Catfish: Do They Keep Life Interesting?

In the documentary Catfish we see Nev start a relationship with who we presume is an eight year old girl and her family. She is a fan of Nev's photography and paints his photographs. As the documentary moves along, you see Nev become engrossed in a romantic relationship with Abby's half sister Megan. With little odd details here and there Nev begins to realize that Megan and her mom are telling lies about their lives. Nev, along with his friend and brother, investigate into the lives of Megan, Abby, and their mom Angela. They discover that Angela has been acting as all three girls and using her daughter Abby as a way to get in touch with Nev.

Here we address the question: is Angela in the wrong? I believe that she is in the wrong because she manipulated and used her daughter as a means to get close to Nev. However, I believe that Angela was not "catfishing" Nev in a malicious way. I personally believe that she was trying to escape her hectic life with 2 children with handicaps and a husband that tells her that her dreams are not realistic. She used the life of Abby and Megan to express herself through painting. She also told Nev she sang and danced (as Megan), but used other voices as her own. I feel that she was depriving in life and that is why she "catfished" Nev. Even though she wasn't malicious, I feel that she should have not involved herself that deeply to connect with Nev. I also feel that Nev was very gullible. He noticed some inconsistencies, but still continued to believe the lies of Angela. In every "catfish" scenario, I believe that both parties are just not quite there. First, you have someone creating a fake profile with a dozen other fake profiles so there will be "friends". Then, there is a gullible person who believes every lie that the "catfisher" tells and doesn't question inconsistencies. I find that very odd. I feel that there are other ways to connect with other people.

In today's society it is easy to mask yourself behind a fake profile and start relationships with total strangers. In most cases people are malicious, unlike Angela and Nev's situation. People "catfish" to get money out of the other person or involve themselves with the person just so they can see the person become fully attached. I believe that "catfishing" is morally wrong and people should not do it. However, it is possible to see that we do some form of "catfishing" every day. We post the best versions of ourselves online and hide our worst sides. So, are we keeping the lives of others interesting by "catfishing" our bad sides?