Sadfishing is the latest social media to grip netizens. It seems like showing off your happy moments on the Internet is passé as people are posting photos and videos of crying and being sad. It has become so popular that social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram have come up with crying face filters. But what is Sadfishing?
Sadfishing is a a name-play for the term 'catfishing'. It is used to best describe a behavioural trend where people make over the top claims about their emotional traumas and problems to invoke sympathy on social media. It was first used by Journalist Rebecca Reid when she referred to Kendall Jenner's Instagram posts about acne problems.
Of late, the term is again gaining popularity and netizens are calling out people of sadfishing on the Internet to gain sympathy. "I really hate it when people are sadfishing. Like you’re talking to them and then they always try to find things to say to make you feel bad for them. Nah miss me with that sh**." a user tweeted.
A user also tried to explain the process of Sadfishing with a Twitter thread.
Another one shared a tweet where a user spoke about losing a friend. "Looks like a plot from some horror movie - where a group of friends get trapped in a cursed house and start dying one after the other. This here is a prime example of sadfishing! Next time ask for proof or it didn't happen," a Twitterati wrote calling out a man.
"It's not safe in the jungle, stop sadfishing and go back to the castle," said another. Some even dragged Elon Musk in the matter. "Waking up to Elon Musk sadfishing twitter is the most twitter thing ever. Give him a bunch of attention everybody lol," a user wrote.
Some also linked it to Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's trail. "This case is important for social media too, we have just way too many manipulative people sadfishing on the internet. They will repeatedly mention medical condition, break up stories, emotional trauma, mental health condition to make themselves the centre of attraction," a user tweeted trying to explain his point. He also shared a photo describing what is sadfishing.
Have you met someone who is sadfishing on social media?