Tell if Someone Is a Poser

Posers can be found in various settings, whether they’re pretending to like a certain show or faking a whole suite of skills. In every case, a poser pretends to be something or someone that they aren’t, usually to get attention. You can usually identify a poser from the way they act, dress or talk. Some posers will put their efforts towards developing a fake social media personality, and seeing through this can be a bit trickier.

Steps

Spotting Specific Trends

1. Look for excessive showing off. A poser will use any chance they can find to show off the thing they’re “obsessed” about. Look for stickers, apparel, and other items that relate to what they claim to love. For instance, posers within the car scene will cover their cars in stickers as a cry for attention.
   • If that backpack or t-shirt from a popular comic book is brand new, but the wearer claims to have been a fan forever, you might have a poser on your hands.
2. Look for specific brand names. Beyond simply looking at the things they own, look for specific company names that relate to the poser’s claimed obsession. This is especially true of posers within communities such as skateboarding and surfing. Posers will try especially hard to show they’re part of these communities by wearing brands and apparel the big names like to wear.
   • There’s a delicate balance between wearing brands you like and wearing them for attention. A poser is likely to have brand names on everything they own.
3. See if they’re just following a popular trend. Posers are more likely to jump on a bandwagon than try and be themselves. Check what they claim to be obsessed about, whether it’s a band, a tv show or just a specific kind of identity. Ask yourself if this is a popular trend, especially if it’s a new trend.
   • A perfect example of this is the “geek” phenomenon. If you go back a couple of decades, it wasn’t at all cool to be a geek; it meant you were obsessed with a particular hobby or facet of pop culture. Geekdom is now more mainstream, and some posers will claim they’re geeks just to fit in.

Analyzing What They Do and Say

1. Check how loud they are about the thing they love. Posers love to talk about the things they love much more than they actually love them. In contrast, someone who’s truly passionate about a hobby, a skill or a specific community usually lets their passion do the talking.
   • Someone who’s thoroughly passionate about something will talk about it at length if asked, whereas a poser will shove it in just about anyone’s face.
2. Look for fake behavior. Depending on your area of passion, there are a few specific behaviors that will make a poser stand out. Compare their behaviors to other people you know aren’t posers and you should see some glaring differences. It might take some time to actually pick out these behaviors, so pay close attention to suspected posers.
   • For example, a poser pretending to be a surfer may have a really nice board, but won’t properly wax or take care of it. Not properly handling the tools of the trade is a classic sign of a poser.
3. Test their knowledge. While the best way to deal with a poser is to simply ignore them, there might be situations where you decide to confront them. If you want to be sure they’re a poser, simply test them on what they claim to know so much about.
   • Posers are so focused on the way they come across to people that they don’t usually know what they’re talking about. They’ll repeat things that are common knowledge, but dig a bit deeper and you should be able to expose them.
   • For instance, some posers might act like they’re really into cars. If you want to test them, just get them to pop the hood and tell you about what their car’s got. If they stumble, or try to get out of it, you might have found a poser.

Spotting Them on Social Media

1. Check up on their followers. A really dedicated poser can easily purchase fans, views and followers. This will artificially inflate their social media accounts, making it seem like they have a large following. To get to the bottom of this, look at the relationship between your suspected poser and their fans. You can also check the profiles of their followers; if the profiles are empty, they’re not real followers.
   • Social media is essentially a more complicated, high tech conversation. If there are no comments or likes on the suspected poser’s posts, it’s a one way conversation and you might be dealing with a poser.
2. Look for quality posts. Buying a following means posers don’t have to worry about putting out quality posts. Even without a following, posers will focus on posts that can bring the most attention, rather than putting out something important and creative.
   • People who are passionate about their hobby or interest will release content that helps to educate others or celebrates their passion. Posers treat it like a science; they’re just after the views.
3. Pay attention to how often they post. The scheduling of a person’s posts can tell you a lot about how they treat their social media accounts. A poser might try and use their social media accounts like a brand or company: minimizing effort and maximizing their following. Someone who’s passionate is more likely to post as the mood strikes them; maybe they come across something particularly funny or important they really want to share.
   • If the suspected poser runs their social media on a tight schedule, your suspicions likely have some truth to them.

Tips

• Try talking to the person you’ve identified as a poser. You might be able to help them be themselves rather than someone who tries to get attention.
• Before getting angry at someone for being a pose, try to understand where they’re coming from. They’re probably not trying to make you mad on purpose.
• The best way to deal with a poser is to ignore them. They crave attention, and will move on once they realize they can’t get it.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Wear a Denim Jacket (Men)
• Be Bad
• Be a Proper Young Lady
• Be Dark
• Be a 90's Grunge Girl
• Change Your Whole Personality
• Be a Conservative Girl
• Act Like a Baby Again
• Be Proud, Not Cocky and Conceited
• Be a Bad Boy

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