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Brianna Chavez
E113A
Professor Lewis
December 11, 2015
The Tragedies of Social Media
Social media has come to play a major role in todays society for many reasons. We have
all kinds of technology including the internet and all these new apps like Snapchat, Twitter, and
Instagram. Theses apps give us access to virtual worlds where we can choose who to be. We
have the ability to choose what aspects of ourselves we let be seen and take it to a whole new
level by posting it for everyone to see. Social media apps are affecting our face to face
interactions by creating a deceitful environment online through the use of misleading identities,
and altered appearances while making it easier for cyber bullying.
Many people have the intentions to have others believe that they are someone else for
different purposes. For example, a common social media lie is called catfishing. Catfishing is a
term for when a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for
fraudulent or deceptive purposes (Websters). This can be elaborate, and may involve the use of
fake photos, fake biographies, and sometimes fictitious supporting networks as well (DCoasta
1). People who do this are either not content with their physical appearance or have the desire to

be someone else because it caught their attention. A very well-known catfish tale, is the story
between Nev Schulman and Megan Faccio. Nev had originally met Megan online through some
mutual friends on Facebook. Megan, an attractive singer and dancer, accepted Nevs request and
the two quickly started texting and having lengthy phone calls. These two decided to try a real
relationship even though they had never met in person. One day Nev decided to pay Megan a
visit in Michigan after things about her werent adding up. Nev went with a brother and a friend

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and decided to record the entire thing while they were at it. Once there, Nev met with a girl by
the name of Angela Wesselman-Price, who played the part of Megan. She confessed to making
several fake Facebook pages to make herself seem like the person she was trying to be. Megan
then admitted to have made this alter ego because there was a part of her that always wanted to
be like Megan. Angela was not content with herself so she made herself seem like someone
she desired to be. This is only one example of many Catfishing stories that not only affect the
people involved but can affect us all. Catfishing was made popular on Facebook and has since
migrated to Twitter and Instagram.
On Instagram; however, things are a little different. People make others believe they are
somebody else by requesting someone they find intriguing, start following them, take
screenshots of their pictures, and make a profile pretending they are that person. The difference
between catfishing on Facebook versus this sort of catfishing is that the person who took the
pictures, dont use them to try to fool one person. The pictures are taken to try to gain popularity
and a different sense of identity. For example, Aliyah Rosas, an Instagram user, was a victim of
this catfishing on Instagram. Not thinking twice about it she lets just about anyone who doesnt
look psychotic, follow her. One of her followers decided that she wanted to take Aliyahs
identity and would screenshot her pictures. This girl then went ahead to create fake profile with
all of Aliyahs pictures, requested all of her friends, and basically attempted to take Aliyahs
identity. She wouldnt have found out but one of her friends asked why she had two separate
accounts. The girl once confronted, admitted to believing that Aliyah was very beautiful and she
wanted people to think she was her. This is only one of many cases that happen every day on
Instagram.

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As consumers of these apps we have the option to choose what we post, and most times
those things are not reality. Pictures are posted with half your face or at an angle that makes you
look thinner than you really are. There are filters to change the color of your skin to make you
look tan or enhance the color of your hair or eyes. People dont post who they really are and
meeting in person is an entirely different story. Many people are hiding behind the screen and
choose what everyone else sees because they feel secure knowing that a stager would never
know.
We choose what we believe to be the best of ourselves to share with others. We
highlight knowledge, skills, and tendencies that help establish our connection to
particular social groupsand hopefully the person in front of us well. Sociologist
Erving Goffman believed that this sort of editing of the self to shape the impression we
make on others sits at the core of social interaction. We want to appear as similar as
possible to the object of our interaction; acceptance secures our place within our
networks (DCoasta 1).
Because people choose what they want to show or who they want to be on theses social apps we
encounter many situations where it is hard to connect with someone in person because you are
now face to face. You are no longer hiding behind the screen in your secure place at home and
you turn out to be someone you that in reality you arent. As stated above social media is at the
core for all of these occurrences because theyre all lies that are portrayed because people feel
safe behind these apps.
Its difficult to have a conversation with someone when you have been hiding your face among
this perfect person youve created; confrontation isnt easy. Social media gives us the chance to
hide behind a screen and lie to someone, or even worse talk bad about someone. It make it easy

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to destroy someones ego because they are not standing in front of you giving you the reaction
you deserve to see. Social media has made it really easy to cyberbully someone and its done
every day. aA study was done and 25% of teens on social media reported having an experience
resulting in a face-to-face confrontation with someone (Cyberbullying and Social Media). When
confrontation does come around there is never anything left to say because you have destroyed
that person or even just ruined their life by taking their pictures and posting them talking to
someone else and making things up. Society doesnt take the time to think about their actions
thoroughly enough anymore causing these unwanted circumstances.
These incidents don't happen to everyone but does it mean its not okay? Should we let it
go because some people more fortunate than others. These are issues that are becoming more and
more frequent in today's society. Unfortunately these situations do affect all off of society
because one way or another we all know someone who has been a victim of these issues. 95%
of teen social media users who have witnessed cruel behavior on social media sites say they have
seen others ignore the mean behavior (Cyberbullying and Social Media). We see it happening
and choose not to do or say anything about it, most people would say this is a big issue in today's
society. Because almost everyone knows someone who has been a victim the effects it has on a
person for just knowing them can be many. Just knowing them causes worry for the person and
the communication between the two; the person who is bullied or misinforming others and the
acquaintance is not going to be there. Their communication turns into embarrassment and
discomfort because they know they did wrong. For others it just causes worry but when wanting
to help you can no longer help because the person has now shut down and has isolated
themselves.

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Over all social media is affecting our face to face communication by creating a deceitful
environment because of the frequent use of altered appearances and misleading identities making
it an effortless place for cyberbullying. Social Media allows us to creating who we want and once
discovered reality communication and interaction becomes little to none. Confrontation from
both sides is hard and you're left with nothing to say. You can be lying or lied to either way you
are still left with the effect of silence. Being the victim it hurts and can causes silence and
isolation. Being the antagonist causes both the silence and isolation from embarrassment.
Communication is key but social media is the cause to the effects of our face to face
communication because we are affected but this environment that is being created.

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Works Cited
"Cyberbullying and Social Media." Megan Meier Foundation. Megan Meier Foundation, n.d. Web. 08
Nov. 2015.
Kristal D'Coasta. "Catfishing: The Truth About Deception Online." Scientific American Global RSS.
Scientific America, Apr. 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.