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Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 7:34:56 AM

SunTzuSwe

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There's a reason why this is going into OT discussions...
People are talking about fakes all the time and I can't help wondering what gives?
What's the big deal? Why bother with creating fake profiles? What do they get out of it? Is it guys who haven't come out of the closets and this is the only way they can chat with another guy? Do they get a kick out of fooling people into false beliefs? It seems to me like a pretty short lived enjoyment?
Seriously, women are good at rejection themselves without guys doing the work for them. Being rejected by a guy pretending to be a woman doesn't matter much to me? It's not like they're ever going to meet up or anything.
If anything I pity them for living such boring lives that they can't come up with anything better to do with their time. Either I've never been in contact with a fake or they simply don't tell me. So, what's the big deal? It's not like I'm going to meet up with every woman I talk to and if they don't tell me they're fakes I'll never know and happily get on with my life. Seems stupid to me? Sort of like "fun for the brain trust".

What's your take on the phenomenon? Do you even bother giving it a second thought?

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 7:53:07 AM

MasterCaneman

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I'm gonna take a shot at this. Some fakes are purely for monetary gain, to lure an unsuspecting or outright stupid person to send money/goods on to them. Others are a little more tricky. Some that I've seen in the short time I've been here look like they fall into the guys who are still closeted, and what to experience what it's like to have a sexy-talk exchange with a member of their own gender. Others are simply for short-term amusement, or to round-out the shit-ton of images and videos they've seen with some complementary dialogue they can't come up with themselves (trolling for wank-bait).

As to their reasoning, there are a plethora of people who grew up lacking the social skills to make their fantasies real, or are in relationships or situations where they simply cannot flesh out their fantasies. And there's another factor, but I can't really say if it's true or not. With the current financial and political climate, massive unemployment and the like, there are people who feel the need to ultimate escape from the pressures of daily living.

I see that whenever I see a profile that say words to the effect "I want to become a real-life 24/7 no-limits slave". They want to escape themselves completely into a world where there's no responsibilities (in their minds) except personal gratification, and The Scene is damned attractive for that. People in hot, sexy clothing, extremely sexually charged situations (of course, commercial-porn derived), and no expectations for having to show up on time and make X number of widgets or dealing with customers.

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 8:54:18 AM

kiwisub12

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I was thinking some may have such low self esteem that they feel the need to reinvent themselves on-line. They end up so pulled into the fantasy that they don't consider that the person on the other end may be hurt by what they are doing. Or , for that matter, may want to actually met in real time.

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 9:18:44 AM

FelineRanger

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Most of the fake profiles that I have encountered are simply advertising vehicles for other sites. If I see one more profile that uses Raven Riley as a profile picture I may scream every profanity I know at the top of my lungs. I haven't knowingly encountered the guy pretending to be a girl yet nor have I been asked for money or gifts. As for anyone else, like someone without experience pretending to be very experienced, I would simply think they're trying to fake it 'til they make it.

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 9:36:50 AM

tazzygirl

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~FR

One person's fake just may be another person's perfection

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 12:13:23 PM

Zonie63

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quote:

ORIGINAL: SunTzuSwe

There's a reason why this is going into OT discussions...
People are talking about fakes all the time and I can't help wondering what gives?
What's the big deal? Why bother with creating fake profiles? What do they get out of it? Is it guys who haven't come out of the closets and this is the only way they can chat with another guy? Do they get a kick out of fooling people into false beliefs? It seems to me like a pretty short lived enjoyment?
Seriously, women are good at rejection themselves without guys doing the work for them. Being rejected by a guy pretending to be a woman doesn't matter much to me? It's not like they're ever going to meet up or anything.
If anything I pity them for living such boring lives that they can't come up with anything better to do with their time. Either I've never been in contact with a fake or they simply don't tell me. So, what's the big deal? It's not like I'm going to meet up with every woman I talk to and if they don't tell me they're fakes I'll never know and happily get on with my life. Seems stupid to me? Sort of like "fun for the brain trust".

What's your take on the phenomenon? Do you even bother giving it a second thought?

Back when I was a kid, we used to make prank phone calls. I tend to think of trolling and fakery on the internet along the same lines, although you'd think that people would grow out of that by the time they reach high school.

