About
Catfish is a term used to refer to people who make false accounts on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter for the sake of developing online relationships with strangers. The phrase is used both in the context of someone making a fake profile to deceive others into a relationship and to simulate a false relationship.
Origin
The term catfish originally comes from the 2010 documentary[5] of the same name. Directed by Ariel Schulman[1] and Henry Joost[2], Catfish was the story of Schulman’s brother, Yaniv “Nev” Schulman[3], as he developed an online relationship with a girl named Megan Pierce. Nev Schulman met Megan through her younger sister, Abby, who painted a version of one of Nev’s photographs. As the documentary continues, it is revealed that the Megan Nev has been talking with is fake, and that the real Megan Pierce is currently in rehab. It is also revealed that Megan’s mother, Angela, has been the one in contact with Nev, and faked both the painting and the relationship. The term, as well as the name of the documentary, come from an anecdote where putting catfish in cod tanks made them active when shipping. Vince describes people like Angela as catfish, making sure others are active.
Many people have expressed skepticism at the authenticity of the film, believing that the circumstances are too well played to actually be legitimate. However, no one in the film or in production as confirmed these beliefs.
In November 2012, a television series based on the premise of the film began on MTV[4].
Spread
On July 22, 2010, the term Catfish, as it is used in this context, was first added to Urban Dictionary, defining it as “someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.” The term faded after a few months, but grew in popularity slightly two years later, when the MTV show was broadcast.
Te’o Girlfriend Hoax
While the term was used minimally at first, it experienced a resurgence in popularity due to the circumstances surrounding Notre Dame Football Player Manti Te’o and his fake girlfriend.
Search Trends
The term “catfish” gains a large number of searches due to the fish of the same name. However, the term has had increases in search interest that parallel the release of the film and the broadcast of the television show/use of the term.
Please note that many uses of the hashtag #catfish are in reference to the television show.