Every day individuals are faced with countless decisions that have the opportunity to change their lives forever. These decisions can be larger such as career options or they can be seemingly insignificant ones such as choosing what kind of shoes to wear for the day. Although such a wide variety of judgements are made each day, there is a highly influential platform that is often overlooked. The daily decisions that are made online are perhaps the most significant towards how one’s identity is shaped. As technology has changed over time, the everyday use and purpose of it has also seemed to evolve. While the internet is often used solely in search of information, it has quickly become a platform for individuals to “recreate” themselves through …show more content…
The internet has become that of a new world as it has quickly changed over the years. To everyone who has used the internet this “new world” can look like a number of different things. A rapidly increasing outlook for the internet’s purpose is the world of catfishing. Catfishing, in accordance to Merriam Webster dictionary, describes “a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes” (Merriam Webster). Catfishing can be seen as another way for an individual to recreate themselves online for the sheer reason to accomplish what they see as their “ideal” selves. This time eliminating the possibility of their “real” selves being revealed in any. According to Technology Journalist David Baker of BBC News, the internet “has given us a way to re-engineer our identity almost continually and discover what it is like to be someone very different from our ‘real’ selves.” With catfishing, the idea of discovering what it can be like to be portrayed as someone else is taken to the extremes. In this sense, it is much easier for an individual to mold their online personas and hide behind their ideal selves. This leaves the gate wide open for the endangerment of that individual’s personal identity to change alongside their fake online …show more content…
Forever. This factor is a large portion in one’s online identity that can possibly alter or change their personal identity. Author for Psych Central, Rick Nauert, explores this idea in detail and claims “…what an individual says and does online influences everyday relationships and behavior” (Nauert) in the real world. If what Nauert is implying reigns true, then the personal identity shift that takes place affects not only the individual whose identity is in question, but also those who are in close relation to
“Catfishing” a way for scammers to make up fake profiles and identities to trick people into romantic relationships. A story that I found in the Huffington Post that was interesting what that of Marissa Williams, a 19 year old female of Tuscaloosa, Alabama who lured men into her home with the use of Facebook. During this time she was living with her aunt and uncle. Her aunt did not like what she was doing on the Internet because she would bring over these strange men and preform sexual activities in exchange for money (2015). Marissa got so furious with her aunt and having her in her business that she deleted her and blocked her from seeing her Facebook. In return the aunt “catfished” the niece by creating a fake profile. She created a profile
Our intended project will be focused on the idea of “online identity,” with a primary focus on the idea of “catfishing.” We are looking at how the “younger” generation is getting more tech-savvy, but at the same time, they’re becoming more gullible with things they access online.
The article “Always On” by Turkle discusses society’s inability to detach from the technological world. Quite a few times, she toys with the idea of technology as a search for one’s identity; or perhaps, a change in identity. This struck me. As I post a picture displaying the love for my dog on one day, and then a picture of my political views the next, aren’t I too changing my identity day to day, moment to moment? On Tuesday, I am Kaitlyn- the concerned voter and feminist fighting for equality across the board. As Wednesday comes, I am Kaitlyn- the animal-loving, puppy-obsessed dog mom. However, even with my changing identities, it is the constant marking of history unique to the internet and networking that make all of these micro-identities
In the new generation people are more into using social media has a way to interact with others more than ever. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook , and Myspace has become the new norm into networking, making friends, finding possibly a match and making a love connection. These social medias allow people to create profiles in which they can alter their information. This results in many incident where people are not who they said they are. For that reason people become catfish. The MTV show Catfish bring viewers into the world of online- dating and the result it may have. Being catfish can bring a wide variety of attention that can be discuss has to whether or not it can be considered a crime Two theories that that can explain the rise of
