Free Custom «"Trolling," "Catfishing," and "Bots": Multiple Identities in the Online Worlds» Essay Paper

In the world of high technologies and the Internet, people cannot imagine their lives without smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets, which give them access to online social platforms. Several decades ago, Sherry Turkle began researching the impact of modern technologies on the formation and development of human identities. Her article Our Split Screens focuses on the notion of self-construction in the virtual world. Although it was published in 2002, Turkle’s ideas are still valid today. Moreover, the scholar continued her research, expanding it to the themes of social networking websites and multiple identities. Today, Turkle argues that people use social platforms to reveal or create their multiple identities and perform the roles of those individuals they want to be in reality (“The Creep of Social Media”). Basing on her research, one can suggest that ‘trolling,’ ‘catfishing,’ and ‘bots’ are some kinds of online behavior people use to attract attention, control, or harm the others. Although some critics claim that all these notions display one and the same identity, the fact that one identity can have several dimensions and each of these dimensions influences a self and society differently cannot be ignored.

Catfishing as a Representation of Multiple Identities

To understand what ‘catfishing’ means, one should examine the origin of this word. According to D’Costa, the term ‘catfish’ became popular in 2010, when the film with the same name appeared on the screens. The term refers to an individual who intentionally behaves in a deceptive way in his/her social media profile and whose goal often is to make a romantic connection (D’Costa). Catfishers can use fake photographs, false information about themselves, and fake content on their profile pages. The main reason why catfishers do this is to produce a positive impression on the other online users. Turkle explains that online, people usually end up “performing for each other, putting forth the self [they] want to be” (“The Creep of Social Media”). Many individuals, especially teenagers, often do not feel confident of their appearance, temperamental attributes, or any other features of their selves. As a result, they hide under the screens of their smartphones, tablets, or computers, creating fictitious profiles and polishing their perfect selves to that extent they find necessary. Consequently, when the real date has to happen, catfishers refuse to meet offline; otherwise, disappointment is unavoidable. For this reason, according to Lovelock, “The catfish and his or her victim never meet on the kind of dating sites […] for seeking out romantic relationships” (4). Such people use fake profiles to assert themselves and “act out” unresolved conflicts or some difficulties they experience in real life (Turkle, “Our Split Screens” 11). Here, Turkle engages Erikson’s theory of identity development and his notion of “psychosocial moratorium,” or “a time of intense interaction with people and ideas” (“Our Split Screens” 11). In the context of this theory, teenagers do not think about the consequences of their actions and do not give much weight to such behavior, thus avoiding any sense of judgment. Such actions represent the process of development of their “core self,” or true identity (Turkle, “Our Split Screens” 11). Therefore, catfishers create fake profiles not only to perform for the others, but also to investigate and develop their own self at the subconscious level.

Nevertheless, some people intentionally create fake profiles to blame, hurt, and bully other online users. Thus, they want to make a false impression in order “to gain trust of another person” (Kaskazi 859). The scheme is the same as in the case of creating ‘perfect’ selves; however, the intention is diverse. Lohmann calls such behavior “cyberbullying” since many teenagers use catfishing to hurt each other on social networking websites. They gain trust and confidence of a person and then use the information from his/her profile either to hurt or blackmail this person. Moreover, adults can use catfishing to lure young people into sexual relationships. Hence, they create teenage profiles, make friends with young girls or boys, and when the victim is ready to meet, tempt him/her into sexual intercourse. According to Psychology Today, “Florida Police baited and caught over 50 men just by going catfishing” in 2013 (Lohmann). The worst thing is that many of such online predators can be the people that a victim knows and respects. The reason for catfishing, thus, is “online disinhibition effect,” which means that a person does not feel responsibility to social and moral codes of his/her society because he/she can hide under an anonymous identity (D’Costa). One can see that catfishers’ perfect identities can have positive and negative effects on self-development and the entire society.

