write_or_wrong
Exploring
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2012
- Posts
- 546
Wow, thank you for this. I think we all need to do more critical thinking. Too bad it seems to be a dying skill because some in power are afraid of us thinking for ourselves.@BobbyandtheCabin cont.
For me my frustration towards catfish (and my innate need for call them out) and alt accounts is not ever about jealousy, it’s usually….
On a site like this… of course, anonymity is expected. Most people here have amazing private lives, good jobs/partners/ families that they don’t want finding what they post here…
- Irritation at gullibility
- Annoyance at manipulation being rewarded
- General fatigue at watching the same script replay
But when I can TELL someone’s pictures aren’t theirs (ie, an account claiming to be a university student who is running an OF just to “get by”…) and those images all look to be slightly different people and or AI generated/edited and others are totally blind sided by it it fills me with rage. For me…EVEN in erotic spaces, consent still matters. Despite the whole “some of us don’t care we want fantasy” scope of things.
People here are still engaging based on perceived authenticity.
If someone is:
It irks me, but I know MANY people here don’t actually care about authenticity as much as they care about stimulation.If the fantasy is convincing enough, they’ll accept it. I’m sure some even suspect and still continue because the interaction feels good.
- Stealing real women’s images
- Using them to build credibility here
- Forming parasocial dynamics
- Possibly gaining money, attention, or emotional investment
I would say to people worrying about being catfished to maybe engage brain a little when scrolling. For example, when you know an alt has recently been banned…. And a handful of new ones pop up sporadically over the following months…Look out for….
I also think that because so many new people enter this site people will always fall for the catfish games…. Because of the simple fact that…. New users don’t know the history. Because they weren’t there the first time. Social proof effect…. If others are interacting positively, it signals credibility and they feel they can engage…. Probably also some wishful belief and thinking… If the images are attractive, people want them to be real. (This one pisses me off the most because the REAL women that post here have flaws were not perfectly airbrushed we’re REAL! those that look like they’ve just taken snaps on the set of a porn shoot are NOT genuine. I promise.) there’s also the erotic suspension of disbelief. Because users prefer the fantasy intact. Annddd also, attention bias… because if someone is responsive, flirtatious, and validating, that overrides doubt.
- Inconsistent narrative details (people always slip up. Especially when they post in the politics threads…. And entertain arguments in there.)
- Similar typing style… (ie: using lower case only)
- Gendered language mismatches
- Sexual scripts that feel as though they’ve been written by a man while claiming female identity
- Performative overcompensation… (for example constantly apologising, asking if posting xyz is okay, asking if they ever need to verify…. Like… normal users don’t talk this way.
Authenticity matters to me. Especially because I’ve been played manipulated and bullied here because of one specifically CRAZY catfish experience. And now I doubt most new accounts.
But catching them easy. It’s having sufficient evidence to take to mods that’s the hardest part.
