That ‘Sadfishing’ Trend Of Seeking Sympathy Online Rapidly Discovers That Generative AI Enlists And Resists

There seems to be a revival of interest in “sadfishing”.

Sadfishing is when someone posts a sad tale of woe online and then might (or might not) receive replies expressing sympathy for their unhappy plight. Sometimes the tale of woe is short and dour, sometimes it isn’t a tale at all and merely a word or two of sadness, while other times the posting goes all out and ostensibly pleads for vast armies of outsized herculean support.

I say that there is a revival of online sadfishing because the topic is trending at this time, and due to the fact that sadfishing had other moments of fame such as in 2019 and again in 2021. Apparently, sadfishing has its ups and downs. The cycle is something like this. People employ sadfishing, it gains steam, the matter wears thin, it fades from view, and then for unknown cultural and societal reasons, it resurfaces with a festive splash.

One viewpoint is that sadfishing is a form of mental health outreach.

A person opts to use social media as a forum to garner mental health advice and hopefully attain some mental relief and uplifting. Seems kind of sensible. Or maybe not. Should we really entrust our conveyance of mental health therapy via open-ended anything-goes crowdsourcing? Even a casual glance at what exists on social media would seem to suggest that no, seeking mental health insights via the wisdom of the crowd is a quite dubious proposition.

A twist that I’d like to introduce to you is that generative AI indubitably enters the sadfishing arena, though few people realize that this is happening. Only since modern-day generative AI and large language models (LLMs) hit the big time and captured our global attention has the latest AI sauntered into the sadfishing sphere. I will walk you through the whole kit and kaboodle.

Before we leap into the details, allow me to go into my customary opening remarks.

For my ongoing readers, in today’s column, I am continuing my in-depth series about the impact of generative AI in the health and medical realm. The focus this time is once again on the mental health domain and examines the use of generative AI in the sadfishing realm.

I have previously examined numerous interleaving facets of generative AI and mental health, see my comprehensive overview at the link here. You might also find of notable interest a CBS 60 Minutes episode that recently examined crucial facets of this evolving topic, see the link here (I am honored and pleased to indicate that I was featured in the episode, see the link here).

Other vital background includes my in-depth coverage of mental health chatbots which have been bolstered by generative AI (see the link here) and the rapidly changing nature of the client-therapist relationship due to generative AI at the link here. I explored where things are headed regarding the levels of AI-based mental therapy autonomous guidance at the link here, and showcased the importance of the World Health Organization (WHO) report on global health and generative AI at the link here, and so on.

The Telltale Backbone Of Sadfishing

Let’s start with an official definition of sadfishing:

• “Sadfishing is the act of posting about your emotional problems online for attention or personal gain.” (Source: Dictionary.com, posted March 2, 2020)

As receipts or proof that the topic is a current hot trend, take a glance at these momentous headlines:

• “The cringy internet trend so many are guilty of: What is Sadfishing?”, The Independent, June 13, 2024.
• ‘Sadfishing’ trend raises concerns about teens seeking sympathy on social media”, Deseret News, July 2, 2024.
• “What is ‘Sadfishing’ and why are teens doing it?”, Parents, June 14, 2024.
• “’Sadfishing’ social media trend could be symptomatic of ‘concerning’ issues, says psychologist”, Fox News, July 2, 2024.

The moniker is a play on the more famous “catfishing” phrase that has been bandied around for a long time and spurred even more online and offline attention than sadfishing.

In plain language, sadfishing entails fishing for a reaction to a posted sad tale. You could also compellingly argue that sadfishing is a close cousin of the humblebrag. A humblebrag involves posting a self-congratulatory comment that seems to be humble but is really seeking to brag about an accomplishment and wink-wink wishing to receive tons of accolades from anyone who will care to respond.

A philosophical and yet practical question that appears time and again is whether sadfishing is merely a form of manipulation. The sad tale is itself a ruse. I’m not saying the sad tale isn’t true. The gist is that the sad tale is a means of prodding others into patting you on the back. That’s the true nature of a sadfishing attempt, it seems.

