Social media and false identity formation: are we safe online?
For hours of weird but wonderful entertainment, I encourage you to turn on MTV, and binge-watch Catfish: The TV Show. It delves into the lies of online dating as you follow couples that have spoken online, but never met in person.
The “catfish” phenomenon dates back to the start of social media and involves people using other people’s pictures and false biographical information to construct an alternate identity for themselves. There are numerous bad side effects for victims of the act, including reduced self-esteem, trust issues, stolen identity and loss of money.
Online Deception and Identity
One of the most outrageous examples of catfishing took place in season 5, when a Tennessee man, Spencer, believed he had met Katy Perry online and had been in a relationship with her for six years. Unsurprisingly, she turned out not to be the pop star, but a girl named Harriet from Gloucester.
Social networks and their affordances as intermediary present challenges to communication that are different from traditional face-to-face encounters. Communicating online strips away basic social cues that we can grasp from face-to-face encounters such as what we wear, our gestures and tone of voice. Deceptive communication and false identities are created online with ease, allowing dishonest behaviours like catfishing to arise within the online dating world.
Individuals construct identity performances to fit their social environment. People have a heightened self-consciousness online, which takes this identity construction to a new level. Social media platforms provide areas which are disembodied, mediated and controllable, through which alternate performances can be displayed to others. I know I for one am very conscious about the images I post online. Never would I ever share a post on my Instagram feed without makeup on — but we are talking about much more serious examples of identity construction when it comes to catfishing.
The desire to deceive others online often starts with innocent rather than sinister intentions. Social networking sites offer an opportunity for people to try on different identities and interact with others on the basis of that identity. It provides users with an outlet to express parts of their identity which are not acceptable according to social norms. There are cases online where individuals have admitted to catfishing to express their true sexuality or explore their gender status.
Dangers of catfishing
Should we be wary of ‘stranger danger’ online as well as in real life?
While the process of online dating has made it easier to meet others, it has also had unintended negative aspects, such as false representation. Using illegitimate identities online can cause major anxiety for the receiving end-users, with the capacity to cause emotional harm and distress to the people who feel they have been deceived, used, and humiliated. Further, the deception involved in catfishing can lead to self-esteem issues, trust issues, self-isolation and even depression. Catfishing is certainly not a victimless act. This type of deception is twofold — with the person whose photos are stolen and the one who is being tricked both sufferings.
How can people explore their identity without hurting others?
Should people be able to explore the different facets of their identity at the cost of others? Simply, no. I understand the importance of unveiling your ‘true self’ but the negative impacts on victims are inexcusable.
The phenomenon is a hard one to stop, but social media giants are testing solutions to reduce catfishing. Facebook has added a safeguard to pictures on Indian profiles, to try and stop others stealing images. Twitter has added to its list of rules: “You may not impersonate individuals, groups, or organizations in a manner that is intended to or does mislead, confuse, or deceive others”. And eHarmony dating site provides safety tips to their customers about how to catch a catfish.
None of these attempts is going to effectively solve the issue, and probably only create a small dent in the population of catfishers. We could educate everyone in the world about eHarmony’s eight steps to avoid catfishing, but the catfishers would only become smarter.
Given that catfishing is often undertaken without malevolence, I believe the solution is at the root of the cause. People need options to comfortably and safely explore their identities, without hurting anyone else. Offline spaces need to be created where individuals can experiment with these factors, such as support groups. Alternatively, online spaces could be created where people can express themselves and explore what the possibilities are, but in a way, they know they can be safe from any consequences of that exploration. This could look like a site where you can create personalised avatars, such as on Second Life. It is important to find your true identity, but this should not come at the expense of other people’s mental health and safety.
