Catfish

I recently saw a documentary (it’s in theaters now and is currently playing at the AMC 7 here in Muncie) called Catfish that is not only exceptional but very relevant to what we’ve been discussing all semester in 213. Catfish is almost like a cautionary tale of the dangers involved when you have an emotional life on the internet. People become so consumed with their digital identities that when the two worlds mix, it can produce some seriously tragic results.


Without giving too much away, the film is about a guy who starts a relationship with someone he met through Facebook. He and his friends decide to make a documentary about the relationship that unfolds and they eventually decide to drive to where she lives to meet her face to face.



I would urge anyone who has an online identity to go see this movie because it’s very intriguing. It’s interesting to see how much Facebook can affect and/or consume someone’s life.

The official site for Catfish is here but I would urge you to see this film with as little knowledge about it as possible. Again, I really don’t want to give anything away because it’s a very complicated documentary but if you get the chance- GO SEE IT!!

There are a lot of issues with having an online identity. When you’re not face to face with someone, people tend to loosen up their inhibitions because really you can be whoever you want to be… even if it’s someone you can’t be in your real life. That’s what is so dangerous. The modern internet user is faced with the dilemma of keeping their real identity and online identity completely separate, or intertwined and there are benefits/pitfalls to both approaches. Is it healthy to be someone you're not just because you are somewhat hidden behind the protective computer screen? Couldn't some of our online goings-ons be potentially detrimental to our real life identities? Everyone should be aware that what we do on the internet echoes in our real lives.

-Bridget