Of course, the responses to the sad tale might also be labeled as a form of manipulation. Some replies are earnest and seek to make the person feel better about their apparent sad life or life situation at hand. Other responses might mock the sad tale, doubt the sad tale, rebuff the sad tale, and opt to attack the person who dared to put up the posting.

This has brought to the fore a dual usage for sadfishing.

If someone seemingly genuinely posts a sad tale and isn’t trying to garner sympathy, they are likely to get accused of doing a sadfishing act. They must then defend their posting, vigorously. Meanwhile, those who are making posts that in their heart of hearts are surely devised and intended as sadfishing, sometimes brazenly escape the sadfishing indictment, and skate home free. It all depends.

Think of the four possible variations this way:

• (1) Getting Caught. An instance of sadfishing that’s caught in the act (thus, replies explicitly catch on that it is sadfishing).
• (2) Skates Free. An instance of sadfishing but scurries-free (replies don’t realize they are duped into a sadfishing occurrence).
• (3) Falsely Accused. Not sadfishing but replies assume or claim that it is (battering the posting accordingly, falsely so).
• (4) No Fuss, No Muss. Not sadfishing and luckily replies don’t falsely suggest that it is (they take the posting at honest face value).

Mull those over.

Since everyone pretty much knows nowadays about sadfishing, the odds are that any posting that veers within a mile of a sadfishing style composition is going to get oodles of claims that it is sadfishing. A sizable contingent of online respondents does not like sadfishing. They have made it their life quest to hammer down on any semblance of sadfishing.

It is almost an ironclad guarantee that any posting that distinctly smells of or has even the faintest scent of sadfishing is going to get all four of the above variations coming directly at it. Lots and lots of such responses. There is no viable means to know for sure what the person is trying to do and therefore all replies are conveyed as a shotgun blast.

Might as well cover all the bases, says the wisdom of the crowd.

Stated reactions to such postings are all over the map, including but not limited to:

• (a) Assumes that the posting is genuine and displays a crucial mental health issue that is being shared as a cry for help.
• (b) Supposes that the person has no other meaningful way to signal for help and this is their last resort.
• (c) Postulates that the person is merely bored and figured they are inappropriately stirring the pot for a bit of fun.
• (d) They are seen as attention-getters and greedily want the world to look only at them.
• (e) Are aiming to provoke controversy and wish to see an angry mob arise.
• (f) Do such postings as a hoax, duping innocents, and relish doing so.
• (g) Experimentalists who are trying to engage in a social media experiment of sorts.
• (h) Posted as a promotional stunt that will make them a buck or two.
• (i) Other possibilities of a wide nature, both good and evil.

One especially notable factor involves the potential age of those who engage in sadfishing.

Consider the respective ages of that that post and those that reply:

• Age of those that do the sadfishing postings (teens, children, adults)
• Age of those who respond to the sadfishing postings (teens, children, adults)

The general assumption is that young people such as teens are the more likely segment that will do sadfishing posts. In turn, the assumption is that young people such as teens will be the likely respondents. In that sense, it is a means for teens to communicate with other teens. This has been going on since the beginning of humankind, though done in person or possibly in writing via conventional pencil and paper correspondence.

Will teens who respond to sadfishing teens always do so kindly and sympathetically?

Sorry, no, that’s not the real world that we live in.

Some teens will indeed try to bolster a fellow teen. Others might take to cyberbullying and harass the teen who did the posting. It can be quite a mess.

Worse still, the responses might be by adults posing as teens. The sadfishing realm is rife with predators. They calculate that the teen is in a weakened mental state. The timing seems perfect to befriend them. Turn this into an ongoing dialogue. The trap is set. Atrocious, but it happens and lamentedly keeps happening.

