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Uzone.id — Have you ever come across an online friend sharing something deeply emotional, only to later realize it might not have been as serious as it first appeared? That’s what’s known as a “sadfishing” post.
This phenomenon is becoming increasingly common among teens, and while it may seem odd, it’s gained significant traction within Gen Z on social media. For many, social media has evolved into a second reality—sometimes even their primary one.
While sharing your feelings or expressing emotions is important, sadfishing can have a darker side, especially when it comes to mental health. What starts as a sad story can morph into an obsession with seeking validation and attention.
Curious to learn more about this trend? Let’s explore it together!
What’s sadfishing?
Based on Journal of American College Health in 2021, researchers defined this term as social media users who “exaggerate their emotional state online to generate sympathy” through any content of social media. That includes sad pics, quotes, or a vague post.
The term ‘Sadfishing’ was coined by a journalist, Rebecca Reid in 2019 after one questionable Instagram post by Kendall Jenner.
In that post, Jenner shared her “debilitating struggle” with acne, and after that, she gained sympathy from her million followers in response. But later on, the struggle is not as serious as her post, it turned out her post was just a promotion for her skincare deal with a brand, Proactiv.
Reid then called this ‘post’ as sadfishing, simply when someone exaggerates their personal problems to get attention, sympathy, or likes.
This term, as Reid said, was originally intended to criticize “celebrities deliberately withholding information for their own benefit”.
“Um, I made up the term sadfishing and now I feel really guilty. It was certainly never intended to be used to stop (people from) sharing their feelings online, only to comment on celebrities deliberately withholding information for their own gain,” said Rebecca on her X.
She added, “Lots of us sadfish sometimes, and that’s okay. Attention seeking is a perfectly legitimate thing. There’s nothing wrong with wanting attention.”
But now, this term is becoming a way for some people to seek validation. This trend often involves teens posting sad or dramatic stories on social media, hoping for supportive comments or validation from their followers. And the bad side is, it leads people to obsession with attention and validation from people, especially through social media.
So, why do teens sadfish?
“This type of behavior signifies feeling isolated from peers and family members emotionally and not having an outlet to express their frustrations. It comes off as attention seeking, and sometimes it is, but I don’t think it comes from a place of feeling content and happy,” said Liz Nissim-Matheis, PhD, owner of Psychological & Educational Consulting in Livingston, New Jersey, quoted from Parents.com.
As we know, teens today are growing up in a world where social media is a huge part of their lives, it’s their own world and their comfort zone to express their feelings. Based on Parents.com, teenagers do sadfishing due to the fact they’re struggling with something and want to let others know so they turn to the social media world.
45 percent of teens feel burdened by the pressure to show a perfect image online. If they post something emotional, they often get immediate responses, which makes them feel seen and heard.
These responses are like a quick fix for loneliness or insecurity. However, this constant need for validation can become addictive–and become obsession. This can backfire and lead to even more feelings of loneliness and isolation.
The impact of sadfishing on mental health
Responses to sadfishing posts aren’t always nice. In some cases, the response is negative and full of hurtful words and it leads to increased stress or anxiety of the children.
Sadfishing mainly can affect your mind by the surging need for attention. The obsession could result in many clinical conditions including anxiety and depression. Also, it can affect your self-image and increase your self-doubts.
“This may also result in you losing your true self and succumbing to society’s pressuring trends resulting in an identity crisis,” said Rajoshi Purkait from Her Zindagi.
There’s also another risk of this kind of post, while any response is validating for a child/teen who feels unseen and unheard, it may open them up to privacy violations and predatory behavior, including harming their body.
How to know when someone is sadfishing
It can be hard to tell when someone is genuinely struggling or just sadfishing. But there are a few signs that might help you to spot this behavior.
Consistent sharing of dramatic content: If someone is regularly posting overly dramatic or attention-seeking content, they might be sadfishing.
There’s no follow-up: If they post something serious but then act like everything is fine soon after, it could be a sign of sadfishing.
Frequent changes in their post-tone: If one day someone posts about being incredibly upset and the next hours they seem perfectly happy like nothing happened before, then this inconsistency could be a red flag.
But, reminder for you, it’s important not to judge a person too quickly. Some people really are going through tough times but don’t know how to ask for help in the right way. So, consider reaching out and asking them about what’s really going on.
What should you (we) do?
If you think someone might be sadfishing, the best thing you can do is offer real support–whether it’s fake or not, there’s no harm in reaching out.
Ask how they’re doing in private like DM or chat rather than leaving a comment on their post. Sometimes, just knowing someone genuinely cares can make all the difference.
On the other side, if you feel tempted to sadfish yourself, remember that seeking validation online isn’t the same as finding real help. It’s okay to talk about your feelings online, but make sure you’re reaching out to trusted friends, family, or a mental health professional when you need it.
