First it was catfishing and now it is chatfishing; Know all about this dangerous trend

Chatfishing is one of the latest dating trends that people are wary of (Picture Credit: Pexels)

The new trends and happenings in the dating world never seem to amuse us, can they really? First, it was ghosting, then catfishing and now the latest one to raise eyebrows is chatfishing. This trend is all about AI disrupting the love life and dating life of people, and definitely not in a good way.

There are so many dating apps, and yet, very few matches with whom conversations feel really organic, the kind that really sweeps you off your feet. Right? One of the common laments of people looking to find love on dating apps is that they rarely find someone with an alluring personality. The kind of person you really look forward to speaking and sharing your thoughts with on a gamut of things.

Now picture this: You meet someone on a dating app and they ask you about your motto in life, what your learnings in life have been, what changes you want to bring in about yourself, what you think of cryptocurrency's future, what you perceive of Donald Trump and whether you believe an alien invasion is round the corner. You will surely feel like you've hit a jackpot. Even though you would find it surreal, you still won't doubt your luck to an extent where you think that the other person is taking help from one of these AI tools to appear charming.

However, guess what? Chatfishing is for real and people are falling prey to it to their utter dismay and disgust. The bubble bursts when the two people actually meet in person. This is when a person starts noticing a significant chasm between the other person's digital persona and real life persona. At first, they give benefit of doubt to the other person, thinking that the latter may be taking their own sweet time to open up in person. However, when their attempts to make the conversation fails utterly, this is when they begin to suspect if they were really chatfished.

Moneycontrol's team reached out to relationship expert Ruchi Ruuh to understand why some people resort to taking help from AI tools to appear interesting and hooking a person on a dating app.

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To seem more desirable
"Many worry their real personality won’t be appealing enough, ultimately leading to rejection. To tackle this, they over-curate their texts to seem more desirable," explained Ruuh.

To win attention really fast
On dating apps, people have short attention spans. The moment they feel disengaged in a conversation, they are quick to swipe left on the person. "In the digital space, it's all about winning someone's attention fast. Quick charming clever replies can do the trick. This explains why more and more people are taking help from AI tools," shared Ruuh.

'It's like an audition'
Modern dating constantly feels like an audition, rather than a means of forming a real connection. One wrong message could end the connection even before it begins, the expert said.

To escape their insecurities
Some people find solace in hiding behind a persona which they feel would make them appear more desirable. Chatfishing helps them escape their insecurities and inhabit a more confident personality.

To never run out of ideas
Chatfishing using AI tools makes it easier to continue conversations even when you have run out of ideas.

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"Even though the conversations around authenticity and emotional vulnerability are ever growing, the reality is that it's become harder to show your true self. So, people find it better to curate an image than showing the true self," concluded Ruuh.