The mixture of danger gets further fueled. Suppose the sadfishing is posted by a child. We might envision that a teen has a fighting chance of realizing when they are getting bamboozled, but a child might not. The sadfishing could also be posted by an adult pretending to be a child or a teen. Once again, they are acting as predators and going fishing accordingly.

I don’t want to be the bearer of too much bad news, but there are other dangers involved too.

Consider this. A teen makes a sadfishing post. They include private info such as their name and the city they live in. That’s bad. It means that there is a chance that someone can go far beyond the online world and potentially find them in the physical world.

Another concern is that the Internet never forgets.

Here’s why that’s important. A teen goes ahead and makes a sadfishing post. Let’s suppose it is an awkward and somewhat embarrassing tidbit about their life at that point in time. They soon forget about the posting. Their life moves on. As an adult, perhaps that posting comes back to haunt them, despite the sadfishing being something from years earlier when in an impressionable and growing stage of life.

The Internet never forgets.

Research On Sadfishing Has Something Important To Say

There has been significant research on sadfishing, especially from a mental health perspective.

In a posted piece in Psychology Today entitled “Sadfishing: Attention-Getting Or Genuine Calls For Help?” by Pamela Rutledge, February 26, 2021, these salient points were made in 2021 (excerpts):

• “Sadfishing is posting emotional or dramatic personal content to gain sympathy or attention from the online community.”
• “Sadfishing is a relatively recent term, but fishing for sympathy on and offline is not new behavior.”
• “The Boy Who Cried Wolf from Aesop’s fables was sadfishing when he tricked the villagers into rushing to his aid.”
• “Sadfishing is increasingly being used to accuse people of attention-seeking and criticize or belittle their online content, whether they were sadfishing or not.”

Notice that the idea of fishing for sympathy is noted as a form of human behavior that has been longstanding in human history.

A key difference now is that you can do so on a widespread basis via the Internet’s global reach. You can potentially reach thousands perhaps millions of people via a sadfishing posting. Another difference would be the potential permanency of a sadfishing posting, as per my comments about the Internet never forgets.

In a recent piece in Psychology Today entitled “4 Reasons Why People ‘Sadfish’ On The Internet” by Mark Travers, Psychology Today, June 24, 2024, these points were made (excerpts):

• “Social media has evolved into a platform where individuals share not only their happiest moments but also their deepest struggles.”
• “While some of these struggles are genuine, a recent trend labeled “sadfishing” refers to the act of exaggerating or falsifying one’s emotional problems for attention and sympathy.”
• “For example, someone might post, “I can’t believe how much I’m struggling right now. Nothing ever seems to go right for me,” accompanied by a sad selfie and a crying emoji, without providing specific details.”
• “This can prompt followers to offer sympathy and support, even if the poster intends to garner attention rather than genuine support.”

The points made by that posting include the aspect that there is a struggle between a genuine attempt to share sadness versus an exaggerated or false proclamation for the purpose of garnering attention and response. That’s the rub about sadfishing, namely confoundingly blurring the lines.

In a research paper entitled “Denial, Attention-Seeking, and Posting Online While Intoxicated: Three Key Predictors of Collegiate Sadfishing” by Natalie Ceballos, Cara Petrofes, Catherine Bitney, Reiko Graham, and Krista Howard, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, March 8, 2024, these key aspects were identified (excerpts):

• “Sadfishing, or the exaggeration of one’s emotional state online to generate sympathy, is a maladaptive behavior that can negatively affect mental health.”
• “A better understanding of the characteristics of individuals who sadfish could inform tailored interventions to decrease sadfishing and improve quality of life.”
• “However, to date, the phenomenon of sadfishing remains understudied. Thus, the current project was designed to identify some of the key psychological and behavioral characteristics that may be associated with sadfishing.”
• “Results of the binary logistic regression analysis found that students who reported using denial as a coping strategy (p = 0.005), who endorsed the attention-seeking behaviors associated with histrionic personality disorder (p = 0.021), and who used social media while intoxicated (p = 0.017) were most likely to report sadfishing.”
• “In particular, our results highlight the importance of coping skills training for individuals who sadfish.”

