Ideologies in the film 'Catfish' - Lauren Cummins

‘The 2010 documentary film ‘Catfish’, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, involves the film’s protagonist Nev, being filmed and documented by his two friends as he strikes up an online friendship and builds a relationship with a young woman by the name of Megan via their Facebook profiles. The dominant ideology that is expressed throughout the film is the importance of an ethical use of social networking, and the implications that can follow when they are used for other intentions, as Nev soon decides that it is finally time to have a face-to-face encounter with ‘Megan’, and we begin to learn that not everybody portrays an accurate description of themselves on Facebook. Megan is in fact being portrayed by a middle aged woman by the name of Angela who has created a false Facebook account in order to lead the life of somebody else online.

The passive ideology that is embedded throughout the film is the idea that new media has a central power in terms of shaping the meaning of ‘friendship’ – as we no longer feel the need to physically interact with one another in order to consider ourselves friends. Fuchs, Boersma, Albrechtslung & Sandoval (2013), have reflected this ideology by stating that ‘ users are moving more and more of their lives and friendships onto social media, even without knowing who else is dwelling there.’ (pp. 23) This argument reflects the passive ideology that is represented throughout the film, as the digital age is allowing users to sacrifice face-to-face relationships in order to build synthetic online relationships, and we no longer feel the need to have to meet people in person, as was the case with Nev and ‘Megan.’

                                              Scene taken from the film ‘Catfish’ – Source: Youtube.com

This scene accurately depicts the surface and passive ideologies that are depicted throughout the film. As we observe Nev and ‘Megan’ having their first phone call after having only conversed via social media for the past few weeks, it becomes clear that the pair have the ability to engage in a relationship with one another although being complete strangers, and without needing to physically meet and engage with one another. This scene reveals the intricate nature of Internet relations, and provides us with an insight into how our futures are transforming into increasingly computer dominated and mediated.  This scene also represents the idea of ‘not knowing who you are talking to online’, as Nev feels as though it is Megan conversing with him on the other end of the phone call, until he soon discovers that it was all in fact a hoax.

Lyon (2003) has discussed the issues surrounding social media in relation to Surveillance, and how surveillance is used throughout today’s society as a social sorting, by stating that; ‘Surveillance has spilled out of its old nation-state containers to become a feature of everyday life, at work, at home, at play, or on the move.’ (pp. 65). This argument reflects the dominant ideology throughout the film of not always being aware of who you are conversing with online, as a person could quite easily be observing your online profile frequently in order to structure their online profile around your interests and needs in order to build a relationship with you. This was the case in Catfish, as Angela is aware that Nev is a young photographer by his Facebook profile, therefore allowing her to send him a painting of one of his photographs whilst claiming that she is the artist, aware that this will then gain the attention of Nev and allow her to strike up a conversation with him in order to build a relationship online.

 

Image source: Richonfilm.com

Trottier (2012) has also reflected this notion by stating that ‘social media users participate in a collaborative identity construction with other users, whilst friendships provide a unique surveillance opportunity, as users often engage with a particular audience in mind.’ (pp. 15). This is also reflected in the scene where Nev speaks to Megan on the phone for the first time, as Angela is still able to represent herself as Megan, as the conversation is not face-to-face. She has constructed the character and voice of Megan around the ideas of what she feels Nev will find attractive, as taken from his online profile.

In conclusion, Catfish reveals the complexity of relationships in the 21^st century. Due to the increasing dominance of new media platforms, we no longer feel the need to physically interact with someone in person, however, as this film illustrates, these ‘friendships’ may not be as fulfilling or valuable as face-to-face interactions, and there are implications that can follow when these online interactions are used incorrectly. This is represented in the film when Nev discovers that the person who he feels that he has been building a relationship with online is in fact a completely different person from who she has been representing herself as. While he has never met Megan, he is able to surmise details about her life from her profile page and through his online interactions with her, demonstrating that the notion of surveillance in terms of social media allows people to observe and build interactions and relationships with one another.

Sources:

Fuchs C, Boersma K, Albrechtslung A & Sandoval M (2013), ‘Internet and Surveillance: The Challenges of Web 2.0 and Social Media’, Taylor & Francis, Routledge Studies in Science, Technology and Society, pp. 23 - 47 (retrieved Friday 11^th October 2013)

Lyon, D (2003), ‘Surveillance as Social Sorting: Privacy, risk, and digital discrimination’, Taylor & Francis, Routledge, New York, pp. 65 - 66 (retrieved Friday 11^th October 2013)

Trottier D, (2012), ‘Social media as surveillance: rethinking visibility in a converging world’ Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Burlington, pp. 14 - 23 (retrieved Friday 11^th October 2013)

The Digital Self: Representations of my Online Identity

Social media, throughout today’s technological society, has developed into an integral element of our social order, and thanks to online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, this type of new media allows for individuals to generate an “online identity” by which they construct themselves, and allow for themselves to be constructed by others. In relation to this, Subrahmanyam and Kaveri (2011), have defined online identity construction as; “online self-presentation, which includes the different ways by which users present themselves to other online users”.  I can relate to this with notions of my own personal experiences with the construction of an online identity. I, like a vast majority of the Generation Y population, am the holder of a Facebook account, and find myself regularly updating my profile in terms of what profile picture I prefer at certain times, who I talk to, and who’s ‘walls’ I post on regularly, in order to ‘present’ a version of myself that I desire to those associated with my online identity.  

Chalkley, (2013) discusses the significant issues relating to how we as a society analyze and evaluate the online identities of those around us. In his writing, he explores the digital behaviours of various students that he has encountered, and states that; “By examining the characteristics of individual students in this study, a pattern emerged. There seemed to be some clearly identifiable typical (and atypical) behaviours, mutually held beliefs, shared ethical positions, common idioms, and mutual understandings about how young people use media to represent themselves.” Relating this statement back to my own personal experiences, I can understand the reasons as to why these were the findings from Chalkley’s study. I myself find it exceedingly difficult to have an online persona that differs from the personas of others who are connected to my online identity. A vast majority of the people that I find myself associated with online share mutual beliefs and understandings, and this is evident in them, (and myself) posting in relation to similar issues and topics without expressing too much opinion, as well as ‘liking’ pages that have often already been ‘liked’ by friends in order to avoid controversy and harsh judgment. I feel that this is due to individuals not willing to be creative in the way that they express themselves and reveal their true personalities via social media, as they are often nervous as to what opinions other social media users will form about them.

Subrahmanyam and Kaveri (2011), have also stated that; “Online identity construction includes online self-presentation, which includes the different ways by which users present themselves to other online users”. I can relate to this in terms of how often I change my profile picture, and how I decide which picture reflects my online identity. Currently, my profile picture is a photograph taken of my boyfriend and myself before heading to a formal event. By uploading this photograph and choosing to use it to represent my online self, I feel that I have made a safe choice in terms of not wanting to take risks with the way that I present myself on Facebook, as I prefer to be cautious in the way that I depict my digital identity to my online friends and audience.

Image Source: Facebook (personal account) https://www.facebook.com/lauren.k.cummins?ref=tn_tnmn 

References:

Chalkley, T (2013); Teen identity in the digital age: who exactly is me now days?‘, conference paper presented at Transformational Communication and the New Asia, Asian Media Information and Communication Centre, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (accessed Thursday 8^th August 2013)

Subrahmanyam, Kaveri (2011); “Digital youth: the role of media in development” Chapter 4: Constructing identity online,: Identity exploration and self presentation, New York, London, Springer (accessed Thursday 8^th August 2013)