The term also spiked in popularity during an incident involving University of Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o in 2013. The term catfishing has become more widely known throughout the subsequent decade, thanks to a television series which followed the main star of the movie, Yaniv (Nev) Schulman, helping other people investigate their possible catfish situations. This myth originated in the fiction writing of Henry Nevinson (1913, Essays in Rebellion) and Charles Marriott (1913, The Catfish). The myth is that cod were shipped with catfish in the same tanks in order to keep the cod active, ensuring the quality of the cod, whereas when shipped alone the cod would become pale and lethargic. In the documentary, the woman's husband makes a comparison between the woman’s behaviour and a mythical use for literal catfish in the shipping of live cod fish. The woman with whom he had been communicating was actually a 40-year-old housewife. He had cultivated a friendship with what he thought was an 8-year-old girl from the Midwestern United States and her family.

The documentary follows Nev Schulman, the executive producer, as a victim of catfishing. The modern term originated from the 2010 American documentary Catfish. Celebrities have been targeted, which has brought press attention to catfishing practices. Catfishing television shows have been produced, often featuring victims who wish to identify their catfisher. The practice may be used for financial gain, to compromise a victim in some way, as a way to intentionally upset a victim, or for wish fulfillment.

Nev Schulman, host and executive producer of Catfish: The TV Show.Ĭatfishing is a deceptive activity in which a person creates a fictional persona or fake identity on a social networking service, usually targeting a specific victim.

Catfishing on catnet