Mental Health und a Digital Threat

This is a Response to the Kesehatan wikithon

In this digital era, interactions between people are increasingly easy to do through

social media. However, along with the development of technology, cyber threats have also increased, one of which is catfishing. cyber threats have also increased, one of which is catfishing. Catfishing is the act of deceiving others online, where a person disguises themselves using a fake identity to manipulate others. using a false identity to manipulate the victim. This act often occurs on social media platforms and dating apps, with the aim of building romantic relationships and gaining certain benefits (Prastyphylia, 2014). Based on a survey by We Are Social (2024), the number of social media users in Indonesia reached 139 million people or about 49.9% of the total population. The platforms that exist on social media do not look at age or gender. gender. The massive use of social media is not accompanied by digital literacy, which creates many new threats in social media. so that it actually creates many new threats on social media such as cyberbullying, hatespeech and hoaxes. This not only affects the individual who is victimized, but also creates an who become victims, but also create an environment that can damage mental health. mental health. Victims of catfishing often experience psychological impacts such as feelings of sadness, anger, disappointment, and depression. Catfishing has a big impact. The American Psychological Association (APA) states that individuals who experience emotionally emotionally through the internet may experience social anxiety disorder and difficulty in building relationship interactions. The stress and trauma of these issues can have a long-term impact on the victim's mental health, even triggering a loss of self-confidence. To reduce the risk of catfishing there are several things that need to be our focal point in using social media; 1. Increase Digital Awareness and Education. Improving understanding digital awareness and education is one of the most important ways we can to understand the discussion of our privacy in using social media. social media. 2. Strengthening Digital Literacy. With good digital literacy, users can better understand how to sort out information, and avoid interacting with suspicious accounts. with suspicious accounts. 3. Maintain Limits in Online Interactions. Users should be aware of and careful of unknown accounts, and do not provide personal information to unknown people. personal information to unknown people. As stated in rules of the Indonesian government through the Ministry of Communication and Information in Law Number 27 of 2022 concerning Personal Data Protection (UU PDP).

So it can be concluded that Catfishing is a deceptive threat that can have a serious psychological impact on the victim.

can have a serious psychological impact on victims, such as anxiety, trauma, and loss of confidence. Therefore, to prevent it, increased digital awareness and education, strengthening digital literacy, as well as vigilance in interacting with unknown accounts is a very important step to prevent cat

to prevent Catfishing in the future.