It is an all-too-familiar experience, opening your inbox one day to find a message from someone you've come to know and consider a friend. You eagerly reply, hoping for another stream of witty banter or perhaps even a little flirtation in the hopes of fulfilling something long-awaited. But then suddenly, the messages cease. Your texts and emails go unanswered, leaving you lost and alone in the darkness.
This is what it's like to be catfished – tricked into believing that someone you shared a virtual connection with is actually real, only to find out they do not exist. It can be an emotionally painful experience, as it often results in feeling misled, exploited, or embarrassed in some way. If the person responsible was purposely malicious, then it could be considered an act of cyberbullying.
Catfishing is just one form of manipulation that takes shape when people make use of social media platforms to control other people's behavior and mislead them for their benefit. As such, it should come as no surprise that there are people who take pleasure in utilizing deceitful tactics to get what they want from others. Those who execute these kinds of manipulations are often categorized as exhibiting some form of the dark tetrad of traits, which include narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and everyday sadism.
Narcissists are characterized by their need to feel superior at all times and their feelings of entitlement and lack of empathy for others. These people have an inflated sense of self-importance that drives their need to appear successful and grandiose, which often leads them to achieve this goal by any means necessary—such as by manipulating and deceiving other people.
Psychopaths exhibit similar traits as narcissists, except on a much more extreme level. They will often do whatever it takes to get what they want—no matter how it impacts others—in order to satisfy their own needs or desires.
Machiavellianism refers to the idea of ‘the end justifies the means'—or in other words, the idea that the manipulation and deception of others is acceptable if it benefits oneself in the long run. Those with this trait commonly believe that anything can be used as a tool to gain power or control over others, regardless of the consequences it might have on those affected by their actions.
Everyday sadism is the trait of enjoying causing psychological or physical pain towards other individuals. Pain inflicted by those categorized under this trait is often subtle and hidden beneath socially acceptable actions, but still carries with it powerful psychological implications for its victims.
Each of these traits—when displayed alone or together—can lead someone to commit acts of egregious manipulation such as catfishing; and each of these traits is worth acknowledgment when considering how certain people operate within society. People who demonstrate characteristics of the dark tetrad can create havoc within their community by preying on others who are vulnerable and often unaware of the danger posed by virtual predators.
At a minimum, it's important to be cognizant of how easy it is for people to lead us astray through our trust placed in them. At the same time, it highlights the importance of trusting our own judgment first and foremost when interacting with people online who may or may not have our best interest at heart.
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