‘Sadfishing’: The toxic social media trend
Deccan ChronicleEver since Instagram introduced ephemeral live broadcasts to the platform, celebrities, influencers and everyday people have had one more outlet to share every facet of their day-to-day lives in a way that seems even more real and relatable. As in “imagine crying on live,” said by people who predict they’d never be in that situation. In one TikTok, user @acrello, who has 6.4 million followers, posted examples of comments people make about people crying on live — “imagine crying on live” and “you soft for crying on live” — before lip-syncing “we do not care.” In a comment, he added: “if I’m soft for showing basic human emotions then I guess I’m soft.” Why are people so uncomfortable with people bawling on Instagram Live? Crying on live could be seen as another form of vulnerability porn or “sadfishing,” a term for posting sad content online to garner sympathy, seek support or drive engagement. On Aug. 15, two days after the music video for her new single “Rumors” featuring Cardi B dropped, Lizzo hopped onto Instagram Live.
History of this topic
Lizzo threatens to quit music, locks Twitter account after latest wave of body-shaming
LA Times
Lizzo reveals ‘nothing changed’ about her anxiety and depression when she became famous
The Independent
Lizzo opens up on hurtful comments following the release of new single ‘Rumors’
The IndependentDiscover Related
