As mentioned, kittenfishing is catfishing's younger sister. Essentially, it involves tweaking small details about your appearance or your life to make you appear 'better' on dating apps, as opposed to claiming to be a different person entirely, as in catfishing.
This could include photos with deceptive angles, lying about numbers (age, height, etc.), photos from years ago, wearing hats if you're bald, or anything else that makes you appear radically different than how you would show up in person." Kittenfishing is 'catfishing light.
When someone is kittenfishing, they are not assuming a full-fledged false identity as with catfishing, but they are more subtly misrepresenting themselves by making themselves look better by using old or edited photos or providing exaggerated descriptions of their qualities.
Essentially a light version of 'catfishing' – when you pretend to be a totally different person online – kittenfishing can be as simple as using profile photos that are out-of-date or heavily edited.
Fishing describes the act of reaching out to multiple people on dating apps that you think you could have a chance with and waiting to see who will respond. Out of those that do, you then select who you want to reply to (now that you know you're in with a chance) and ignore those who don't float your boat.
Catfishing is when someone sets up a fake online profile to trick people who are looking for love, usually to get money out of them. If you're online dating, read these tips so you know how to spot a catfish.
The concept of fishing ties in with the tropes of millennial dating in that it's all about refusing to commit to one person in case a better option is about to come along - a fisher doesn't go with the first person to reply to their message, they wait and see who else might take the bait before making a decision.
The most common reason people will catfish others is a lack of confidence. If people aren't happy with themselves, they feel that by being someone more attractive, they are fully able to express themselves freely without their insecurities holding them back.
What Does it Mean to be “Catfished”? Quite simply, you have been catfished when you have been interacting with a real person who created a fake persona online, whether through social media or dating websites, to form relationships with other people.
Called “cushioning,” this dating trend involves chatting with several partners at once to cushion the blow of a potential break-up. You might know cushioning in a committed relationship by its other name: cheating.
If you suspect you're dealing with a catfish, use an online reverse image search to find out if the person's photos are on anyone else's online profiles. You can also search their messages online. Take any particularly unique or romantic lines they've written to you and search to see if they pop up anywhere else.
It's called "paperclipping," which describes when an ex reaches out intermittently, not because they're interested in you, but rather to keep you on the back burner as an option. It's similar to breadcrumbing, and it's intentional, often used by narcissists, according to relationship experts.
What is 'Pocketing' in a relationship? Just like the name sounds, the practice refers to someone hiding you from others when it comes to your relationship. 'Pocketing', or 'Stashing' is when someone you're dating hides you from their friends and family and is, unsurprisingly, a very toxic practice.
Submarining, a newly named trend, begins when someone with whom you have romantic involvement, ghosts — or disappears from your life without notice — only to resurface, with no apology and acts as if no time had passed.
25 to 34-year-olds are the most likely to be targeted by catfishers, accounting for 24% of victims in romance scams. This statistic is a crucial piece of information when it comes to understanding the prevalence of catfishing.
While there is no specific criminal offence that relates to catfishing in Australia, there are offences that are often committed after a person has been catfished. Opinions differ as to whether the act of catfishing, in the absence of financial motivations, could be prosecuted under existing criminal laws.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), in 2019 Australians reported just under 4,000 romance scams, costing Australians over $28 million. In 2021, that number was just over $56 million. However, not all catfishing scams involve financial exploitation.
We found people who perpetrated catfishing behaviours had higher psychopathy, higher sadism, and higher narcissism. Sadism in particular was a very strong predictor of catfishing behaviours. We also found that men were more likely than women to catfish.