To Be? Or Not To Be?---NOT!

As we go along in determining the many different aspects of identity, we are presented with the idea of posing. The famous documentary and show “Catfish” has brought about the idea of posing in a digital way. This idea of being someone other than yourself on the internet raises many question, such as: Why do people use their time to completely deceive people? What is the satisfying factor of “Catfishing” someone? How does being a “Catfish” impact your life in such a way that benefits you?  

In the case of the movie, we are presented with a lot of events. For months, Yaniv has been chatting with this woman, Megan, on facebook. Over the course of 8 months, Yaniv and Megan learn about each other and are basically in a romantic relationship. However, the relationship between Yaniv and Megan is only a digital relationship; they have never had personal contact. Megan was proved to be a masked person, although Yaniv talked to her often. Many of the personal aspects of their relationship turned out to be fabricated. Yaniv and his friends caught Megan in many of her lies, which prompted them to go and meet the real Megan. Who really wasn’t Megan. It turned out to be the woman who Yaniv knew as Megan's mom, posing as all of the people Yaniv knew to be related to Megan. Yaniv met with the woman, Angela, and learned her life story. Angela was a woman trapped in her own home. She had to care for a young child, disabled children, and deal with a dependent husband. “Catfishing,” for Angela, was an outlet.

Knowing the troubles in Angela’s life, you would expect to feel sympathetic for Angela. The personas Angela created were individual outlets of herself  that she wasn’t able to express in a home where everyone depends on her. She expressed this in digital forums becuase she didn't have the time to tend to the attention she needed. She needed to “Catfish,” in order to fill a void. All of these ways are answers to the original questions posed when asking the questions.

Moreover, more questions came to my mind as I watched this documentary, such as: If Angela had the time to deceive Yaniv for more than 8 months by making fake stories, creating fake accounts, and spending ample amount of time posing as someone else, could she have found the same time to get counseling for her issues she is dealing with? In my opinion, she could have found an online counseling service to help her deal with the issues she has to face in her life.

Also, is Angela really Megan? Are the people Angela created Angela or their own people? Based on previously definitions of identity, which is based off of the experiences a person has and how they respond to them, Megan is only Megan and all pf the people she creates are their own people.  Angela and Megan  may have some similarities in character,  but the woman Angela created is ultimately a different person from the true identity of Angela, which is the same for the other people she posed as. As you think about the documentary, consider all aspects of the story and comment your ideas.