What is the 'sadfishing' social media trend that many of us are guilty of?

From dating to workplaces, social media platforms are dominated by new terms and trends. Sadfishing is the newest trend refering to when someone typically on social media, exaggerates or fabricates their emotional problems or difficulties to gain sympathy or attention from others.

What is 'sadfishing'?

It can involve sharing personal struggles, hardships or emotional distress in a way that may not accurately reflect their true feelings or situation, often to draw supportive responses or engagement from followers or friends.

The term "sadfishing" was first coined by journalist Rebecca Reid in 2019. She used it to describe Kendall Jenner’s emotional story about her severe acne struggle, which turned out to be part of a marketing campaign for her Proactiv partnership.

In a tweet, Reid noted that the term, originally intended to criticize “celebrities deliberately withholding information for their own gain,” is now being used to discourage people from sharing their vulnerabilities online.

What do celebs and experts have to say about sadfishing?

Other celebrities like Adele and Travis Scott have found themselves in similar situations while many influencers on social media platforms resort to sharing emotional videos highlighting their struggles.

Behavioural specialist and researcher Cara Petrofes has since redefined "sadfishing" as the tendency of social media users to exaggerate their emotional states to garner sympathy, diverging from Reid's original critique of celebrity culture. In a 2021 paper published in the Journal of American College Health, she and her colleagues investigated this social media phenomenon, noting its prevalence as a maladaptive coping mechanism among college students.

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