Catfishing: Inside Out [Article]

[Empired]

Catfishing! We've all done it to a certain extent. You may try to disagree, but it's true. Ever told someone you're a couple of inches taller than you really are? What about the time you added that filter to make your profile picture look a little better? And how about when you told your friends you were going jogging when you were actually watching 'How I Met Your Mother' downstairs? Those little lies hardly count as "catfishing", right? Some would say they're just little white lies, others would say they don't count at all. I have interviewed someone who has kindly shared their own experience of Internet deception!

So what exactly defines catfishing? And why is it such a taboo?

The term "catfishing" is pretty ambiguous. If you were to search it up on the Internet, you'd find very little to do with what it actually is. And what you can find on Google is almost always only from the point of view of the catfishing "victims". So what exactly defines catfishing? I asked some members of Habbo to come up with their own terms for the word.

"When someone pretends to be someone else over the Internet through use of fake pics, identity, etc." ~ :odey:
"Trying to lead someone on with a fake personality." ~ WhosFaded
"Fake people? Like if they're a whole different person to who they actually are." ~ Cassiieee
"People using fake identities to catch their prey for varied purposes. Most common reason is sexual but there are other reasons why someone would catfish too. Stalking would be another reason I think." ~ Endergal
"Someone who fakes an online identity using various forms of social media." ~ Intersocial

So I think it's fair to say you have to be faking an identity to trick other people into believing you are someone else. According to a thread on HabboxForum, a lot of people also believe catfishing is particularly bad if you are doing it with a malicious intent. Another popular opinion is that there are different levels of catfishing. Many people believed faking your name or location is acceptable, but faking your gender or faking pictures is going too far.

So now that we know what it is, it's time to ask: why do some people do it? What's so appealing about pretending to be someone else? And why are we so against the idea of being "catfished"?



I managed to scrape an interview with lesbon (Jazz) who had a first-hand experience with a Habbox catfish to find out more!

Hey Jazz! What relationship did you have with your catfish?
I dated her for nearly a year.

Did you ever get an inkling that she might be fake?
Well at the time I wasn't in the best place, but nearing the end yeah I started to get my suspicions. Little things like not answering the phone etc. happened too often.

How did you find out she was a catfish? And how did you feel at the time?
I found out when people at Habbox announced it everywhere, and I was kind of 'meh ok' about it. I was more upset that I'd been dragged into it all by people & it was just a constant stream of questions from left, right & centre.

Why do you think some people choose to catfish?
Well the Internet is a giant cover, if you don't feel comfortable in yourself sometimes it feels better to pretend to be someone else. Some people don't like using their real identities on the Internet for obvious reasons. Obviously there are also the ones who use it for sexual purposes, I don't understand how somebody could do that.

Has your experience changed your attitude towards catfishing?
It's desensitised me from it a little, when a catfish appears I don't tend to care much anymore.

Thanks for your insight, Jazz!
No problem Charlie

Well, this has certainly been an interesting insight into online deception. I think it's fair to say you don't all hate catfishing as much as the Internet claims you do. However it seems only certain types of catfishing are the same. Whilst faking large parts of your identity or changing your personality is not okay, it seems other (less drastic) forms are more acceptable.

Agree? Disagree? Perhaps you've been catfished before? Or do you simply want to share your own knowledge? Comment below! Or, alternatively, click here to see the article on the main page.

[scottish]

Catfishing! We've all done it to a certain extent. You may try to disagree, but it's true. Ever told someone you're a couple of inches taller than you really are? What about the time you added that filter to make your profile picture look a little better? And how about when you told your friends you were going jogging when you were actually watching 'How I Met Your Mother' downstairs? Those little lies hardly count as "catfishing", right? Some would say they're just little white lies, others would say they don't count at all. I have interviewed someone who has kindly shared their own experience of Internet deception!

No. "catfishing" although there's no real definition (by oxford, etc) isn't just another word for a lie, which is what you're describing. Catfishing is more of the act of pretending to be someone you're not (through fake profiles, fake pictures, fake voices, etc).

