In bits: Deconstructing our digital lives
Dr Liam Challenor and Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton explore areas of cyberpsychology that you’re curious about, with a different topic each week. From social media “addiction” to attention span changes, from trolling and harassment to online activism, from gaming to online dating, from misogyny to radicalisation online.
Our lives are fully immersed in technology, and people have concerns about how it might be affecting us all. There is a lot of poor media reporting and scaremongering in the field of cyberpsychology, but far less evidence-based content to offer an alternative. This podcast is informative and educational, directly addressing peoples’ concerns, worries and hopes, while also being entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. We breakdown challenging and sometimes difficult topics “in bits” to make them approachable, fun and easy to understand.
All content for InBits is the property of Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton, Dr Liam Challenor and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In bits: Deconstructing our digital lives
Dr Liam Challenor and Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton explore areas of cyberpsychology that you’re curious about, with a different topic each week. From social media “addiction” to attention span changes, from trolling and harassment to online activism, from gaming to online dating, from misogyny to radicalisation online.
Our lives are fully immersed in technology, and people have concerns about how it might be affecting us all. There is a lot of poor media reporting and scaremongering in the field of cyberpsychology, but far less evidence-based content to offer an alternative. This podcast is informative and educational, directly addressing peoples’ concerns, worries and hopes, while also being entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. We breakdown challenging and sometimes difficult topics “in bits” to make them approachable, fun and easy to understand.
In this episode, we unpack the psychology and motivations behind catfishing—the act of creating false identities online. We explore how online environments foster deception, how attachment styles and personality traits like psychopathy and narcissism play into catfishing behavior, and what impact this has on victims. Drawing from psychological theories, research studies, and real-world examples, this episode unpacks how anonymity, identity exploration, and emotional needs all intersect in the phenomenon of catfishing.
Whether for attention, control, amusement, or exploitation, the reasons people catfish, and the effects it has, are more complex than you might expect.
Content warning: sexual harassment/image based sexual abuse, manipulation and control, and psychological distress.
Support resources:If you have been affected by the content of this episode in any way, the supports at the link below may be of assistance. If you are not in Ireland, please seek supports local to you. Irish Health Service Executive mental health supports
The Samaritans
Pieta House - Suicide and Self-harm Resource
Key Papers:
Anderson, A. P., Bryce, J., Ireland, C. A., & Ireland, J. L. (2019). A preliminary review of cyber-deception factors: Offerings from a systematic review. Salus Journal, 7(1), 88-107.
Suler (2004). The Online Disinhibition Effect. Cyberpsychology and Behaviour.
Mosley, M. A., Lancaster, M., Parker, M. L., & Campbell, K. (2020). Adult attachment and online dating deception: A theory modernized. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 35(2), 227-243.
Lauder, C., & March, E. (2023). Catching the catfish: Exploring gender and the Dark Tetrad of personality as predictors of catfishing perpetration. Computers in Human Behavior, 140, 107599.
Moor & Anderson (2019). A systematic literature review of the relationship between dark personality traits and antisocial online behaviours. Personality and Individual Differences.
News stories:
GAA Catfish podcast episodes 1 & 2https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ADTwa9ipI0plNJA0NgtiB
GAA Catfish podcast episode 3https://open.spotify.com/episode/5QLi4OZ43Vuopj87kOYoF5
Aoibhin's storyMy catfishing nightmare: ‘I’m waiting for someone to sit across from me and start a date I don’t know I’m supposed to be on’
Adele Renniehttps://bbc.com/news/articles/c4grwglgnxvo
InBits
In bits: Deconstructing our digital lives
Dr Liam Challenor and Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton explore areas of cyberpsychology that you’re curious about, with a different topic each week. From social media “addiction” to attention span changes, from trolling and harassment to online activism, from gaming to online dating, from misogyny to radicalisation online.
Our lives are fully immersed in technology, and people have concerns about how it might be affecting us all. There is a lot of poor media reporting and scaremongering in the field of cyberpsychology, but far less evidence-based content to offer an alternative. This podcast is informative and educational, directly addressing peoples’ concerns, worries and hopes, while also being entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. We breakdown challenging and sometimes difficult topics “in bits” to make them approachable, fun and easy to understand.
