I recently came back from a quick trip to see some family. While I was there, I happened to be downstairs while the news was on and caught a little story some of you might be familiar with, and plays into many of the things I said in my last post about aliases.
Apparently, a football player (for you non-American readers I'm talking about American football) for Notre Dame by the name of Manti Te'o had an internet girlfriend, or so he thought. He allegedly had met a girl, even claiming to have met her in real life and even having her meet him in Hawaii, and their relationship had been quite good until she died of leukemia. This happened not long after his grandmother died. However, it was brought to light that this girl never existed, and was in fact some guy in Southern California that had created an online personality, used a year book photo of a girl he knew from school, and he was the one corresponding with Te'o.
Now, I'm not a football fan. In fact, I only occasionally watch a game here and there when I have nothing better to do. I've never seen Te'o play, and I don't know anything about how good he is. However, I do know one thing about him just because of this story. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But I'll get into that in a bit.
The internet is a strange place. There are people online that will help you with problems, others that will introduce you to things you've never experienced, and others that will bring joy to everyone they can. There are also people that will bully and harass you, try to trick you into giving away your entire life, and others that will do everything in their power to make you're life as miserable as possible. And you can usually find them all on each and every website you go to.
Catfishing, which should probably be spelled Catphishing, is just a subsidiary of phishing. Phishing is sending emails, messages, and anything else you can in hopes that you can spread a virus or gather information from someone in hopes of taking something from them (usually identities or money). Catfishing is basically the same thing, except that instead of getting information, you are trying to get someone to fall in love with you. There are various reasons a person could want to do this. They're lonely, they want free stuff, or they want to ruin someone's life or play with their emotions. And while I am not going to say that people that phish or catfish are entirely within their rights to do so, it's not uncommon to see someone doing this on numerous programs and websites that have chat capabilities. I've seen it happen (and even taken part in it) on World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XI, where I used the look of my character (I usually play a female character on MMOs) and flirted with random players just to see if I could get some free loot. It doesn't work all the time, but when it does, that extra 100 gold or 1000 gil comes in handy when you can get it. Even just getting someone to party up with you and help you kill a monster could be deemed as catfishing. These are minor cases, but they happen more often than many people want to admit.
Most internet savvy people know the acronym G.I.R.L., or Guy In Real Life, on MMOs. It's because there are quite a few males that play female characters, so much so that most people don't believe it when anyone says they actually are a female. However, this acronym is very limited, so I'm proposing a new acronym for anyone that outwardly claims anything without proof. F.A.N.L.O.T.I., or Faking A New Life On The Internet. And for anyone that thinks that this is an internet only thing, I give you this. Have you ever done yourself, or heard of someone going to someplace they aren't from (let's say, Las Vegas) and they wanted to do something (we'll say, get laid) but they didn't want it to follow them back with them, so they adopted a new name, new job, new everything and attempted to pass it off as reality. Guess what, it happens quite a bit. I've done it while I was in the Navy.
But there are many other reasons why a person would need a completely new identity on the internet. There are some countries that arrest and kill people for voicing opinions against the government or even religion. There are others that are afraid that if what they say honestly gets back to them, they'll lose their job or worse. Then there are people like me, who just like having a challenge of conversation.
A while back, I used a program called IMVU as a tool for an internet social experiment. I created two profiles, one male, one female, opened up the program on two computers and joined the same room as both of them. I would then begin a conversation about whatever I felt like with the people in there that were not me. The idea was to see which one the other occupants would side with, then after a while, I would leave the room, join another room, switch which profile had which side, and try again. I noticed on there that most of the occupants of any room would generally side with the female, unless I used a topic that was extremely controversial and put her on a negative extreme. When I was done doing the experiment, I decided to keep the female profile, since I concluded that most people would rather talk to someone if they believe they are female. So, I created an entire backstory for her in my head, one that I could quite easily keep straight, and geared it so it arrived at a similar situation I was at at the time. I now occasionally go onto IMVU on this profile, and continue to talk to people, but now I just do so for conversation. I've had several people though proposition me for cyber-sex, or ask me for pictures or to video chat with them. I always decline, stating various reasons like my web-cam is out, or that everyone in the house is asleep.
