Catfishing
Online impersonation affecting the lives of millions
Catfishing- What is it?
Why do people "catfish?"
- To raise self-esteem
- To seek revenge on a specific person
- To pursue online romances
- To scam (usually for financial purposes)
Dangers of catfishing
- Emotional damage it can cause.
- Involves all the raw emotions associated with love and relationships (once the victim becomes emotionally or romantically attached, it can be devastating to learn that the person they fell in love with is not who they say they are)
- Public and personal embarrassment (causing them to be ridiculed by peers)
- Depression and suicide
Jennifer's Story
Keyonnah's Story
Keyonnah thought she was in a relationship with Bow wow. After messaging her childhood crush on Facebook, she was shocked when he responded right away. Soon, they were texting daily, talking on the phone late at night and planning to visit him in North Carolina. However, suspicions began to arise. Bow wow was always too busy filming his show to visit her and, although they've tried several times to video chat, his internet connection never worked. Her doubts were put at ease when the Bow wow she was talking to sent her $10,000 to pay her family bills. When confronted, the catfisher pretending to be Bow wow was actually a lesbian rapper.
Potential Solutions
•Reduce bullying and harassment
-this reduces low self esteem and the need to take anger out online
•Reduce over-inflated egos and rejection
-this reduces the need to seek romantic relationships online