Note that the research posits that sadfishing is a maladaptive behavior. They examine how sadfishing can contribute to negative mental health outcomes.

There hasn’t been a lot of rigorous empirical work associated with sadfishing. Much of the research literature is based on more open-ended approaches. In the study mentioned above, the research sought to analytically and statistically explore attention-seeking, coping strategies, histrionic personality disorders, and related facets of sadfishing.

One factor that few seem to mention and that was pointed out in the study was the factor of intoxication. It is conceivable that some portion of sadfishing occurs while a person is intoxicated, either slightly so or possibly fully so.

There’s more.

Literature has at times identified the role of anxious attachment as a potential underlying element of sadfishing. In a research study entitled “Sad-fishing: Understanding A Maladaptive Social Media Behavior In College Students” by Cara Petrofes, Krista Howard, Azucena Mayberry, Catherine Bitney, and Natalie Ceballos, Journal of American College Health, October 13, 2022, these points were made (excerpts):

• “We investigated psychological factors that might predispose individuals to sad-fish or exaggerate their emotional state online to generate sympathy.”
• “Results: Sad-fishers trended toward anxious attachment.”
• “Groups did not differ on perceived interpersonal or online social support.”
• “Conclusions: Sad-fishing may not be triggered by an acute perceived lack of social support, but rather, might be more strongly related to the persistent trait of anxious attachment.”

I urge that researchers take up the mantle and give additional scrutiny to the role of anxious attachment in sadfishing. I mention this because much of the research on sadfishing seems to take a scattergun approach. Each new study tries to find a new or different angle. It would be promising to lean into prior findings when suitable and see how far those results can be extended.

Let’s pursue that thought.

One study that caught my attention put together a questionnaire that could be potentially reused on an ongoing basis when studying sadfishing. In a research paper entitled “Adolescent Sadfishing On Social Media: Anxiety, Depression, Attention Seeking, And Lack Of Perceived Social Support As Potential Contributors” by Reza Shabahang, Hyejin Shim, Mara Aruguete, and Ágnes Zsila, BMC Psychology, November 7, 2023, these points were made (excerpts):

• “Sympathy-seeking negative online self-disclosure, or “sadfishing,” has proliferated in social media.”
• “This study investigates sadfishing by developing and validating a brief self-report questionnaire of the construct and exploring potential psychological correlates.”
• “Factor analyses revealed a unidimensional structure of the 5-item Social Media Sadfishing Questionnaire.”
• “Anxiety, depression, and attention seeking were positively associated with sadfishing, while perceived social support from family and friends was negatively associated with sadfishing.”
• “Negative online reactions to sadfishing were rare.”

The questionnaire that they established had these eight questions:

1) “I share my painful experiences on social media to generate sympathy.”

2) “Social media provides an outlet for me to express my life challenges in a supportive environment to gain support.”

3) “I post my emotional pain on social media to get support from others.”

4) “Social media is an outlet to share my bad experiences for gaining sympathy.”

5) “I seek compassion by posting my negative emotions on social media.”

6) “I share the concerns of my life on social media to gain positive attention.”

7) “I display my complexities on social media to attract sympathetic reactions.”

8) “Posting my painful experiences on social media helps me to relieve tension through attracting sympathetic reactions.”

I’ll be keeping my eye on whether other research studies reuse those questions. If so, they might use them as is, potentially modify them, or come up with some other questions entirely, depending upon the research theories at play.

