Everything in Moderation

Catfishing is a strange phenomenon where one acts like a different person with the intent of fooling others. They may do this for any number of reasons: to scam money from those who believe them, to make friends, or for more nefarious schemes. These catfishers are the ones that have caused internet safety to be preached so much. Society has to warn the children not to put their personal information on the web to reduce the chances of them being caught in a hustle. They are also told this to protect them from predators that will also hide behind the anonymity of a screen.

Catfishing itself seems to be an exaggerated version of something everyone does anyway. People act different, to some degree, in different situations. How one acts at work is not necessarily how one acts at home, or with friends. These different personalities are called schemas and it is actually considered to have several of them to switch between in changing situations. They allow us greater flexibility and adaptability when put in new situations. However, at the base of the schema, you are still you. You are just presenting different aspects of yourself in accordance with your surroundings.

As Vince was saying in the movie, the original meaning behind catfishing wasn’t as negative as it is now. He used it as a term for something that keeps us on our toes and keeps us from settling into a routine and stagnating. Catfish are those who confuse and surprise the rest of society and force us to think and react differently. This, as with the cod, can be seen as something that keeps us healthier and pushes society forward. However, as with everything, it is only good in moderation.

While I say that, I do not condone Angela’s actions. Her actions ran the risk of causing emotional trauma to both herself and Nev and could have held serious consequences for everyone involved, including her young daughter. While she made the statement that everyone she had created were like pieces of herself, arguably similar to them being schemas, she was not presenting the different sides of herself as herself. She was masquerading aspects of herself as entirely different individuals, creating a complex lie that she was unable to completely remove herself from. If nothing else, this could also cause her to alienate parts of herself if she took it too far and separated the personalities too much.

I feel like I rambled badly with this. I apologize.