Now more than ever, the world of digital media and social networking has become an extremely popular and profitable industry. Not only are businesses regularly utilizing social media to drive and leverage sales, but individuals have also been able to create personal brands online that now seem to commonly reach the six-figure mark in regards to earnings. One young and talented model, Mati Marroni, has done just that and more. At just 16 years old two years ago, Mati’s social media account skyrocketed overnight after a video of her became a viral sensation online. Since then, she’s gained nearly 400,000 followers over the past two years through her captivating modeling content and charming personality.
Now 18 years old, Mati has greatly enjoyed the plethora of amazing opportunities this unique career path has provided her with – from the impressive income she’s secured to the many influential people she has met and become close with. However, despite all of the many beneficial outcomes of her career thus far, she has faced significant challenges that have unfortunately occurred as a result of being in the limelight.
The most difficult obstacle Mati has attempted to hurdle is being a victim of severe impersonation, more commonly known as “catfishing.” Catfishing refers to the act of someone stealing another person’s name and photos to create a fake persona online. Basically, it’s modern day digital identity theft. Mati first noticed multiple copy-cats appear on Instagram when she was only a 17-year-old minor, which makes the whole situation even stranger. At first, she did her best to ignore these phony accounts and not let them get under her skin, but then she noticed how the majority of them were growing at an alarming rate, with celebrities and many of her acquaintances tricked into following them. A few of the fake accounts even accrued more than two million followers, and they continue to grow to this day.
Eventually, Mati came to the conclusion that it was time to get some professional legal help on the matter, so she hired a lawyer and a legal team to track down these online criminals. Unfortunately, as much as the legal team tried to identify the culprits, their search came to an unsatisfying conclusion. They were unable to do much of anything about the catfish accounts due to how difficult it is to find any of their real information.
Mati had reached a point where she just wanted to give up social media all together. “These accounts were growing to millions of followers, there were many of them, just pretending to be me,” Mati recalls. “I completely wanted to erase myself from social media.”
Luckily in the end, Mati didn’t allow the impersonators break her positive spirits. She still has big plans for her online career and hopes to make a great impact on the world with her prominent platform. Having known now what it feels like to be exploited online and to not have any control over the matter, Mati wants to use her fame as a resource to help other women around the world.
“I really want to help influence change in the way women are treated in many areas of the world,” she says. “I truly believe that I can make a difference when it comes to women’s rights in countries where they have none.”
As Mati had to learn the hard way, catfishing continues to be a growing and pressing issue in today’s digitally focused world. She plans on doing what she can to educate women and uplift them to be whoever they want despite the exploitation or fear instilled in them by others.
We highly encourage our readers to follow Mati Marroni online. Although there are many accounts that may look authentic, you can find her real Instagram here.
