It doesn't necessarily result in one questioning their own sanity, but it's definitely an attempt to manipulate the realities of the users by showing them different information that result in certain behaviors. One person is shown one thing that makes them behave a certain way. The other person is shown the results of the behaviors, assuming a different cause of the behaviors, which is not exactly the reality.
None of those people I was shown will miss me. They have no idea that their likenesses are being used to try to manipulate me. Very few people know that it is happening at all, because each person sees a different thing.
I think of it as "perception fencing", where barriers and openings are created to manipulate the information you consume and the behaviors that result, but I'm not sure that people would know exactly what I'm referring to if I use that term. If you have a better term, feel free to suggest it.