Page 1 of 1

fake twitter identity

Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2020 9:07 am
by Stephanie
It appears the founder of MeTooSTEM faked a twitter account where she was pretending to be an indigenous professor, who she then killed off with covid.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/styl ... -hoax.html

Every time I read something like this, I feel exhausted. I have enough trouble keeping up with the accounts I manage for work purposes, let alone faking an entire identity like that. Why do people do this sh.t?

Re: fake twitter identity

Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:27 am
by Woodchopper
Stephanie wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 9:07 am Every time I read something like this, I feel exhausted. I have enough trouble keeping up with the accounts I manage for work purposes, let alone faking an entire identity like that. Why do people do this sh.t?
It looks like McLaughlin used the fake account to boost her own reputation, and McLaughlin appears to have made a lot of money through her activities. If you look t it as a full time job then it makes sense, and McLaughlin may have created may other fake accounts to promote herself.

Re: fake twitter identity

Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2020 11:16 am
by Stephanie
Sure, but like just the level of effort needed to have successfully gotten away with it for that many years makes me tired.

Re: fake twitter identity

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:32 am
by Ijon Tichy
If you're into the whole podcast thing, Blocked and Reported have a good show about this appalling case.

Re: fake twitter identity

Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:05 pm
by Martin Y
How strange. It looks like a cross between having an imaginary friend and inventing an alter-ego who can tick more sympathy-earning boxes than yourself.