The show sends the essential message to teens that you can't always trust the person on the other end of a chat or a friend request, and that emotional connections forged in the virtual world may not translate to the real one. The hosts' investigative process reveals how easy it is to gain information about a person online. Subjects discuss how their self-esteem issues and negative body image encourage them to create new personas in the safety of the Internet.
Positive Role Models
a little
The people who are guilty of lying usually wind up feeling guilty and unhappy when they're confronted by their victims. In some cases, the two parties are able to move past the initial shock and start new personal relationships; in others, the sense of betrayal is too deep to forgive. The show's hosts reserve judgment on the subjects' actions, giving them opportunity to explore and explain their feelings.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Catfish peels back the romantic trappings of online dating to reveal its more questionable side by bringing together people who may have used social media to misrepresent themselves. It's an intriguing journey that does a good job humanizing a timely issue for tweens and teens in a nonjudgmental way, allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions from the players' predicaments. That said, the fact that the show is creating entertainment out of people's emotions -- both good and bad -- raises issues about voyeurism and the participants' motivations. What's more, even though it intends to point out the inherent dangers of social media sites like Facebook and MySpace, the frequent references to them might have the opposite effect on viewers. Because each episode follows a different couple's story, it's difficult to anticipate the content, or how heated or heart-wrenching the confrontations might be.
I’ve never watched this show and I never plan to. It’s a royally screwed up show that proves that men are extremely shallow and only care about how women look. It encourages men to have unrealistic expectations, especially about finding “trophy” wives. And they bully women who aren’t in the 1% of model looking women, because they aren’t good enough and because those snobs won’t give them the time of day if they knew what they really looked like. If you really are as great and good looking as you think that you are, why on earth do you have to use dating apps to find someone? Or go on reality TV shows to find someone? To me, that says that there’s something seriously wrong with these guys!!!!
Not appropriate all the time for teens 14. As I listened while my teen was watching I heard many things that made my eyes bulge. One was the discussion on fellatio! I was like new show please?!? If it was only about being tricked or bamboozled from the other side of keyboard, but in introduces too many things it might not be time to discuss yet!!!
What's the Story?
CATFISH: THE TV SHOW is a reality series that investigates the emotional fallout of the anonymous nature of online dating. Created by Nev Schulman, who chronicled his own experiences with social media relationships in a short film of the same name, Catfish turns the focus to fans' Internet love tales and examines the truth and lies that are forced into the open when the two parties meet face to face for the first time. In each episode, Nev and his filmmaker partner Max Joseph follow the story of a fan who's hoping to make a personal connection with the object of his or her affection, but just how that first encounter will go is anybody's guess when phony profiles and misleading photos often lead to betrayals of trust.
Catfish cuts to the chase of the woes of virtual friendships: How do you know the person on the other end of the chat line is who he or she claims to be? And are you always true to yourself when you're online? It's an issue that drives families' Internet rules and many conversations between parents and their web-savvy tweens and teens, but is it one that really hits home with yours? If you're not sure -- and even if you think you are -- then this raw series is a great segue into a more concrete dialogue about the pleasures and dangers of befriending people online.
The show doesn't create drama or ignite controversy for sensationalism, but it does devote a lot of time to drawing out the emotions of its participants, so it's not always comfortable to watch. Sometimes the initial meetings are joyful confirmation of the two parties' deep affection; in other cases the outcomes aren't so happy, thanks to someone's dishonesty and the victim's sense of betrayal. It's impossible to watch these emotional confrontations and not feel for the one who's been duped, but the instigators' honesty about their motivations is a telling glimpse into the prevalence of this issue.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the benefits of social media. How do sites like Facebook encourage relationships you might not otherwise have access to? Do you think they enrich your life? What is your main objective in using them?
Teens: How does the anonymity of the Internet allow you to be someone other than yourself? Do you ever find yourself doing this? How would you feel in the shoes of this show's victim? Of the guilty party?
Parents can use this series to lay the groundwork for their teens' Internet rules. What sites are they allowed to use? What oversight will you have? What should they do if they suspect someone is targeting them with misleading information?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
