Catfishing is wrong

Ethical Problem with Catfishing

Catfishing is an online impersonation of another person, which may lead to severe consequences. Victims may fall for scams, be harassed, or face social problems in terms of a relationship due to catfishing.

Catfishing, in terms of relationship, does not make any sense. Even though the Catfish may feel confident in a fake persona, they must know the victim also is engaged with their fake persona, not with them. Most people will not like it if they find out the time they spent with someone who is not real (Horn, 2014). Other than that, I believe Catfish is just wasting time. They should use their time wisely and do something productive, which may be more beneficial. If people want to experiment with their identities, they can find better ways without duping people by pretending to be someone else.

Catfishing is used for committing crimes. According to Koch (2017), catfishing can lead to cyber-harassment and cyber-stalking, further escalating to real-world stalking and assault. Koch(2017) also writes how online impersonations are being used for committing financial crimes. After gaining the victim’s trust, the impersonator tricks the victim into sending money.
To sum up. Catfishing is ethically wrong, and a person should not indulge in impersonating someone else. It can lead to severe consequences. In terms of relationships, most victims will not like it if they find out they are spending time with someone who is not real.

References

Horn, L. (2014). The psychology of catfishing, from its first public victim. Gizmodo.

Koch, C. M. (2017). To catch a Catfish: A statutory solution for victims of online impersonation. U. Colo. L. Rev., 88, 233.