Catfish fans debate as bullying is used as main “excuse” for fake identities

Fans of MTV’s Catfish debated whether or not bullying is a fair excuse to reel someone in with a fake online identity.

Catfishing grew so popular, that MTV made an entire show called Catfish in 2012 out of the concept of a person using a fake online identity to reel in someone they are interested in. 

In some cases, an online relationship can last months or sometimes even years before the truth is actually revealed. 

Fortunately, Catfish hosts Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford do their best to help those who feel they might be talking to a fake person on the internet.

Whether it’s because their camera doesn’t work or they don’t have the money to visit, catfishers give off certain red flags that their online partner often dismisses. But what drives someone to catfish in the first place?

Though individuals on Catfish have the opportunity to reveal why they used a fake identity, fans of the show have come up with their speculations and debated why they think people become catfished.

MTV

Many people on a Reddit thread agreed that people catfish because they’ve been bullied. “Likely because they have been bullied over their looks/weight at some point in time. That’s not unbelievable. People can suck!” exclaimed one.

“It’s because they can’t take accountability for their own actions so they have to find something, or sometimes, someone to blame it on,” said one as they continued to sarcastically call out catfishers. “It’s not their fault they catfished people, other people were mean to them!”

However, some commenters couldn’t fathom using a fake identity and didn’t agree with using bullying as an excuse to do so. “I was bullied for many, many years! Never deceived someone online,” wrote one.

One person also said they understood why a catfisher would want the “validation,” but didn’t agree with them “emotionally f*cking” someone over. The commenter went on to say that “the catfishers are really no better than their bullies.”

Though catfishing can happen for various reasons, it’s clear that people enjoy the stories, as Catfish is currently on Season 9 and airs every Tuesday on MTV.