Catfish: The Art of Deception

Catfish: someone who pretends to be someone they're not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.

Source: Urban Dictionary

When I first transferred to LSU last semester I knew no one. Therefore I spent a lot of time on social media and on a new application I had found over Christmas break. That app was called Whisper. Whisper is a fairly new app for cell phones which, according to the website, helps someone 'share secrets, express yourself, [and] meet new people.' Everything is posted on a picture which must be either searched for, uploaded, or taken. After the picture is selected then you can post  words on top of it. This is how you communicate with people on the application. Scrolling through the page you can set it up to see 'whispers' nationally, through zip codes, or in your area. The ones in your area range from 'does someone have feminine products in --- dorm' to 'does anyone on the north side of campus want to hook up?' I would even watch people flirt through pictures. There was one conversation in particular that stood out to me. The conversation started through a disagreement, but it soon turned to flirtations between the two people. Then came the inevitable part of all conversations on the site: to upload a picture of ones self. I kept refreshing the conversation, but nothing was happening. I, in my  loneliness, had really began to emotionally invest myself in this developing 'relationship' of theirs. After a little while I realized that there was only one thing left for me to do. I was going to upload a picture. But I could and would never upload a picture of myself to an application like that. So I used Google to find a picture. Searching 'pretty girl selfie' I found the perfect photo. (Selfie: The act of taking a picture of ones self.) Upon trying to fix the conversation the boy never replied. However, I did receive many messages from people who thought she was attractive.

With no one here at LSU to call a friend I didn't see the harm in messaging these people back. In the next week or so the conversations died down between me and these boys. Well, not all of them. There was one boy who was very eager to meet me. I continued to put off the congregation. I knew that he would be disappointed in me having of deceived him. How do I tell him that the picture of me wasn't me? Then something very strange happened. With a family emergency I needed to get home immediately. The only way home I could go would be through the airport. Only knowing one person here, I messaged the boy on how to get to the airport. He insisted that he could pick me up, so that we could meet and I wouldn't have to pay for a taxi. With no other options, I agreed. But I also told him that I might not look like the person in the picture. He kindly told me that it was okay. I could tell he was as nervous as I was. We were both LSU sophomores and lived near each other. The next day I waited patiently in front of my dorm. Soon enough a car pulled up, the window went down, and I heard my name being called from inside the vehicle. I got in. We got lost on our way to the airport, but had some good laughs in the car. After I got inside the airport I texted him apologizing about not being who I really was. He told me it was okay, because I looked better than the picture I posted. We never became romantically involved with each other, but we still remain close friends. And that's the story of the time that I catfished someone.

We have always heard stories about people being deceived by other people online through false identities. But we never had a name for it. Until the television show Catfish: The TV Show. The television show finds people who have fallen in love with someone they have met online. It follows the creators of the show, Nev and Max, as people contact them because, according to Wikipedia, "they want to know if the person they have had a seemingly deep emotional relationship with is legitimate or if they are, in fact, a "catfish". Some couples have been together for a few months—others, for years. Nev claims that he has received requests from people asking him for his help in determining whether or not their online-only lover is lying or truthful about their identity. Each episode is a different couple with a different story; Nev travels to wherever they live and uses background checks and research to uncover the truth. He contacts the other person to arrange a first-ever meeting between the two lovers, then documents how the couples are impacted." The show has become very popular on MTV across America. Sometimes people are who they say they are and then all goes well. Sometimes the person is the exact opposite of who they say they are. But instead of the show stopping there they often times go much deeper into finding out why the person who catfished indeed did what they did. The show is very profitable because it doesn't take much money or people to execute the show. The show began 3 years after the word catfish was created in a documentary about Nev. He had met his ideal girl on Facebook and ultimately fell in love with her. Through the documentary you find out that the girl he fell in love with did not exist. But Nev and the girl behind the account remain friends and are still in contact.

The word catfish is derived from this story told in

Catfish: The Documentary.

"When live cod were shipped to Asia from North America, the fish's inactivity in their tanks resulted in only mushy flesh reaching the destination; but fishermen found that putting catfish in the tanks with the cod kept them active, and thus ensured the quality of the fish. There are people in everyone's lives who keep us active, always on our toes and always thinking."

This is Catfish: The Art of Deception

Oh no! Have you fallen in love with someone you have met online? Aren't sure if they really are a real person? You want to make sure they are who they say they are? Here is the Catfish Test to make sure you are really talking to someone who is real! The Catfish Test is a series of tasks you must complete to find out if someone is real or not!

The Catfish Test

• When you first meet someone, on social media or on a dating application, check to see if you know any of the same people. If you do then your friend can verify their existence, if not... Follow the following steps.
• Now you need to corroborate their photo. First save their picture(s) on your computer by dragging them onto your background or by right-clicking the picture. Next go to Google Images. You can either press the camera on the right side of the text box or you can drag a picture into the box. It will bring up either exact copies of the image or similar ones. If you see multiple examples of the picture all over the internet, then you have probably been catfished. But sometimes it will take you to someones social media account or another website which has information to correlate with their story. If there are no other images that pop up, then that photo is only used once on the internet.
• If neither of the previous steps helped you clarify whether or not the person you are talking to is real then take steps by collecting information from what they have told you and what is on their profile by searching for them on social media pages or online. Also search their profile name to see if it pops up anywhere else.
• Even though these seem like complicated steps, it only takes a few minutes to complete the Catfish Test. Good luck fishing!

I am the serial dater and this is my guide to online dating.