For example, in Mattila's case he used the internet to uncover his sexuality, and to help him overcome his antisocial ways “My nonsexual feelings for Pamela were just one of the things that made me an outcast. Another was that I preferred computers to people.”(Matilla) In this case Matilla was forced to find company with his computer, but even that did not bring him the friendship or attention he craved for. Since, online a lot of them men would want to talk to a young boy, he made a decision he would never be able to come back from. “I realized no one wanted to message with a boy in his early adolescence, but many were clamoring to chat with an attractive woman. And that’s where Pamela came in.To interest fellow gamers, I needed to become a woman.” (Mattila) In that moment Matilla became Charlotta and after that messages came pouring in. Once he got the company he wanted, it was too addicting to stop. If it was not for the eye opening relationship he had with a man named Jussi he would not have been able to stop, but once he did it was a bit too late. You see, he had set up to meet Jussi, but could not bring himself to actually show up. Matilla was never able to face Jussi and thank him for what he did. There was something on his mind he wished he would have said to him “I wish there had been a way for me to tell him what his online companionship meant to me: …. That he had helped me believe I was funny, interesting and worth talking to. That he had, if only by his presence, made it possible for me to begin to process my sexuality.”(Mattila) Jussi helped Matilla come out of his shell he helped him become the man he is today, and it was all because Jussi paid him the attention Matilla needed. Matilla also uncovered who he was sexually, and it was eye opening for him to experience something so new. Uncovering one’s sexuality is a big motive when it comes to catfishing. The people
It is not uncommon for someone to exaggerate the truth or to leave out facts about themselves on the web. In fact, you may even find that the person you thought you knew on the internet is nothing like their profiles in real life. Whether it is to stand out in the crowd or to fool someone into thinking you are someone else entirely, you should not believe everything you see or read online. With photo enhancements, little white lies, and the scam termed catfishing, you just never really know who you are talking to or what their intentions are. Michele Fleming and Debra Rickwood, authors of “Teens in Cyberspace”, determine that parents and the public share the concern of teens encountering predators and pedophiles on the internet and could lead to inappropriate relationships on and off the web. The young generation typically communicates with peers and people close in age, however, Fleming and Rickwood advise “Even though many teens appear Net-savvy, they still need to be reminded of the potential dangers lurking online. There may be many friends in cyberspace but there are undoubtedly a number of
In today's time there are many people hide behind a screen with a fake identity just to live the life they never had. While doing this they end up catfishing someone who does not deserve to be treated that way. According to the Merriam Webster, instead of just being some type of fish it has another definition that refers to “a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes”(Webster) what tends to throw people off is the fact that the account looks so real, “A ‘catfisher’ may choose to use their own photos yet pretend to be a different age, sex, profession, in a different location, and be single when they are not. A catfisher can also use someone else's photos to create their fake
In a twenty-four-hour day, internet users will have communicated online at least once whether it is writing to a classmate on a message board, posting pictures on Instagram, or responding to colleges via email. It is possible that a different username and identity are used for each of these online communications, each username constituting, in effect, a separate “personality.” These online personalities may be a part of one’s authentic self or a separate identity altogether. In The Times article, "Internet 'trolls' ignore social rules: Expert: Online disinhibition effect means many people feel invincible online," the anonymous author states, “This is your brain in cyberspace: while in warp-speed from forum to
Could you live off the grid? To actively remove all tech from your life? There is no doubt that our digital society is expanding at a rapid rate, sometimes finding it difficult to keep up with the latest and greatest. That is why many Americans are choosing to abandon all modern technology for a simpler way of living. In a two-part series from Seeker Stories called Could You Handle Living Off the Grid? (2015), currently on YouTube, explores one family’s journey to actively remove themselves from the grid. Nick Fouch and Esther Emery, who along with their three children, move into the backwoods of eastern Idaho; no electricity; no running water; no means of communication. Obviously, some sacrifices had to be made in order to accomplish what they set out to do, that is, to be connected to each again on an interpersonal level. The series poses interesting questions about the loss of family togetherness at the expense of digital connectivity and observes a sort of digital withdraw when that connectivity is stripped away. Revealing about how society has become highly dependent to our tech, identifying more with a smartphone then our own family and friends. Tech, while useful to a large degree, establishes our online presence based on a system of curated profiles that are essentially digital façades of true identity, this is significant because perhaps our personal identity, while at one point was only influenced by unique characteristics, is slowly being
Oklahoma was the first state to put into place a law against catfishing and other states such as California, Texas and Pennsylvania are also looking to develop laws against catfishing (Allen). In 2014, a lady from South Bend, Indiana was sentenced to prison for catfishing. The woman had to serve two years in prison, three years of community service after she was released and also pay $57,000 in restitutions to the victims (Buckley). This is just one example of the legal trouble someone could get into for catfishing. Since in some states it is illegal and many other states are starting to follow in their footsteps, it is wrong to use someone else’s information in an online setting because it is breaking the