So you see, take everything on the internet with a grain of salt. If you start developing emotions for someone through your computer screen, try to meet with them in real life. Be safe with it though. Meet at a public place, such as a park or a bar or something. If you meet them and they are who they say they were, then have fun. Most catfishers will attempt to avoid that contact, or if they do agree to meet, they may ask for you to pay for them, or they just won't show up and make an excuse later.
But let's get back to Manti Te'o, and why is isn't very bright. There are two ways to look at this entire story. One, Te'o and this guy from SoCal set up an entire backstory so that Te'o could become more famous. Many of the reality TV shows have shown us that having a tragic backstory can get you 15 minutes of fame faster than having a skill (I'm looking at you American Idol). So he could have been trying to get a bigger story for himself in hopes of making it into the NFL. Or he's secretly gay and didn't want anyone to know. If that's the case, then he should just come out of the closet. I have nothing against homosexuals, and I don't think anyone should. What a person does in the privacy of their bedroom is their own business if it makes them happy.
The second way to look at it is he was a victim of catfishing. In which case, he's not bright because he fell in love with someone on the internet. He probably didn't want to sound crazy for that, so he said he had met this fake girl to people just so they would think she's real too. When he came back from Hawaii, he was probably embarrassed so he said he met her there as well. Think of that guy from high school that didn't want to be known as the only virgin so he started the rumor that he'd slept with some girl, calling her a slut and whatnot. It happens. People don't want to be the subject of ridicule, and if that means they have to pass that ridicule off on someone else, they will.
I guess the point I'm trying to get at is that don't believe what everyone says on the internet. And don't follow anything anyone says verbatim. This includes me. I'm don't want to think that someone followed my advice 100%, because I'm not perfect, and I don't have all the answers. What I want to do is give people a little bit of insite into a side they may not know, and I hope they can take that, mix it with their own thoughts, ideas, and morals, and better themselves just a little bit.
What about you? Do you think that people that create completely different personas online are always wrong, or are they only wrong if they attempt to get something out of it? What about people that fall in love with people they have never met? Are they victims, or are they just ignorant? Start that conversation below!
Note on the pictures: If you don't want me using your images, then don't make them so easy to link. Just saying... but if you can prove they are your images, then I will take them down.
 |
| Manti Te'o |
Now, I'm not a football fan. In fact, I only occasionally watch a game here and there when I have nothing better to do. I've never seen Te'o play, and I don't know anything about how good he is. However, I do know one thing about him just because of this story. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But I'll get into that in a bit.
The internet is a strange place. There are people online that will help you with problems, others that will introduce you to things you've never experienced, and others that will bring joy to everyone they can. There are also people that will bully and harass you, try to trick you into giving away your entire life, and others that will do everything in their power to make you're life as miserable as possible. And you can usually find them all on each and every website you go to.
 |
| Why yes, I am a 22 year old white girl! |
Most internet savvy people know the acronym G.I.R.L., or Guy In Real Life, on MMOs. It's because there are quite a few males that play female characters, so much so that most people don't believe it when anyone says they actually are a female. However, this acronym is very limited, so I'm proposing a new acronym for anyone that outwardly claims anything without proof. F.A.N.L.O.T.I., or Faking A New Life On The Internet. And for anyone that thinks that this is an internet only thing, I give you this. Have you ever done yourself, or heard of someone going to someplace they aren't from (let's say, Las Vegas) and they wanted to do something (we'll say, get laid) but they didn't want it to follow them back with them, so they adopted a new name, new job, new everything and attempted to pass it off as reality. Guess what, it happens quite a bit. I've done it while I was in the Navy.
