Catfish

Mellie32 · ‎03-13-2010

An online catfish is someone who pretends to be someone else on the internet for a variety of reasons.

Have you ever "met" a catfish or suspected that you've been talking to a catfish?

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

No, and I've never known catfish to morph into something they're not. Poor analogy.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

Mellie32 · ‎03-13-2010

@Kachina624 wrote:
No, and I've never known catfish to morph into something they're not. Poor analogy.

I've been confused by that term too. Evidently someone was thinking about how people "lure" others into relationships that aren't real --- and "catfish" sounded better than "mahi-mahi".

Mellie32 · ‎03-13-2010

I know of two catfish that two of my friends were communicating with. The first one was from years ago -- Myspace. A guy friend was really into this girl all the time. They'd talk on the phone for hours, chat on myspace for hours - they were pretty much dating online. Then one day they set up a meeting time where she lived. She was 5 hours away so he got on a bus to get there. Before he got on the bus, he called her and confirmed their meeting time and place. When he got there, she wasn't there. She didn't answer phone calls or texts. So he went to where she worked -- they'd never heard of her. He went to the school she was supposedly registered at -- nope. He called me completely devastated. Later I guess he found out that he was talking to a guy the entire time.

The next catfish was just a few years ago. A friend of mine was talking to this really cute girl. He was stationed somewhere overseas and she was in the US. They talked on the phone and texted all the time. She told him her husband had died a year earlier from cancer.

One day he searched for her name on Facebook and guess what he saw.............................................. her wedding pics! When he asked her about it, she immediately hung up and he never heard from her again. So it was either someone pretending to be this girl or it was the married girl.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

Never. I do not form relationships online. Never get too personal.....keep a distance. Lonely peopke tend to get catfished....looking for love on the Internet.

Bird mama · ‎03-12-2010

@Mellie32 wrote:
@Kachina624 wrote:
No, and I've never known catfish to morph into something they're not. Poor analogy.
I've been confused by that term too. Evidently someone was thinking about how people "lure" others into relationships that aren't real --- and "catfish" sounded better than "mahi-mahi".

@Mellie32 Lol

There are times when you must speak, not because you are going to change the opposing side, but because if you do not speak, they have changed you.

LyndaGee · ‎03-11-2010

I watched the documentary a few years ago. Disturbing. After seeing that, I'd think twice about getting too involved with people on line.

Desertdi · ‎03-13-2010

@Kachina624 wrote:
No, and I've never known catfish to morph into something they're not. Poor analogy.

@Kachina624...........I've never heard the term "catfish"...........but I'm wondering if it's because they are bottom-feeders???????

♥Surface of the Sun♥

Gioiella · ‎03-17-2010

Actually, the term catfish for a deceptive Internet relationship comes from the movie Catfish.

The movie is a documentary about a young man who has an online relationship with a woman who turns out to be married and making up all of the details of her life. When the young man meets the husband of the "catfish", he describes her behavior by telling a story about actual catfish:

"When live cod were shipped to Asia from North America, the fish's inactivity in their tanks resulted in only mushy flesh reaching the destination. However, fishermen found that putting catfish in the tanks with the cod kept them active, and thus ensured the quality of the fish."

He made the analogy that there are people in everyone's lives who keep each other active, always on their toes and always thinking, suggesting that people should always be alert while socializing through the Internet.

The success of the movie, and the subsequent MTV show also called Catfish, lead to the adoption of the term, which has now been added to the dictionary.

SharkE · ‎08-19-2010

You all need to watch Dr. Phil he has the lonely older women on there all the time that have money and are ripe for the picking by people looking for a sugar mama and her money.