"Catfish" - A True Story of Social Determinism (Part 1)

I know this week I was supposed to write about China, but then I watched Catfish, the brave documentary about an online relationship that doesn't turn out the way you think it will, and came out right around the same time as The Social Network. I will write this blog post in two-parts, the first, this blog post, will merely set you up for watching the film and the second will include my analysis. There are no spoilers here. 

Before I begin, I recommend watching the featurette for Catfish here:



And the trailer here:





"It is important to take a step back from this [the internet, social media] and see what we're doing and the revolution we are a part of." - Henry Joost, Producer/Co-Director/Cinematographer, Catfish


If you strip away the storyline of Catfish, you are left with a gleaming parable that will enlighten and bring to realization the power of the internet, human nature, and the power we have with these social tools. For the past few weeks it seems as though we have been "stuck" with writing about technological vs. social determinism, spiraling analytical theory on these arguments and seeing examples of them every day. I feel a fascination with the arguments and the opposing ideas and I think it's because it can truly sum up, or theorize, the internet in just those two terms. There are those who believe the technology has the power and there are those who believe the the human has the power.

Catfish is a prime example of social determinism, but that's not to say that it couldn't be argued from a technological determinist viewpoint either. Yaniv "Nev" Shulman is a photographer in NYC who specializes in dance photography. In 2008, one of his photos was published in the New York Sun and seen across the country. Soon after, Nev received a package containing a painting of his photograph from an 8-year-old girl named Abby who lives in Ishpeming, Michigan. Flattered and floored by Abby's talent, Nev profusely thanks Abby and her mother and embarks on journey of emotions with not just Abby and her mother, but also her other siblings, family friends, Abby's father, and most importantly, Megan, Abby's sister who Nev sees pictures of and immediately becomes infatuated and begins an online relationship with. Now, most of what I just summarized is given away in the trailer and you feel like you can almost predict the outcome of this story. Almost.

After 8 months of texting, phone-calls, receiving .mp3's of Megan's singing, Nev is swept off his feet by a woman who he has never actually stood in front of. In the middle of this la la land love affair, something happens that leads Nev, his brother, and Henry (who are all present and heard throughout filming) to believe that this interaction between Nev and Megan and her family is not as truthful as they may have led on. Ultimately, Nev, Ariel and Henry decide to go to Ishpeming, uninvited and unannounced to truly get to the bottom of things.

What happens in the latter portion of the movie will give you chills, keep you guessing, and may even put you in tears.

Stay tuned for the analysis in Part 2...