On the other hand, I also consider that a certain percentage of the population is mentally ill. If someone is making prank phone calls well into adulthood, then I would consider that good cause to question their mental health.

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 5:06:41 PM

Winterapple

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I agree with Zonie. A lot of the fake seeming profiles
to me seem like teenage boys pranking. If they're still
hoaxing after they've reached maturity its well sad and
probably a symptom of anything from emotional immaturity
and poor social skills to mental illness.

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 7:39:58 PM

littlewonder

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No I don't give it a second thought.

One person's fake is another person's dream come true.

< Message edited by littlewonder -- 8/1/2013 7:40:11 PM >

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 9:12:00 PM

Rule

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quote:

ORIGINAL: SunTzuSwe
Do you even bother giving it a second thought?

No I do not.

There are real life people whom one meets and there are pixels on a screen that one never meets.

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/1/2013 9:54:13 PM

speakslittle

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A complex issue. I'm sure there are as many different explanations as we can consider.
One that I would add to the list, perhaps a subset of "trolling". Is the profiles that almost seem designed to harass and defame someone in real life.

I see some profiles here, and occasionally on other sights, that make me cringe. If they are real, they are horribly depressing. But I also suspect that they may be trolls. The type of profile I'm thinking of is the blurry shot of someone you maybe don't find as attractive. maybe they're a bit overweight, the camera caught them at the worst possible moment, so they've got a slice of cake in their hand and there's a piece that dripped down the front of their shirt. You know that the person was probably having fun when the picture was taken, but the text surrounding the picture paints a different story. More along the lines of "My name is full name here I'm a filty pig, whose no good for anyone and I have insert disease and my noun verbs like a noun

These types of profiles always make me profoundly sad. And I suspect that the same logic which drives men to carve their exe's phone number into the walls of bathroom stalls drives them to create profiles like this.

That having been said, I would caution against leaning too hard on the "Obviously, they're damaged/lack social skills/etc" line of thinking. I'm not sure there's clear logical support for such assertions, and there may be arguments against it. A parallel, if I may?
Consider the old wives'/common sense thought patterns on bullying. "Oh, bullies are these really insecure people, and they don't know how to handle their issues, because THEY get beat up all the time, so they take it out on other people, displacing their anger."
I'm pretty sure sociological studies have refuted this. Bullies are not 'insecure'. They are extremely 'secure'. They're so secure that they can do no wrong. Hence, they do whatevs.
To me, the "these people are damaged" smacks of a similar logical pattern. They may not be. I'm not certain. Just asking for a stay of judgement.

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/2/2013 12:32:41 AM

orgasmdenial12

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How do you know they're fakes? Or are you just assuming? I'm often accused of being a fake, but I'm a real woman. I think people who go around overly concerned about fakes have psychological issues, to be honest.

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/2/2013 2:46:17 AM

SunTzuSwe

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orgasmdenial12> I touch on this very thing in my first post, I've never actually had anyone out him-/herself as a fake and that's part of the conundrum. As long as the profile doesn't come out and admit to being a fake it's hard to be sure. Some are obviously scammers and some are just jerks but the most common topic of discussion I think is guys posing as girls. And I wonder how often accusations stem from rejection and a need to vindicate oneself? Guys having difficulties taking a no and instinctivly shout fake to stay secure in their supposed "manhood".
Profiles not being for real are pretty common I think and we've seen a lot of different thoughts on what they may be. I'm just not sure what the incentive would be to pose as a girl over a prolonged period of time? Novelties wear off pretty quick in a healthy individual, can't speak for the sickos though. Mentally challenged individuals might take pleasure in simple things and I guess they might be easily amused as well? Since there is no statistics it's hard to know the extent of the phenomenon.
As for some profiles not being for real... well, It's an easy way to make a fantasy come to life. A romanticised dream or fantasy which is not realistic and not likely to work irl. I suppose these sort of profiles can just as easily belong to a girl as a guy?
Personally I'm a hands on kind of guy, I make my fantasies come true and maybe that's why I'm having some difficulties seeing the point of a fake profile?

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RE: Psychology of fakes? - 8/2/2013 2:55:41 AM

PressPlay

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Anyone ever watch Catfish???.....Nothing more to say.

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