But there are many other reasons why a person would need a completely new identity on the internet. There are some countries that arrest and kill people for voicing opinions against the government or even religion. There are others that are afraid that if what they say honestly gets back to them, they'll lose their job or worse. Then there are people like me, who just like having a challenge of conversation.
A while back, I used a program called IMVU as a tool for an internet social experiment. I created two profiles, one male, one female, opened up the program on two computers and joined the same room as both of them. I would then begin a conversation about whatever I felt like with the people in there that were not me. The idea was to see which one the other occupants would side with, then after a while, I would leave the room, join another room, switch which profile had which side, and try again. I noticed on there that most of the occupants of any room would generally side with the female, unless I used a topic that was extremely controversial and put her on a negative extreme. When I was done doing the experiment, I decided to keep the female profile, since I concluded that most people would rather talk to someone if they believe they are female. So, I created an entire backstory for her in my head, one that I could quite easily keep straight, and geared it so it arrived at a similar situation I was at at the time. I now occasionally go onto IMVU on this profile, and continue to talk to people, but now I just do so for conversation. I've had several people though proposition me for cyber-sex, or ask me for pictures or to video chat with them. I always decline, stating various reasons like my web-cam is out, or that everyone in the house is asleep.
So you see, take everything on the internet with a grain of salt. If you start developing emotions for someone through your computer screen, try to meet with them in real life. Be safe with it though. Meet at a public place, such as a park or a bar or something. If you meet them and they are who they say they were, then have fun. Most catfishers will attempt to avoid that contact, or if they do agree to meet, they may ask for you to pay for them, or they just won't show up and make an excuse later.
But let's get back to Manti Te'o, and why is isn't very bright. There are two ways to look at this entire story. One, Te'o and this guy from SoCal set up an entire backstory so that Te'o could become more famous. Many of the reality TV shows have shown us that having a tragic backstory can get you 15 minutes of fame faster than having a skill (I'm looking at you American Idol). So he could have been trying to get a bigger story for himself in hopes of making it into the NFL. Or he's secretly gay and didn't want anyone to know. If that's the case, then he should just come out of the closet. I have nothing against homosexuals, and I don't think anyone should. What a person does in the privacy of their bedroom is their own business if it makes them happy.
The second way to look at it is he was a victim of catfishing. In which case, he's not bright because he fell in love with someone on the internet. He probably didn't want to sound crazy for that, so he said he had met this fake girl to people just so they would think she's real too. When he came back from Hawaii, he was probably embarrassed so he said he met her there as well. Think of that guy from high school that didn't want to be known as the only virgin so he started the rumor that he'd slept with some girl, calling her a slut and whatnot. It happens. People don't want to be the subject of ridicule, and if that means they have to pass that ridicule off on someone else, they will.
 |
| What I imagine many people saying after reading this article. |
I guess the point I'm trying to get at is that don't believe what everyone says on the internet. And don't follow anything anyone says verbatim. This includes me. I'm don't want to think that someone followed my advice 100%, because I'm not perfect, and I don't have all the answers. What I want to do is give people a little bit of insite into a side they may not know, and I hope they can take that, mix it with their own thoughts, ideas, and morals, and better themselves just a little bit.
What about you? Do you think that people that create completely different personas online are always wrong, or are they only wrong if they attempt to get something out of it? What about people that fall in love with people they have never met? Are they victims, or are they just ignorant? Start that conversation below!
Note on the pictures: If you don't want me using your images, then don't make them so easy to link. Just saying... but if you can prove they are your images, then I will take them down.
I'm pretty surprised that this "catfishing" is so prevalent, and common that it actually has a title.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like bored people with low morals, playing an extended practical joke on more emotionally driven, perhaps unintelligent as well.
I guess as the world gets more integrated with technology, the idea that finding a "Perfect" woman seems possible, and leads people to taking alternative routes to finding those people.
Often falling into traps like these.