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The documentary “Catfish†is making waves, it was a favorite at Sundance, and it is hitting the theaters now. It tells a story about an online relationship, and the twists revealed in finding the truth about the people involved. It also has a good number of critics who [url=http://www.movieline.com/2010/07/catfish-trailer-is-the-controversial-sundance-documentary-for-real.php ]doubt the entire premise[/url] of the movie.
The questions posed by the movie are about how you know the truth about anyone you meet on the internet. Elaborate scams are weaved to make money. More commonly people create personas that have little contact with reality. In the absence of face to face contact, identity is fluid. But the average social media user is used to the game. That 80th level Draenei Priest with heaving bosom is probably a 40 year old male accountant from Iowa.
The movie tells a story about a relationship between a man and a woman, and all the twists that can result from using the internet to distort the truth. It's supposed to be well told, and have insight into the games that can be played. I don't know if I will see it, but I do have a reason to believe it is true.
I know it is possible, because I had my own “Catfish†back in the pre-internet days. Something similar really happened to me.
Kathy is calling
The year was 1979. I was living in a big old house on Frambes Ave., just off High Street. My 6 roommates were occasional students, mostly just working and partying, much like any group of 20 year olds today (well, different, we could work part time low level jobs and still pay the rent and feed ourselves and our party habits, something that is more rare these days without living with parents. But I digress.)
I was working and going to grad school in Public Administration. I didn't have much time to be at home, so I was not surprised at the messages I started getting - “Kathy called for youâ€Â. Didn't know who Kathy was, she didn't leave a number. Could have been some person I had met from work or school.
The odd part came when my roommates began having conversations with Kathy on the phone. Over the period of a couple of months she called about once a week, and the story I got from my roommates was increasingly intriguing. She said she was 19, a college student and member of a sorority. She told my roommates about her adventures around campus, late night partying and bars. She implied she was from a wealthy family, had a late model convertible. She took an interest in the lives of my roommates, asked them questions that eventually became very personal.
The phone call my roommate Bob had with Kathy in which they discussed their favorite sexual flavors was sort of the topper.
Throughout this period I was certain that Kathy was no more that a trick my roommates were pulling on me. Some attractive, wealth young girl was trying to contact me, and had these long intimate conversations that somehow always missed me? Right. Good game guys, but I'm not falling for it.
Then I picked up the phone, and it was Kathy.
We chatted about life on campus. She confirmed some of the stories I had been told about her.
I was still half sure this was a deep prank. I racked my brain, thinking this had to be some friend of my roommates who had been brought into the trick, but I couldn't place her voice.
She was charming and intelligent, and had that coy sexiness that projected over the phone. I was hooked on the mystery. I had to meet her. She agreed. I set up a day and time to go over to her home.
This is getting long, more later.
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