A final example of various research studies on sadfishing is one that provided insights by mental health professionals. In this case, psychiatric nurses gave their viewpoints about sadfishing and how to respond to it. The study was entitled “Let’s Put Mental Health Problems And Related Issues Appropriately In Social Media: A Voice Of Psychiatric Nurses” by Fauzan Saputra, Penpaktr Uthis, and Sunisa Sukratul, Belitung Nursing Journal, February 12, 2023, and made these points (excerpts):

• “Social media is one convenient way to express ourselves. Much information is offered; most is difficult to filter and can be consumed by anyone, anywhere, anytime.”
• “However, sometimes it crosses the boundaries of someone else’s life or privacy, especially when discussing sensitive issues, such as mental health problems.”
• “There are a lot of discussions about whether bringing the personal experiences of people with mental health problems to the public domain can potentially increase the community’s attitudes toward them or not.”
• “Unfortunately, it potentially brings other consequences for people with mental health problems, such as stigmatization, discrimination, and sadfishing.”
• “Therefore, this paper aims to provide the viewpoints of psychiatric nurses regarding how to address mental health-related issues and appropriately put content about mental health problems on social media.”

I bring up that research study to highlight the matter of what should mental health professionals be telling their patients and clients about sadfishing. It is a debatable topic, for sure. Some therapists tackle the topic head-on. Others skirt around it or perceive sadfishing as generally inconsequential.

There are likely some therapists who are not aware of sadfishing and do not seek to ascertain whether their patients are making use of sadfishing, partially because the therapist is entirely unaware of the phenomena.

Well, now you know.

Generative AI Intersecting With The Advent Of Sadfishing

I will in a moment walk you through the use of generative AI as it relates to sadfishing.

First, let’s talk in general about generative AI and large language models (LLMs), doing so to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to discussing the matter at hand.

I’m sure you’ve heard of generative AI, the darling of the tech field these days.

Perhaps you’ve used a generative AI app, such as the popular ones of ChatGPT, GPT-4o, Gemini, Bard, Claude, etc. The crux is that generative AI can take input from your text-entered prompts and produce or generate a response that seems quite fluent. This is a vast overturning of the old-time natural language processing (NLP) that used to be stilted and awkward to use, which has been shifted into a new version of NLP fluency of an at times startling or amazing caliber.

The customary means of achieving modern generative AI involves using a large language model or LLM as the key underpinning.

In brief, a computer-based model of human language is established that in the large has a large-scale data structure and does massive-scale pattern-matching via a large volume of data used for initial data training. The data is typically found by extensively scanning the Internet for lots and lots of essays, blogs, poems, narratives, and the like. The mathematical and computational pattern-matching homes in on how humans write, and then henceforth generates responses to posed questions by leveraging those identified patterns. It is said to be mimicking the writing of humans.

I think that is sufficient for the moment as a quickie backgrounder. Take a look at my extensive coverage of the technical underpinnings of generative AI and LLMs at the link here and the link here, just to name a few.

Back to the crux of things.

As you might imagine, generative AI is relevant to sadfishing in many ways.

Here are some significant approaches that intertwine generative AI and sadfishing:

• (1) Sadfishing And Mental Awareness. Generative AI can potentially detect that you are sadfishing, doing so by inspecting your online postings (if you allow this), giving you a heads-up, and increasing your self-awareness of the matter at hand.
• (2) Sadfishing And Mental Health Advisement. Generative AI can conversationally step you through why you are sadfishing and aid you in coping with the underlying basis for doing so.
• (3) Sadfishing Postings Analysis And Generation. Generative AI can be used to generate sadfishing postings (that’s a use that some contend is wrong or outrageous) and can be used to generate responses to sadfishing postings (again, some believe this to be disgraceful). I might add that a more aboveboard use would be to leverage generative AI when examining the nature of sadfishing and feed sadfishing postings into the AI to do worthy experimental analyses.
• (4) Sadfishing Simulation. Generative AI can showcase what sadfishing consists of by taking on a persona that exhibits sadfishing behaviors, see examples of generative AI persona usage at the link here.
• (5) Other Sadfishing Uses. Generative AI can be used in a variety of other ways, including foul means such as someone that at scale has generative AI generate and post sadfishing postings in the thousands and floods social media accordingly. Good or bad, generative AI is at play in this realm.

