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Yailet Gomez
Jennifer Rodrick
English 114b
2/29/16
Fake is the new normal
We live in a society where wanting to look like everyone else is normal. I call it cloning.
The reason given is that people absorb trends like they are sponges. Everything is at the tip of
our fingers and we have become so indulged into technology thats its hard to differentiate who
we really are and who we pretend to be. Some of the main issues with technology and identity is
that people are creating a secret life called catfishing, everyone looks the same, and we look for
validation in others. Things such as these are seen mainly in teenagers but what is even worse is
that young children are the ones that will grow up in this technology era that will affect them
even more. It gives younger children, especially girls, the wrong idea of what identity and beauty
is.
Catfishing is a huge thing in todays modern society. It is defined as using another
persons pictures and creating a life and identity under while pretending to be them. Catfishing
became a huge issue, so big that there was a TV show based on real life experiences. Sometimes
it turns out to be a real person and at other times it is a complete stranger. Doing this creates a
sense of identity that maybe the real person doesnt have. At some point it becomes part of them,
its something they do every day and it has become a routine for them. The real issue when it
comes to catfishing is the person creating a life for themselves they wished they had. A fat man
will pretend to be a girl who is 20 because talking to the person on the other side of the screen
that they are catfishing gives them comfort and security. This person doesnt have enough

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confidence in themselves to date someone in their real persona. Why? Because they are shun
away because they dont look or act a certain way.
According to reachout.com, people might do it because they just want to meet new
people and they might worry about their real identity. They could also do it out of fear. They
might question if their love is worthy enough. Idea of catfishing came from Nev Schulman, a
film maker from New York who met a young woman called Megan Faccio who was being
portrayed by a woman named Angela Wesselman. When Nev found out who she was and got to
speak to her husband, he compared her to a catfish. He said fishers once used to keep
marketable cod active while in transit so they stay alive from devolving into unsellable goo.
Thats where the term catfish came from. Its a very sticky subject because on one side its real
and the feelings that begin to grow for this catfish and the person are there but on the other hand
its not real.
Everyone in real life and the internet look the same. Every Instagram famous person
wears a waist trainer, all drink the same tea, and promote a certain brand. None of these people
do it because they want to. They do it because its a business, companies get someone who is
very liked to promote their product in order for them to bring business in and make more sales.
Essena ONeill is an Australian teenager who quit Instagram but before doing so, she explain
how it was more of an advertise account. The Guardian mentions, She was able to make an
income from marketing products to her 612,000 followers on Instagram- $2000AUD a post.
That is enough to pay my tuition for the rest of my life. Just like with commercials, companies
show us that if you drink milk your bottom will grow just like JLo. She is a very attractive
woman and who wouldnt want to look like her? There is no sense of originality anymore and its
a touchy thing to talk about but everyone just like the same thing. Everyone picks up little things

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from other people that stick with them and although its not a bad thing its saddening. These are
little trends that will eventually die out and people will move on to a different trend and its an
ongoing cycle.
Another thing
that is very
problematic is
how body image
has been ruined
because of the internet. This goes back to promoting waist trainers and slim tea gives younger
girls the impression that the only way to be comfortable in their body is if they look like them.
Most of the women we see on these pictures are women who have big butts, small waists and big
breasts. Not everyone was born that way so whats the only way to achieve those looks? It leaves
girls wondering well if dont look like that will I ever be happy with my body image.
We look for validation from others in various ways. . How to Get Instagram Famous is a
website that mentions just what the title says. Do everything you can to get featured by
Instagram. This is mentioned on the website amongst many other things but this one stands out
the most. Its telling the readers that they should publicly putting themselves out there in order to
be noticed and to be liked. Why? Because we need that reassurance that we are liked. For
example, someone may try to be the funniest because they need reassurance that they have
attention, that they are funny and are liked. People are so tough on themselves at time that the
only way for them to feel better is for someone to contradict them and say something positive
instead of agreeing with them. I read an article from Desert National News about a girl named
Hannah Smith, pictured above who killed herself because someone had told her to. She was a

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young girl who had her whole life ahead of her and someone tells her to kill herself and she did
but it turns out that she herself send those messages. This girl wanted someone to see the rude
messages she was receiving and wanted someone to defend her. This is where the line is drawn
because something so inutile caused a girl her life, leaving her parents to mourn a dead child.
Before Essena ONeill quit Instagram, she went back to every single picture on Instagram and
changed every caption into something thats real. She would mention that none of her pictures
were natural, and she would take the same picture over and over again until she found the right
one.
Everyone should be able to feel comfortable in their skin. Self-identity is very hard to
find for some people because of all the things that we are being exposed to on social media.
Oneill at 19 made more money than I will probably ever make just by being pretty. Was she a
business woman, a young teenager, was she happy or sad? Not even she could point out who she
really was because none of the things she did were real. There are things us as humans have to
set apart in order to be content with our selves. We cannot let social media keep on dictating
aspects of our life. Although it may be nice to go stalk people and see what the latest fashion
trends are we mustnt let those pictures change how we see ourselves. Technology causes a huge
impact with our self-awareness and identity that people are creating a secret life called
catfishing, everyone looks the same, and we look for validation in others. Its safe to say that no
one is original, not even I am. Theres nothing wrong with liking something and trying it out
such as a trend or an outfit but its difficult to differentiate between who we are and what we like.

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Works Cited
"How To Get Instagram Famous In 1 Simple List." DailyTekk How To Get Instagram Famous In
1 Simple List Comments. 02 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
Gajanan, Mahita. "Young Women on Instagram and Self-esteem: 'I Absolutely Feel Insecure'"

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The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 04 Nov. 2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/04/instagram-young-women-self-esteemessena-oneill>.
"Growing up Digital: How the Internet Affects Teen Identity." Growing up Digital: How the
Internet Affects Teen Identity. 28 May 2014. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
<http://national.deseretnews.com/article/1553/growing-up-digital-how-the-internetaffects-teen-identity.html>.
Hunt, Elle. "Essena O'Neill Quits Instagram Claiming Social Media 'is Not Real Life'" The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 03 Nov. 2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
"'Catfish': Inspired By A True Story Of Internet Deceit." News. 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
"Pretending to Be Someone Else Online." ReachOut Blog RSS. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
<http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/catfish-pretending-to-be-someone-else-online>.
http://spmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Little-Miss-Sunshine.jpg
http://i4.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article2128705.ece/ALTERNATES/s1227b/Hannah-Smith-14committed-suicide-after-being-bullied-on-the-internet.jpg