References:

Baym, N. (2010). Communities and networks. Personal Connections in the Digital Age, 72-97.

Keipi, T., Oksanen, A., & Räsänen, P. (2015). Who prefers anonymous self-expression online? A Survey-based study of Finns Aged 15–30 years. Information, Communication & Society, 18(6), 717-732. doi:10.1080/1369118x.2014.991342

Noble, S. (2018). Searching for protections from search engines. In Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (pp. 121–133). New York University Press.

Kalle is realizing because of the "cyberspace" he is in, he can choose to be whoever he wants. Anonymity is something that he would like to achieve because he does not feel a sense of belonging. This is easier to achieve on a game site than it is on social media. This is due to the fact that he does not have to verify his identity. According to a study done, teenagers who have low self-esteem and less friends offline are more likely to go online anonymously (Keipi, Oksanen, & Räsänen, 2015). This study is extremely interesting and is closely related to course materials.

By using pornographic content, Kalle is increasing the problem of the internet that never forgets (Noble, 2018). The more people who interact with an image online, the most likely it is to stay at the top of searches on Google. This is a violation of privacy of the individuals in the photos.

When thinking about Kalle catfishing men for months, I cannot help but think about how many men he may have fooled. The picture above is results from a survey done in 2018 about how many people are catfished online. These statistics show that it may be more common than people think and the dangers of anonymity online.

Kalle used the online chatting as a way to express himself. He desired to find a community of individuals who are willing to talk and support him. According to Baym (2010), community was built on shared space, practice, resources, identities, and interpersonal relationships. However, the boy cannot truly have a community of support if he is catfishing the individuals he is chatting with. Jussi gave him a sense of community by creating shared space and resources.

Kalle viewing the chatrooms as cyberspace also allows him to step into the lens that identity is fluid. People in the early 90s thought that the internet was a way you could discover yourself and identify however you wished (Lesson 6). He is now understanding the consequences of pretending to be someone you are not.

https://www.cybersmile.org/what-we-do/advice-help/catfishing#:~:text=As%20well%20as%20the%20emotional,come%20about%20because%20of%20catfishing.

The link above is a website full of information about Catfishing, including the harmful effects of being catfished. I imagine that Jussi emotionally hurt, embarrassed, and anxious about where the relationship went wrong. In the article, it also discusses that people may catfish for including insecurities and sexual exploration. Both of these things were reasons for Kalle to catfish.

https://youtu.be/YyM4zF8mi8M Kalle using the pictures of women from online is risky because the men could look up the images on Google, like the video states. The video also provides useful tips for catching a catfish.

If Kalle did not want to disappoint him, then I do not understand why he would agree to a date that he knew he would have to cancel.

One of the big issues with Kalle catfishing men is that the men he is talking to are real men who are expressing themselves, assuming they are not also catfishes. Kalle is building a connection with true to themselves individuals, but he is not being authentic to them. This could create an emotional attachment, knowing that it could not go further than online chatting.

https://www.hrc.org/news/5-things-you-can-do-today-to-support-lgbtq-youth

Although it is wrong to catfish people online, it allowed Kalle to express and find himself. Many individuals in the LGBTQ+ community cannot fully express themselves because of the lack of understanding and support from friends and family. The link I have attached are things YOU can do to support LGBTQ+, so that kids do not have to do what Kalle did.

I think that Kalle used his experience online to find out what characteristics he would and would not want in a partner. In a place where the LGBTQ+ community is not always supported; this may have been his only way to explore his feelings and likes/dislikes. He was only able to do this comfortably, due to anonymity.

I would think that Kalle would want the men to think highly of him and not put himself in a bad light. If I was in Kalle's position (I would never be), I would make myself seem very trustworthy and noble.

The scary part about this conversation is that Jarkko25 is not aware that he is talking to a child-aged boy.

I thought it was interesting that Kalle said, "But I love younger men" before he even knew Jarkko25's age.

It is crazy to me how easy it was for this boy to become someone else. Catfishing is something that has always made me very aware of who I talk to online. I have all of my social media accounts set to private, so I am able to control who follows me. If I do not know someone, I do not let them follow me.

Catfishing is pretending to be someone you are not online, through using other's pictures and lying about the traits a person possesses.

When the Web first became popular, many people viewed the space as "cyberspace." This meant that the internet was a completely separate space from reality where differences did not matter. This young boy, Kalle, seems to view computers and online games as cyberspace. He felt like "an outcast" in real life, so cyberspace could be a place he could be whoever he wanted.

https://itstillworks.com/dangers-meeting-people-online-1839.html As many people know, meeting up with strangers from online can be very dangerous. The link I have attached lists a few reasons how it can be dangerous.

Google is a search engine used by most people daily to find answers to almost any question someone may have. Search engines have been around for a long time, but Google became a main one between 2002-2008 (Lesson 8). Information nowadays is extremely easy to find online with an easy search.

If I received this message from a stranger, this is exactly how I would react.

People need to be aware that what they do online can follow them in the future. The internet never forgets (Noble, 2018). This means that the dirty messages being posted in the chat could be saved in a computer somewhere and held against someone. Noble (2018) discusses the consequences of people's past online sexual content resurfacing. Many people lose their jobs over this.