to her mum Angela, half-sister Abby and stepdad Vince online.

At the end of the documentary Schulman discovers "Megan" was a fake account run by Angela using a family friend's photos.

After becoming suspicious Schulman drives to "Megan's" address - and finds Angela, who admits she was behind the account all along.

At the end he tells a story about how live cod were shipped along with catfish to keep the cod active and ensure the quality of the fish.

He uses the metaphor to describe Angela, saying there are always "catfishes" in our lives who keep us alert, active and on our toes.

Schulman later turned the documentary into the 'Catfish' TV show, where he helps others solve their online relationship mysteries.

What are so high profile examples of catfishing?

There are two types of victims - the people who are duped into trusting someone with a false identity, and those who have their personal photos stolen and used by someone that isn't them.

Here are some of the most recent cases of catfishing:

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Why do people make fake accounts?

The fake accounts are often used to spark up online relationships.

Unknowing victims will fall in love with women or men they meet online - what is catfishing online dating no idea the person behind the screen is someone completely different.

Catfishers use the accounts to give off a persona they wish they had - with plenty of friends, photos and attractive qualities.

At the moment, catfishing is not illegal in the UK, but there are many campaigns to make it against the law.

How do I know if I'm being catfished?

Potential victims always have similar concerns.

These include:

• Why does he refuse to video chat?
• Why is she never able to meet in person?
• Why does it seem just to good to be true?

If you are in an online relationship and think any of the above - it could be happening to you.

Topics

Have you ever talked to someone online, and then found out that they were lying about who they were? Then you might have been catfished. The term is often applied to fraudulent romantic relationships, but it isn’t always about romance.

What Is Catfishing?

Catfishing is the act of deceiving another person online with a fake account, identity, photos, and other details about their life. It is most commonly found on social networking sites and dating sites. A “catfish” refers to the person performing the deception.

Because of the widespread popularity of the term, catfishing has also become synonymous with simple acts of misrepresentation or deception.

Why Do People Catfish?

The most common reason to catfish someone is for wish fulfillment. In these types of relationships, the catfish and what is catfishing online dating person they catfish will form an emotional connection with each other over the internet, even forming committed relationships and partnerships without ever actually seeing the other person.

Catfishing does not necessarily have to be romantic, either. There are many examples of being catfished by prospective friends or business partners. The scam ends when one person discovers the extent of the catfish’s deception, typically upon being prompted by other people in what is catfishing online dating life, such as friends and family, to investigate further.

An even darker side to catfishing is those who scam others for monetary gain. The catfisher will pose as someone in need of help for something like a family emergency or medical expenses, then solicit others for money. A common type of scam involves asking someone for money to fly so that they can meet up, and then ghosting them afterward.

Lastly, catfishing is sometimes used for good. There are cases of people, including law enforcement, using catfish accounts in order to catch criminals or predators in the act.

RELATED:What Does "Ghosting" Mean in Online Dating?

How Catfishing Happens

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There are always two people in relationships that involve catfishing: the “catfish” who lies about their name, age, gender, identity, appearance, and various personal details, and what is catfishing online dating “catfished” person that believes all of these things and forms a relationship built entirely on lies.

Typically, the catfish will set up social media accounts posing as someone else, either by creating a fake identity or by using another person’s information. They will collect various photos to display, litter their profile with fake details, and craft various stories about themselves.

They will begin to what is catfishing online dating a relationship with someone else while posing as their fake identity. A common thread among catfish is that they will make up various scenarios to get the other person emotionally involved. Catfish also actively try to prevent meeting with their partners, completely refusing to do video calls and in-person meetups.

Why Is It Named After a Catfish?

In 2010, filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman released their documentary Catfish, about a man named Nev who starts a relationship with a woman, Angela, who was posing as someone named Megan. The film is credited with coining the term and starting the entire cultural conversation about catfishing. It was later spun-off into the hit MTV show, “Catfish: The TV Show.”

The term itself refers to a method that fishermen used to keep cod intact when they shipped the fish long distances. Catfish were placed in the tank to keep the cod active, which preserved the quality of the fish. Therefore, it is said that people who “catfish” are there to make the lives of other people more exciting.

“I’m Going to Catfish”

Thanks to the movie and the eventual TV show, “catfishing” has become a cultural phenomenon all on its own. However, what is catfishing online dating, aside from its dark, original definition of someone fooling others with entirely fake identities and photos, it has also taken on a slightly more innocent meaning.

A “catfish” can be used to refer to anyone who uses slightly altered information on an online dating profile or a filter on their photos, often to make themselves look better. For example, you might say you’re “catfishing” someone if you put an age that’s two years older what is catfishing online dating you really are. You could even say that you’re “catfishing” if you were whitening your teeth what is catfishing online dating a photo editor.

The term what is catfishing online dating become synonymous with changing your personal information in any way. Even putting a slightly misleading profile picture of yourself may be considered catfishing by some. When it comes to forming relationships with other people, even online, building trust is essential. Therefore, we don’t suggest obfuscating yourself unless it’s for privacy reasons.

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