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Friday, April 15, 2016

Here Fishy Fishy

Social media, as I see it, can be both a blessing and a curse. While sites such as Facebook and Instagram may keep you in contact with all your friends and family, these domains hold the potential to be extremely destructive. As showcased during the film, Catfish, social media can be a catalyst for deception. Nev, the main character in the film, began a “relationship” with a girl he only knew via Facebook, Megan. When Nev was finally able to link up with “Megan,” we discovered that Megan was really Angela. This type of interaction is far too common, as Catfish has been turned into a MTV television series starring Nev.
               We discussed many topics in class, including different moral dilemmas proposed by the film. The question I would like to address is whether or not what Angela did is considered cheating. In my opinion, Angela broke a few boundaries when she created her alternate life on Facebook. The interactions between her and Nev were very inappropriate for a married woman. If I has a significant other, and they were to say many of the things Angela said to Nev, both sexual or nonsexual, I would without a doubt consider it cheating and more than likely break up with them. A relationship, especially a married one, needs to be treated with the upmost respect and effort. Angela spent quite a lot of time and effort in keeping her various fake Facebook profiles up and running, energy that very well should have been spent working to make her relationship with Vince more fulfilling so she would not feel the need to create such a fantasy world online.
               Furthermore, while I do believe Angela’s life was very stressful and rough, she must be able to find a healthier outlet to relieve her stress rather than immersing herself in a self-created fantasy world that negatively effects the lives of other people. The level of deception she created held for months, until Nev put a few pieces together and began to unveil what was really going on. Not only did this hurt him, but it also hurt Angela as well, as she felt she had done a great wrong to Nev, and began to see the error of her electronic ways.

               Overall, Catfish really opened the eyes of many people to the dangers social media holds for those who are not careful. While I consider it to be a moral transgression to lie to another individual online, many users do not hold these same values. I usher a word of caution to everyone who uses the internet: Don’t get catfished.      

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree with everything you said. Angela, in some ways failed her relationship with Vince. I feel like there are many options in the world for people who feel lonely and in the same predicament as Angela. Support groups, marriage counseling, fun days out with her family. I feel like she didn't put the effort where it belonged. If she focused on her actual life and not the online life she exhibited, her end game would've been much more fulfilling.