Catfishing is way too common online

By Joey Geballa

You have connected with someone after messaging each other through Tinder for the past two months and suddenly you realize you have been catfished.

“Catfishing” is known as portraying as someone else’s identity with the use of pictures and posts to trick someone into a relationship with one another. The term originated from a documentary-turned-television-show by director Nev Shulman. He first coined the term as

It is not only super disrespectful, but it is also time consuming and can ruin reputations and emotions for those affected.

And according to XNSPY.com, a cell phone spy software company, over 54 percent of Internet users believed they have been presented false images and deception of someone.

On the dating applications I have been on, it isn’t uncommon to find someone whose information does not match the identity on their profile. If I receive a notification from a suspicious account, I ignore the messages.

As we continue to grow and find ourselves, technology does the same.

Technology easily changed the face of social interaction, especially with dating.

Just because you’ve been swapping stories with someone on you’ve met on Facebook or in a chat room, it doesn’t make it safe to give out your personal information.

If you choose to meet someone in person that you’ve been communicating with online, make sure the meeting takes place in a public area and your friends know your location. Refrain from arranging the date to be in a private setting in the case you might need to leave or get help. Do your best to not be alone with someone you’ve just met.

As we grow out of  the eHarmony and Dating.com era into the new wave of social media dating,  we experience more situations revolving false identities and catfishing.

Unfortunately, catfishing has become very common to hear about and for some to be involved in.

“A very messed up method for someone to suppress their insecurities by wasting someone’s time and playing with their emotions,” said business major and junior, Brianna Thornton.

Many this age have been into someone that is over social media, but unfortunately social media is a highlight reel of someone’s life or can just be a complete mask.

When deciphering if someone is a “catfish” or not, there are plenty of methods to determine a potential friend or someone to block.

“I try to tell by the quality of their pictures, if they look too blurry or look like they are screenshots, I’m not going to bother,” said sophomore business major, Deeanda Jones.

Plenty of other methods include matching phones or their phone case. If the phone always looks different in each selfie, it may be fishy.

Catfishing is not something one should do and  be a part of, for it can be very emotionally damaging to those being catfished.

And when facing an unsafe situation—whether in person or outline—talk to your parents, an adult, responsible figure or friends to figure out whether officials should be contacted.

When it comes to mingling in person too, oversharing is something to be cautious about as well.

A follow on social media may be a safer first step before handing out your contact information like your cell phone number.

For some victims of catfishing, trusting others online or in person has been a struggle.

“I would assume sharing your personal life and heart with someone just to find out it’s all a scam must be a big let down and the worst feeling ever,” said english major and junior, Emily Martín.

Photo retrieved by Flickr.