Creating authenticity in fake Facebook profiles.

This paper focuses on the possibility to identify via technical, verbal, and visual characteristics of the digital text, the authenticity or fictitiousness of Facebook profiles. It also attempts to shed light on the different motives behind the creation of fake profiles. The cases analyzed in this paper, through qualitative content analysis, emphasize the significance of the profile's authenticity in the eyes of Facebook users. The findings help distinguish between a fictitious identity and a "stolen" one. The findings also indicate that there are different types of fake profiles, and that these can be derived from a variety of motives ranging from business promotion to personal needs. The study concludes that there are a number of visual, verbal and interactive components that make it possible to assess the degree of authenticity or fictitiousness of a given profile. First, the content filled in the fields: personal details, the type of information that the profile owner chooses to share or keep discreet, the type of images and the extent to which they are used. Second, the degree of activity in the profile: the number of friends and the frequency of activity, such as being tagged in photos. Also, the study reveals that users have their own thoughts concerning what an authentic profile is, and they seek to create profiles that do not necessarily meet Facebook's narrow "authenticity" criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]