Trolling as a Demonstration of Antisocial Behavior

Unlike catfishing, which can have a positive context, trolling mostly has a negative intention. Buckles et al. define trolling as a habit to conduct oneself “in a deceptive, destructive, or disruptive manner in a social setting on the Internet with no apparent instrumental purpose” (1). Trolls can add offensive comments to the online users’ profiles, thus making the latter to respond in the same tone. In addition, trolls can provoke negative responses, sharing their depressing mood with the others. Moreover, negative mood is one of the main reasons for trolling behavior (Cheng et al. 2). The scientists aver, “Negative mood correlates with reduced satisfaction with life, impairs self-regulation, and leads to less favorable impressions of the others” (Cheng et al. 2). A person may feel badly due to different causes, including problems at work or in a family, health issues, or even secondhand smoke (Cheng et al. 2). As a result, one may feel the need to vent aggression on somebody, and the Internet is the best place to do it. Some people cannot give way to their negative emotions offline due to moral code and social norms. Therefore, their second self, or a malicious one, finds satisfaction online. Such behavior affects interpersonal communication positively, while online relationships suffer. On the one hand, trolls avoid destructive behavior in the real world, saving their relationships from their aggression. On the other hand, their second selves may intentionally harm the others online, which may lead to the development of antisocial behavior in reality. Consequently, another type of trolls may appear: the cybertrolls.   

Trolling is a perfect example of antisocial identity. Buckels et al. argue that antisocial identity is a reflection of both one’s actual personality and an ideal self (5). However, this ideal self is a negative self, “a villain of chaos and mayhem – the online Trickster we fear, envy, and love to hate: the cybertroll” (Buckels et al. 5). Such trolls are usually sadists in reality, and they enjoy making harm to other people. Thus, they use the Internet as “their playground,” finding the victim and making fun of him/her (Buckels et al. 5). This is another method of self-expression in an anonymous environment and without responsibility for one’s behavior. Turkle asserts that those who comprehend “what stands behind their screen personae” have all chances to succeed in using this online experience for their personal and social transformation (“Our Split Screens” 12). The scholar suggests that if a person sees the border between the online and offline worlds, he/she has a “knowing self” (Turkle, “Our Split Screens” 9). In this case, the multiplicity of identity will not affect the real-life relationships. Otherwise, when online trolling turns into antisocial behavior offline, a person’s self is “split and contradictory,” which has a negative impact on the interpersonal relationships (Turkle, “Our Split Screens” 9). In any case, trolling is another example of multiple identities in the online world, which can either harm or amuse online users.

Bots as Artificial Identities, and Their Impact on Society

Another type of virtual identity is a bot. Turkle defines a bot as “an intelligent computer program that roams cyberspace” (“Our Split Screens” 11). The researcher claims that she confused bots with people, as well as people with these artificial intelligences several times. Such a confusion is not accidental because the aim of bots’ creation is to produce a false impression, making people believe that these ‘creatures’ are real humans. Bots were created to provide care and harm. On the one hand, they assist the customers in finding the necessary products or information. On the other hand, they “mislead, exploit, and manipulate social media discourse with rumors, spam, malware, misinformation, slander, or even just noise” (Ferrara et al. 98). For instance, bots generate positive feedbacks on various websites, which sell products and services, to attract the potential customers and make them buy something. In addition, bots can emulate humans when they need to attract their attention or satisfy their curiosity. An example of such emulation can be the creation of human-like profiles with the aim to gather many followers, especially among influential and popular people (Ferrara et al. 99). Bots can send some inquiries and worm some important information out of these people. In such a way, these artificial intelligences can negatively affect political discourse, social relationships, and different debates, often endangering democracy and misleading people.

Analysis and Conclusions

Catfishing, trolling, and bots are the representations of multiple identities in the online worlds. Turkle believes that computers and other modern technologies imply “multiplicity, heterogeneity, and fragmentation” instead of one and unique identity (“Our Split Screens” 7). However, Banks disagrees with her, arguing that there is no second self, and all these technologies enable human to follow “antisocial tendencies, or even cause these tendencies.” The statistician affirms that all those different profiles belong to one self and one identity (Banks). The author’s words have some sense, and one can look at Turkle’s multiple identities as at different sides or dimensions of a unique identity. From this perspective, people create various profiles to examine their hidden qualities or find themselves, using different points of view. In any case, both scholars agree that a self can be multidimensional, and this versatility can be best revealed in the online world.

Modern technologies provide people with a possibility to create their ideal selves and use them for multiple purposes. The most important thing here is to cultivate awareness of one’s actions and true self. Some individuals can forget about their real interests and desires under the fake profiles, which can lead to problems in the process of identity formation and development. Nevertheless, the world offers humans new possibilities to explore different sides of their selves. Thus, people should use these possibilities appropriately. Catfishers, trolls, and bots can harm and misguide online users, negatively affecting their further dating, debates, and politics. At the same time, these phenomena can help scientists and psychologists examine human fears and mental issues, basing on the analysis of their online behavior. Therefore, people should learn to perceive the online world as a single dimension of a multidimensional world. It is evident that the technologies certainly shape human personalities, but people are able adjust to these changes and accrue benefits from them.