[Good King Glennceslas]

It's really sad

[Christmas Dynasnow]

This is why I avoid online dating

That and the cost

[Jessica.]

Oh, I have only seen one episode of catfish, does it really give proper insight sometimes?

[Liam-]

Originally Posted by Jessica.

Oh, I have only seen one episode of catfish, does it really give proper insight sometimes?

A lot of the time yeah, the people who host it sit down and talk to the people doing the catfishing and find out why and everything, it's quite sad to see the struggles some people go through mentally that lead them to do it

[Jessica.]

Originally Posted by Liam-

A lot of the time yeah, the people who host it sit down and talk to the people doing the catfishing and find out why and everything, it's quite sad to see the struggles some people go through mentally that lead them to do it

Oh I see. That is depressing.

[LukeB]

Everyone has their reasons so it don't bother me..

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Liam-

Insecurities, trust issues, wanting to be someone else rather than themselves, watching Catfish really helped understand that sort of thing

Originally Posted by Dollface

I was going to say this myself it really helps watching shows like that to understand why people do things like that
some of them don't seem remorseful at all, where as others look ashamed by lying etc. so i guess it varies

..yeah, this for me as well with Catfish, the show...I think it's too 'surface' and obvious to say it's insecurities and unhappiness because there are probably many reasons for people to do it...with some on Catfish, it's just simply to 'project negative' in a way that they can't do in real life but it's so easy and 'unaccountable' to do on the internet...and then with others, just a lot of sadness really an maybe a 'fantasy' of what they would like their lives to be..?...I recall one really emotional story...the young girl had sent pics or posted pics...she was incredibly beautiful ..anyways the 'story' was, that it was in fact her in the pics but it was her of a few years ago and she'd had an awful car accident which had changed her life and also changed her physical appearance as she'd been more or less house-bound for several years...put on weight etc and had lost an eye..she didn't go anywhere, partly because of the changes in her physical appearance which she felt self conscious about and also obviously because she's lost all confidence...she'd also had a boyfriend at the time of the accident and they didn't stay together...anyways, I guess who she was on the internet was truthful really..it was her, it was just the her that she wished with all of her heart she could go back to..../really, really sad....

[Ammi]

..the flipside of that though can be something like 'predators' though which is something obviously my job covers a lot.../..but that's an extreme of it.../online deception...

[Daniel.]

It wouldn't bother me if one of my online friends was a gender faker I would laugh

[Jay.]

i have been catfished before and just laughed it off

like oh you're keith, 53 from devon, nice where is beatrice, 18 from france

[Candy Annie Cane]

I think in some occasions for people it's escapism. Behind their keyboard they can be who they want to be, have the life they want etc as they are so unhappy. It's sad to think people are so unhappy that a fantasy life is preferable but it can give them some momentary escape and happiness which as long as they don't hurt anyone, or try to hurt anyone isn't too much of a big deal to me. When it comes to online dating or arranging meet ups it becomes a different story. Obviously the pedophiles who do it for grooming purposes are not included in my thoughts.

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by AnnieK

I think in some occasions for people it's escapism. Behind their keyboard they can be who they want to be, have the life they want etc as they are so unhappy. It's sad to think people are so unhappy that a fantasy life is preferable but it can give them some momentary escape and happiness which as long as they don't hurt anyone, or try to hurt anyone isn't too much of a big deal to me. When it comes to online dating or arranging meet ups it becomes a different story. Obviously the pedophiles who do it for grooming purposes are not included in my thoughts.

^This

People can be anyone they want to be on anonymous sites like this and that doesn't really bother me because its a general chat forum. I'm much more interested in discussion and peoples opinions than trying to work out if they are really female/male etcetera...The sex of a person on here is irrelevant, at least to me. Someone on here called me a 'he' yesterday. Did it bother me? I did, just for a moment wonder if that was a deliberate accusation but even if it was, it doesn't really matter. Many females are accused of being males online because someone gets suspicious.

If people want to talk about their personal life to an anonymous forum, its better to take what they say with a large pinch of salt.

Dating sites are different and as has already been stated in this thread, there are plenty of catfish on the prowl. I'm not embarrassed to admit that my husband and me met on a dating site. He's the only guy I've ever met online but he'd met a few women prior to me and he did, at one point, invest far too much time chasing after a catfish.

People lie because they can. Online we can all be young and beautiful forever but people who do that are not only deceiving others, they are deceiving themselves. When they do this on potential dating sites and coerce someone into believing a relationship could develop, they are behaving like predators with no thought for the other persons emotional hurt.

I think everyone who goes online looking for a hook up should watch 'Catfish'

[Jamie89]

Originally Posted by Jessica.

I'm not trying to shade people with this thread, I am just trying to understand.

In the past many people on TiBB have been revealed as liars, after making friends and earning the trust of others. I don't want this thread to be about them though. I am just wondering why people invent lives and even act as a different gender online. I don't see any appeal in it but it happens a lot, not just on TiBB, but in most online communities that I've been part of. I know the main one is probably not fitting in, in real life, but that can't be the only reason, right? Can it be fun even?

Living some kind of fantasy maybe? I don't understand why someone would lie about something like their gender though because whats the point, unless it's a dating website and it's some kind of sexual thrill, but on a BB forum??

But what I really want to know is, what shade? I want to know the stories of who lied about what and how they got caught! Give us who haven't been around that long the goss!

[smudgie]

Perhaps they are bored and playing a game..could be as simple as that.
Maybe they think their real life wouldn't be found interesting enough to those that read the posts
I take everything I read at face value..I can never tell if people are kidding never mind telling porkies.

[Merry Mockmas]

I don't get it personally, small details I can understand, but something as big as age or gender should not be lied about imo.

I'm not really the type to fall out with people over it though, just disagree with them on it.

[Ashsleigh]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

I don't get it personally, small details I can understand, but something as big as age or gender should not be lied about imo.

I'm not really the type to fall out with people over it though, just disagree with them on it.

I agree and I hated it when people said I was lying that I was female just because I hadn't mentioned it before.

[Good King Glennceslas]

I find it extremely irritating when people lie in real life, like there is no need for it. One of the great things about the internet (this forum for example) is that people can be as open and honest even more so than in real life. I've shared snapshots from every aspect of my life on here, and it's stuff I wouldn't dream of sharing with my family or friends. It's very easy to talk to 'strangers' online just as it is in real life. Online strangers become friends and using past happenings on here, people have had their friendships ruined by lies and deceit and there's no real point to it.

[Tom4784]

I see no point in lying online but I can understand why people do. I don't really care if someone is lying to me about their life on Tibb, I'm not bothered if someone is a man or a woman just as long as their personality is true to who they are. I do have sympathy for the people who feel the need to lie though, aside from the pathologicals that do it for the thrill, I think people tend to lie for sympathetic reasons, whether it's insecurities or simply wanting a better life.

[ChristmasNeeve]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

I see no point in lying online but I can understand why people do. I don't really care if someone is lying to me about their life on Tibb, I'm not bothered if someone is a man or a woman just as long as their personality is true to who they are. I do have sympathy for the people who feel the need to lie though, aside from the pathologicals that do it for the thrill, I think people tend to lie for sympathetic reasons, whether it's insecurities or simply wanting a better life.

I guess it can just make people a bit wary about what their intentions are if they are lying, that there's nothing more sinister about it