Using ChatGPT To Explore Sadfishing And Generative AI Uses

I will next proceed to examine further the use of generative AI and sadfishing.

This will consist of a series of dialogues with ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a logical choice in this case due to its immense popularity as a generative AI app. As noted, an estimated one hundred million weekly active users are said to be utilizing ChatGPT. That’s a lot of people and a lot of generative AI usage underway.

A few quick comments before we launch into using ChatGPT.

If you are going to try to do the same prompts that I show here, realize that the probabilistic and statistical properties will likely produce slightly different results than what I show here. That’s the nature of generative AI and how it is devised.

You also should expect that different generative AI apps will respond in different ways. Not all generative AI apps are the same. The key is that sometimes a particular prompt will work in one generative AI app and not another. Nonetheless, the odds are relatively high that you will get roughly similar responses from all the major generative AI apps such as GPT-4, Gemini, Bard, Claude, etc.

There is also a timing factor to be considered. A prompt that worked today might not work the same way tomorrow. Most of the generative AI apps are continually being updated. The updates might alter internal mechanisms that could change how the generative AI reacts to your prompting.

We are ready to get underway with ChatGPT.

I opted to start by asking ChatGPT what is sadfishing.

As an aside, whenever you are starting a conversation with generative AI, I recommend as a prompt engineering technique to begin by asking a question that will establish if the AI has been data-trained on the topic at hand. A generated response that is vacuous will give you a heads-up that you might be barking up the wrong tree with that generative AI app.

Here we go.

• My entered prompt: “What is sadfishing?”
• ChatGPT generated response:

“Sadfishing refers to the act of someone posting about their emotional struggles or mental health issues on social media in a way that is perceived as seeking attention rather than genuinely seeking help or support. This term is often used to describe situations where individuals exaggerate their emotional distress or dramatize their experiences to elicit sympathy, likes, comments, or other forms of engagement from their followers.”

“While it is important to acknowledge and support those who are genuinely struggling, sadfishing can sometimes lead to skepticism and a lack of empathy toward people who share their genuine emotional difficulties online.”

End of ChatGPT response

That reply is handy.

The response provides a useful and on-target definition of sadfishing. I trust you found that beneficial.

Plus, it is a nice relief that ChatGPT was able to provide such a suitable reply. You see, if ChatGPT had not had any data training associated with sadfishing, the answer could have been empty or might have been a big whopper. Those times that generative AI makes up facts or relates fictitious content as though it is true are customarily referred to as AI hallucinations, see my coverage at the link here. Those can be insidious and are to be diligently watched out for.

Let’s next see if ChatGPT can provide examples that depict sadfishing.

Here we go.

• My entered prompt: “Give some examples of sadfishing postings that are commonly used.”
• ChatGPT generated response:

“Examples of sadfishing postings typically involve vague or exaggerated expressions of distress or unhappiness, often without providing specific details. Here are a few common examples.”

“Vague Posts”

“I can’t believe this is happening to me.”

“Feeling so low right now.”

“Attention-Seeking Questions”

“Does anyone even care about me anymore?”

“Am I really that worthless?”

“Dramatic Statements”

“I’m done with everything. Goodbye.”

“Nothing ever goes right for me. Why do I even try?”

“Cryptic Messages”

“You think you know, but you have no idea.”

“I guess this is the end.”

“Self-Pitying Comments”

“Why does everyone hate me?”

“I must be the worst person in the world.”

“While some of these posts may reflect genuine feelings, sadfishing tends to involve a pattern of frequent, attention-seeking behavior that lacks a clear call for help or support.”

End of ChatGPT response

Have you seen those types of posts?

I’m sure that you have.

If you are a conscientious and caring person, those kinds of posts can pull at your heartstrings. You don’t know whether to respond to the post or not do so. Maybe it is better to let the post just sit there. On the other hand, perhaps the person truly needs a helpful and supportive response.

