Gone Fishing: Love & Deception Online

Abstract

The ever-advancing digital age has made it possible for every day interactions to be completed from behind a screen. The Internet has become a tool even to fall in love. Meeting, cheating, falling in and out of love and even having sex on the net has become feasible in the modern world. Yet, little is known about these new forms of cyber-relationship, particularly when initiated outwith traditional dating websites. Most online communication is based on textual messages, allowing anonymity, at least visually. The hit TV show Catfish tugs back the 'proverbial curtain' on relationships online, revealing the true identity of who lies behind the computer screen. This study looks at the online exchanges between guests who appeared on Catfish the TV show, identifying how deception was achieved throughout the interactions and how this was negotiated and subsequently affected the relationship in the aftermath. Three themes were identified splitting guests into those who: accepted, rejected and condoned deception. Changes in turn-taking in conversation, conversation nature and the differences between accepting self-blame and blame of a third-party when deception was identified was found and will be discussed.