The documentary Catfish is an eye-opening documentary about the “sketchy” side of Web 2.0. It all started when a photographer, Nev, received a painting of one of his photographs that had recently made it into a major newspaper. Nev quickly formed an in-depth relationship with the Chicago-based family of where the painting had come from and especially with who he thought was a very attractive sister of the painter. It was soon apparent that Nev was developing strong feelings for her but eventually began to develop suspicions about how genuine this girl really was. The turning point was when Nev noticed that Megan had been lying to him about songs that she told him were sung by her. Since Nev and his friends were already away from his home in New York, they decided to pay this family a visit. As their suspicions had led them to believe, Megan was not a real person. Neither was her “genius painter” sister Abby who supposedly painted the pictures that were sent to Nev. In fact, everything that Nev thought he knew about this family and particularly Megan, turned about to be completely bogus. The only person that they had found when arriving at the house was the mother, Angela, who was responsible for Megan’s identity, which she had stolen from an aspiring model, as well as many other fake Facebook profiles that she had generated in order to build the legitimacy of these characters.
Although the reaction one would expect from one who has viewed this documentary would be of fear of the Web 2.0 and disgust at how someone such as Angela could be so deceiving. However, to even my own surprise I was able to see the sorry side of the story. This was mainly because after Nev had discovered the lies, he wanted to see where this woman was coming from. Nev soon learned that Anegla lived a simple, lonely life that required her constant attention to two very disabled children of her husbands. Angela used her fake identities as a means of escape from her depressing life. Furthermore, I could not help but feel bad at the sight of this women’s hopeless attraction to Nev, which she once had communicated through “Megan.” Nevertheless, I still could not help but feel disgusted at how someone could formulate so many lies and steal people’s identities. I would not know what I would do in Megan’s case. Imagine finding out that someone had been using your identity to have a relationship with a stranger across the country? In Nev’s case, he learned a lesson to be more careful about what he trusts on the Internet.
At the same time, although I feel that Web 2.0 could be considered “sketchy,” the average person with common sense would not quickly trust someone who had contacted them over the Internet. As society is becoming more accustomed to Web 2.0, there is an increasing general awareness of the dangers that it holds. People tend to be more skeptical of information that they find and are becoming better and better at seeking out credible sources. Nev easily formed this relationship with little credible evidence that these people existed. Additionally, the fact that Nev was able to form such a intense relationships with people that he has only met through Facebook tells me something about his character.
This documentary was extremely relevant to most of the coursework we had been studying concerning Web 2.0 and democratized media. The most apparent and major issue it makes an example of is how democratized media and identity are not credible on the Internet. There are not any gatekeepers to mediate this information and verify it. This is why it is crucial that one must use discretion when using Web 2.0. Catfish is a prime example of issues that anti-democratized media theorists such as Andrew Keen are concerned about. David Ruskkoff would also admit that this Catfish raises valid points in concerns of Web 2.0, but would also highlight the benefits that could have been easily overlooked. Catfish also exemplifies how Web 2.0 can be a key connection tool for people. Facebook allowed for Nev to feel as if he actually had known these people. The documentary could even relate to Marshall McLuhan's concept of a "global village." Although Nev lived in New York and Angela lived in Chicago, the mediums such as the Internet and cell phones enables them to be connected at all times and simulate almost a "real life" relationship.