Meanwhile, the odds are that all manner of zany responses will get posted. This once again tugs at your heartstrings. If there are posts that attack the person, you are charged up about posting to defend them. On and on things roll.

Let’s see what kinds of responses people often give.

• My entered prompt: “What kinds of responses to sadfishing posts are there?”
• ChatGPT generated response:

“Responses to sadfishing posts can vary widely, depending on the audience and the perceived sincerity of the post. Here are some common types of responses.”

“Supportive Responses”

(a) “Offering Help” – “I’m here if you need to talk. “Hang in there, things will get better. Do you want to chat?”

(b) “Empathy” – “I know it’s tough, but you’re not alone. We’ve got your back.” “Sending positive vibes your way.”

(c) “Encouragement” – “You’re stronger than you think. You’ve got this!” “Remember all the times you’ve overcome challenges before. You can do it again.”

“Skeptical Responses”

(a) “Questioning Intentions” – “Are you okay? Or is this just another one of your attention-seeking posts?” “Do you really need help, or are you just looking for likes?”

(b) “Dismissive Comments” – “Oh, here we go again with the drama.” “Stop exaggerating and deal with it.”

“Neutral Responses”

(a) “Generic Support” – “Hope you feel better soon.” “Thinking of you.”

(b) “Non-committal Engagement” – “What happened?” “I’m sorry you’re feeling this way.”

“Negative Responses”

(a) “Criticism” – “Stop seeking attention and deal with your problems privately.” “You’re always complaining about something.”

(b) “Sarcasm” – “Here for the drama, as usual.” “Oh no, not again.”

“Constructive Responses”

(a) “Suggesting Professional Help” – “Maybe talking to a therapist could help. Have you considered it?” “It sounds like you might need professional support. There are resources available.”

(b) “Offering Practical Advice” – “Try to take things one step at a time. Maybe start with a small positive change.” “Have you tried any self-care activities? Sometimes they can help lift your mood.”

“These responses can have different impacts on the individual posting, potentially providing the support they need or, conversely, exacerbating their feelings of isolation or distress.”

End of ChatGPT response

Have you ever used any of those types of responses in general?

I would imagine that you have, even if not necessarily responding to a sadfishing post per se. Those are rather common responses that are easy to come up with and easy to post.

I’d like to next explore what ways generative AI is used related to sadfishing. I am curious to see if ChatGPT lists the same ways that I earlier herein noted.

• My entered prompt: “How might generative AI be involved in sadfishing?”
• ChatGPT generated response:

“Generative AI can be involved in sadfishing in several ways, both positive and negative. Here are a few scenarios.”

“Identifying Genuine Distress: AI algorithms can analyze social media posts to distinguish between genuine cries for help and attention-seeking behavior. This can help direct appropriate support to those who need it.”

“Providing Resources: AI chatbots can offer resources and suggestions for mental health support, directing users to hotlines, counseling services, or self-help materials.”

“Content Moderation: AI can monitor social media platforms for sadfishing posts, ensuring that content is flagged and reviewed by human moderators to determine if intervention is needed.”

“Community Guidelines Enforcement: AI can help enforce community guidelines by detecting patterns of behavior that align with sadfishing, warning users, or temporarily restricting their ability to post.”

“Generating Fake Posts: Malicious actors might use generative AI to create fake sadfishing posts to manipulate public sentiment or gain sympathy for fraudulent purposes.”

“Scams and Fraud: AI-generated sadfishing posts could be used in scams, where the perpetrator seeks financial assistance or other resources under false pretenses.”

“Amplifying Negative Content: If not properly monitored, AI algorithms designed to boost engagement might inadvertently amplify sadfishing posts because of their emotional content, leading to more visibility and potentially encouraging the behavior.”

“Emotional Manipulation: AI could be used to craft highly persuasive sadfishing posts, manipulating the emotions of readers more effectively than a human could.”

“Assisting Users: Some users might use AI to help articulate their feelings in a more coherent or impactful way, which could be beneficial if they are genuinely seeking support but could also contribute to sadfishing if used insincerely.”

