Think Piece: How MTV's Catfish Revealed MORE Than Just Fake People Online

Love means never having to “I’m sorry” and idealistically, the most important part of any relationship should always be honesty. Recently, I’ve been casually binge-watching MTV’s Catfish on Crave Canada. I’ve seen some of the show from time to time whenever it aired on MTV Canada however due to the pandemic and recent 2nd wave lockdown protocols, I’ve had some time to also watch episodes I’ve missed. Which brings me to why I’m writing this. It was after showing the “Jacqueline Linkwood aka: Tracey Barbie” episode to my parents that my father brought up something I never contemplated: IDENTITY THEFT! Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of the word Con Artist is: 

“a person who deceives other people by making them believe something false or making them give money away”

As we all know social media offers nothing other than artificial relationships more often than not, with people we don’t even know and everyday, people are forming “intimate relationships” with those whom they’ve never met in person. The sad part of Catfish is revealing not just how easy it is to go on the internet and pretend to be someone completely different but also how behind both U.S. and international laws are on identity theft. Which unfortunately can lead to cases involving cyber crimes such as fraud, harassment, blackmail, extortion (including digital, sexual and financial), mental, emotional and physical anguish and violation, etc. From “models” to individuals “low-key”, cyber stalking their exes; the internet is a wash with liars! People who will con you into believing they are who they say they are, when in reality they’re not! Unfortunately, social media has created a platform where too many have built a mentally unhealthy fantasy world, where life is lived more as an avatar. Perpetrating sadly, a narcissistic personality. According to an article posted to The New York Times in 2013 by Jean Twenge, a professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, amplified various studies conducted on the subject of narcissism in participation with social media. By just watching a single season of MTV Catfish, we can easily see how many of those confronted in person after spending either months or years portraying themselves as someone else online, have a tendency towards narcissistic behaviour. Even when stealing someone else’s photos, narrating a false story around themselves and once confronted; easily blame their past for why they’ve created the fake profile(s). In the case with celebrities, where in one episode a young woman thought she was in a relationship with rapper Bow Wow and another where a gentleman thought he was talking to pop star Katy Perry, or in a 3rd episode where someone posed not only as a social media influencer, but also created various fake accounts of all that influencer’s family members as well; there’s a SHARP CONTRAST between admiring someone and creating a fan page VERSES deliberately misleading people online by posing as that specific public figure. Especially when there are now ways to verify real accounts: that infamous blue checkmark! Back in 2013, a legal case against a former Catfish made international news when a Canadian Indigenous woman named Shelly Chartier managed not only to con and torment 11 victims over a 3 year period, among those Ms. Chartier conned, were NBA basketball star Chris “Birdman” Andersen (formerly of the Miami Heat) and Instagram model Paris Roxanne (aka: Paris Dunn). Ms. Chartier eventually pleaded guilty to various charges, including impersonation, extortion, making threats; serving two-thirds (one year) of an 18-month prison sentence in a Women’s Correctional Centre in Headingley, Manitoba. However, if charged fully in the U.S. Ms. Chartier could face a potential 24 year prison stay with charges including 5 counts of criminal impersonation, three counts of identity theft, two counts of racketeering, two counts of theft, sexual exploitation of a child (or minor), extortion and computer crime. Sadly, after everything occurred; Ms. Chartier’s actions would forever label her as the “Ghost of Easterville” given not only due to the location where events transpired, but also due to the fact that for many years, Ms. Chartier lived (and continues to live) an isolating life with her husband Rob in a small region within Manitoba, Canada called “Easterville”. Interestingly, in cases of addiction; social media has become the drug of choice for many. Operating on our physiology in a way similar to other addictive behaviours. Which, like any other types of addiction come with a number of behavioural symptoms including: interpersonal problems, cognitive and emotional preoccupation with social media, conflict (including bullying), anxiety, depression etc. According to a Cal State University’s editorial entitled: “The Growing Case for Social Media Addiction” by Dr. Ofir Turel Ph.D (an associate professor of Information Systems and Decision Sciences at the College of Business and Economics at Cal State in Fullerton) a study conducted in 2017 concluded that 5 to 10% of Americans could meet the criteria for being at risk for social media addiction.

The worst part of the show however, are the excuses. Which leaves me more often than not screaming at my television! Whether it’s feelings of insecurity, a past history (or trauma) or simply a weight issue; I can’t help feeling none of these “arguments” are valid! I have a number of issues with the show, including a few of the catfish victims. I get it; people are complicated, everyone has issues. Out of the over 7 billion people on this planet however, not everyone who is on social media deliberately creates fake accounts / profiles to lure in unsuspecting people! The one positive thing anyone can take away from ALL this is: there are plenty of outlets to help change your circumstances. Invest in therapy/counselling. If you cannot afford that, talk to your family or friends. Invest in a gym membership and go on a diet! Invest in yourself! Don’t allow past negative experiences to cause you to steal someone else’s identity and commit to lying to someone else for the next number of months or years. You don’t know who else’s life you might inadvertently hurt or destroy by your own actions. A relationship built on lies, is no relationship at all and honesty is always the best policy! As the 2nd Century AD Greek poet Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis wrote in the story of Eros and Psyche: “Love Cannot Live Without Trust”.

Special Thank You's: 

Thank you to my dad, for inspiring me to write this Think Piece and for giving me something to think about.

Sources, MLA's & Credited Information: 

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