“People can take their time when posting information about themselves, carefully selecting what aspects they would like to emphasize (Gonzales 80).” By controlling what information and self-attributes to share with the online world, an individual may present an idealized version of self that would not align with societal perceptions in the face-to-face interactions. Furthermore, Gonzales notes that recent research in computer-mediated communications suggests that online self-presentations can alter self-perceptions (80). As Orenstein says, “I tweet, therefore I am.” The online presentations of self can become the reality, or idealized reality, of the
As technology surrounding the internet has grown there has a been a new movement to connect the world. Specifically, teens have become more inclined to socialize and connect with friends, family, and strangers through the internet. Teenagers are known for being vulnerable, naïve, having a vast desire to find acceptance with their peers or society and are obsessed with love. With the connection of the internet, social media, and teen it has created completely new moral panic; catfishing. According to, to Merriam-Webster catfishing is defined as an individual who creates a fake profile on a social networking site to deceive or manipulate others ("Catfish"). Primarily, those who catfish use their fake profiles to gain romantic relationships with other social network users. Teens began creating fake profiles through their instinct of wanting to fit in but, this led to teens catfishing to fulfill their dreams of finding acceptance. Catfishing is an internet moral panic because it is considered a social terror. The act of catfishing became a way for some teens to find acceptance but, parents feel that teens are not safe on social networking sites such as; Facebook because these deceptions can cause teens emotional and mental harm. Those constructing the moral panic continually scapegoated social network sites for the creation of catfishing and its side effects but, the true root cause of catfishing is teen’s inherent behavior.
Living in the 21st century requires one to stay current with latest technological advancements. Ever since the development of social networking sites, people are now able to create a carefully-crafted identity for themselves. This has led psychologists to question how well these online personalities match the person in front of the computer. The innovative branch of media psychology looks into how social networking portrays individuals and initiates human interactions within a society.
As the world continues to become more interconnected through a single platform, it presents opportunities to express personality more effectively. According to ProCon Organization, an educational non-profit institution with a professional research team states that “social media can help disarm social stigmas”. Famous internet sites, such as Twitter and Instagram, are used for presenting avant-garde styles with peculiar outfit choices challenging stereotypes embedded in cultures over thousands of years. Emerson passionately preached about going against tradition during his time and it has evidently survived to this day. People explore and dabble with individuality through technology nonstop. Proving that self-dependence is a key component to being true to oneself. Furthermore, as the renowned newspaper, the HuffPost states in an article, “[the internet helps] to share...ideas that typically involve some sort of creative expression”. In order to achieve this, the average person needs to have a state of mind that is unique and build upon it through these outlets. Many people use inspiration gained from others to help open and listen to their minds consequently following what they believe is the right way to dress and act according to themselves. Inspiration being the key word because the point is not to mimic or imitate others, but to gain
More recently than in years past, digital technology and social media have grown to become a part of our everyday lives. The recent rise in those who own smartphones allows this everyday use of digital technology and social networking to be easier than ever before. At any time and any place, we have the ability to “socialize” with nearly anyone—even celebrities who have no idea most of us even exist. The continuous consumption of digital media has altered once personal face-to-face communication to just that, digital. More and more people seem to be living in what Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon call “The Cloud”. “The Cloud” is a seemingly alternate universe of which communication is altered from personal to digital. This universe has led to debates over whether or not these online communities are real or whether social media is actually social. Various digital media sources also encourage users to create individual identities, of which may or may not actually be real. It seems as though our reliance on digital technology and social media have allowed the determination of certain aspects of our lives. Although social media allows us to connect with nearly anyone at any time, Americans have taken advantage of its use, and their attention has been drawn away from real life interactions to digital ones. The ramifications of such influences reflect the hidden insecurities of Americans and, ironically, emphasize our inclination to boast about ourselves by allowing others to see the