Selfie filters. Every once in a while I like to mess around with them. Or should I say my inner 13-year-old girl takes over and enjoys messing around with them.
The other day I (she) found some fun ones to goof with on Photo Lab. Including a mask and curlers one.
It cracked me up so hard. Still does. Every time I see it it makes me gleeful.
A short time later I was enjoying another time-wasting (but that I consider brain-engaging) phone app activity: Words with Friends.
I have a few people I play with regularly. Sometimes I accept game invitations from people I don’t know.
Or I used to.
Skeevy Skeevers
In the last few weeks, I’ve been getting more and more invites from skeevy men. I don’t know they’re skeevy, though, until the messaging starts.
I’m just there to play the game. Once in a while I’ll send a message to one of my friends that I’m regularly playing, or they’ll send one to me. But for the most part everybody just wants to play their turn.
Not these skeevy pervs. They look at Words with Friends as a stalking grounds!
At first, before I knew what was happening, I’d answer “Hello” back when they messaged. I wanted to be friendly and all. It’s just part of my nature.
But then came one of the following:
- Where do you live?
- I’m a widower with young children.
- You’re very pretty.
I’ve stopped answering hello back.
The Final Straw
The other day I had someone insistently and repeatedly write, “Hello” and then “r u there?’ and then “Fuck you” ending with “Rude” and then resigning from the game.
I saw all this when I logged back on. I’d played my turn and was doing whatever I needed to do in real life for the rest of the day before relaxing that evening to play my games before bed.
Also that day I had five requests to play from other strangers.
All of them sent messages saying “Hello.”
Challenges
If you play, you know that sometimes Word with Friends does challenges. To get more points to earn badges and points and such a lot of times you have to initiate X amount of games with new people. I figured that’s why all the requests.
I needed more points for something so playing more games helped me too. So I accepted the requests.
But then when all the hellos started, I was like, “What the hell?”
So I went to examine their profiles. Most seemed to be new to Words with Friends either that day or within a couple of days.
I ended up resigning from all the games.
The Light Bulb Moment
Then I thought, “I wonder if I change my profile pic if I’ll stop getting these skeevers? Maybe that’s why some of the others I play have landscape or pet photos as their profile pics?”
So I went from a semi-normal one to the mask and curlers.
I changed it not only on Words with Friends but on Facebook too. I wondered if the friend requests from complete strangers who I don’t even have another friend in common with would stop there too.
We’ll find out.
(Just so you know, I never even bother with the Facebook requests. Instant deletions!)
But it’s kind of sad, right?
Growing up all I ever heard was how important it is to put your best face forward. Social media changes that somewhat.
Selfies are all about putting your best face forward. Or having a moment when you feel really great about the way you look and wanting to capture it.
But it can draw unwanted attention. And if skeevy pervs can find a way to try and prey? They will.
Clearly someone’s talking to them. It’s like phone scammers. They keep trying because for 100, or even 1,000 nos, it’s that one yes that can be their jackpot.
I’ll give them credit for being a persistent lot. Normally I’d find that kind of “never give up” attitude admirable –if it wasn’t so gross.
Turning the Tables
But now it’s my turn to have a little fun. With my Mask and Curlers Experiment.
If I get any more people starting hello conversations, I’m going to engage them.
And if I get any that say, “You’re so pretty?”
Oh, that’s when the fun’s going to start.
Don’t worry. I’ll screen shot everything and report it all.