End of ChatGPT response

I definitely like that the ChatGPT-generated list covers a wide gamut of generative AI uses for sadfishing.

One item on the list that especially caught my eye was that generative AI can be used to maximize the wording of a proposed sadfishing post. Here’s what that means. Suppose someone wants to write a sadfishing post but is unsure of how to best word the posting. They use generative AI to write the post. In addition, they tell the AI to make the wording as compelling as possible.

You might find it of interest that I’ve covered the same approach when it comes to people devising conspiracy theories. Rather than relying on your own noggin, you can use generative AI to devise the maximally persuasive conspiracy theory for you. Whether this is right or wrong, sensible or disgusting, it is something that nonetheless can be done via the use of generative AI, see my coverage at the link here.

Next time that you read a sadfishing posting, ask yourself whether it was human-written or devised by generative AI. A heavy thought, indeed.

We’ve covered a lot of ground on this topic. I’m nearing the end of this discussion about sadfishing, and I thought it might be nice to turn around the tone a bit and try to think of happier thoughts.

Here you go.

• My entered prompt: “Is there an opposite to sadfishing, such as perhaps happyfishing?”
• ChatGPT generated response:

“Yes, the concept opposite to sadfishing is often referred to as “happyfishing.” Happyfishing involves posting overly positive or exaggeratedly cheerful content on social media to seek attention, validation, or admiration from others. Just like sadfishing, happyfishing can involve insincerity or exaggeration. Here are some characteristics and examples.”

“Examples of Happyfishing Posts”

“Best day ever! Everything is perfect and I couldn’t be happier! #blessed #perfectlife”

“Just booked another spontaneous trip to paradise! Living my best life!”

“Look at my new car! So grateful for all the blessings in my life!”

“I can’t believe I got promoted again! Hard work really pays off!”

“My partner is the most amazing person ever! We never argue and everything is always perfect! #relationshipgoals”

“Another surprise date night! How did I get so lucky?”

End of ChatGPT response

To me, the alleged happyfishing veers into humblebrag territory. I wonder if ChatGPT was perhaps pulling my leg on this claim of happyfishing or might even be exhibiting a vaunted AI hallucination.

One never knows.

Always be wary.

Anyway, there are lots of ways to do fishing while on social media, and we could probably devise all manner of fishing variations with ease. There is nearly an endless supply.

Conclusion

Reactions to the concept of sadfishing are quite mixed.

Some people are saddened that people who are sad find themselves turning to social media for support. Social media, as we all well know, can be abundantly cruel. The wisdom of the crowd is not necessarily going to give a fair shake to someone expressing sadness.

You might also be boiling in anger at those who use sadfishing to garner sympathy as a falsity. They are ruining things for everyone. If only sincere expressions of the need for support were posted, we could all feel good about providing supportive responses. The trick is that sometimes the person is trying to provoke and irk us. This ruins it for others that are more genuine.

The whole thing makes your head spin.

The topper is the emergence of and use of modern-day generative AI.

Generative AI can readily shift sadfishing into high gear. You can do sadfishing on steroids. That’s the problem with shiny new toys such as generative AI. We often misuse those toys, turning them into problematic uses that weren’t necessarily envisioned.

I refer to this as the dual use of AI, see my discussion at the link here. For just about any application of AI, you can shift it from AI intended for good to the doom-and-gloom AI intended for bad. Should we use AI to cure cancer, or should it be used to aid evildoers in committing crimes? That’s an enduring question that society must face.

A final remark for now.

Jean de La Fontaine, famed poet and maker of fables, said this about being sad: “Sadness flies away on the wings of time.”

Those are reassuring words to keep in mind. How will generative AI and sadfishing fare in the long term? Don’t know. But it seems doubtful that they will simply fly away on the wings of time, though one never knows what the future holds.

Perhaps sadness flies away, while happiness flies in.