That's nothing similar to saying you're 5'4 when you're 5'3 or saying you're at the Gym when you're going to McDonalds or something... completely different..

why do some people do it?

Because they lack any self confidence/self esteem and need to pretend to be someone else because they don't find themselves attractive and want to be attractive.

What's so appealing about pretending to be someone else?

Idk, presumably because they don't like their own looks and think more people will like/fancy them if they show a different picture.

And why are we so against the idea of being "catfished"?

Because you're lying and deceiving someone into having feelings for you when you're completely lying about everything about yourself. They typically claim they're in love with the person they've catfished yet they've completely lied to them about every aspect of their life in most cases.


Wait did @lesbon; date @Chawk;?

[Lewis]

An enjoyable and good article to read, well done Charlie .

I can understand why some people catfish, due to being uncomfortable with how they actually are. But there are certainly limits.

[!:random!:!]

nice article! ive never lied over the internet but have told friends i have an iphone 3 when i was in year 7 i think catfishing is ok to a certain extent but say if u got a partner and they never knew that would be wrong! as long as you tell the people your involved with its fine in my opinion. many people don't like themselves for a reason, the internet is where they can be who they want to be!

[Jazz]

No. "catfishing" although there's no real definition (by oxford, etc) isn't just another word for a lie, which is what you're describing. Catfishing is more of the act of pretending to be someone you're not (through fake profiles, fake pictures, fake voices, etc).

That's nothing similar to saying you're 5'4 when you're 5'3 or saying you're at the Gym when you're going to McDonalds or something... completely different..



Because they lack any self confidence/self esteem and need to pretend to be someone else because they don't find themselves attractive and want to be attractive.



Idk, presumably because they don't like their own looks and think more people will like/fancy them if they show a different picture.



Because you're lying and deceiving someone into having feelings for you when you're completely lying about everything about yourself. They typically claim they're in love with the person they've catfished yet they've completely lied to them about every aspect of their life in most cases.


Wait did @lesbon; date @Chawk;?

yeah it wasn't nadia it was kirsty her other alter-ego

[scottish]

yeah I remember now you spoke to her other identity on the other forum we found her on

[wixard]

yeah it wasn't nadia it was kirsty her other alter-ego

i know you said you hated people asking you questions but can i ask some

was kirsty her actual identity? she lived in the uk right? so what do you mean by not answering the phone?

she didn't actually catfish you then did she, she was just being a catfish that you were unaware of?

[Jazz]

i know you said you hated people asking you questions but can i ask some

was kirsty her actual identity? she lived in the uk right? so what do you mean by not answering the phone?

she didn't actually catfish you then did she, she was just being a catfish that you were unaware of?

o i'll answer as many as you want now, but at the time it was a bit of a pain
well i dont actually know that myself, when she got caught out all of the characters lets say disappeared off the face of the planet. I was told she lived in the UK, and exactly that. It was very rarely I actually heard her voice & never actually got her number, she would ring me off an unknown & for some reason I never asked her or myself questions, I always just made excuses.

and yeah you're spot on, she was just someone pretending to be someone else never had an explanation or anything but thats in the past now
@scottish; yeah habfab haha

[scottish]

imagine @Chawk; was @orientalframe?; and @Drew;

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o i'll answer as many as you want now, but at the time it was a bit of a pain
well i dont actually know that myself, when she got caught out all of the characters lets say disappeared off the face of the planet. I was told she lived in the UK, and exactly that. It was very rarely I actually heard her voice & never actually got her number, she would ring me off an unknown & for some reason I never asked her or myself questions, I always just made excuses.

and yeah you're spot on, she was just someone pretending to be someone else never had an explanation or anything but thats in the past now
@scottish; yeah habfab haha

weren't you close to that rhymic alter ego too?

[Jazz]

weren't you close to that rhymic alter ego too?

mmm yeah and no, i was only really close to him via jas because jas was dating him at the time