This blog is a class project for a media ethics course. We created a text-based choose-you-own-adventure story about online catfishing from multiple different perspectives. After completing each story, participants will be able to fill out a Potter Box about online catfishing.
The creators are not putting our names on Tumblr. Our initials are MC & AS.
Begin the game here!
Read the discussion questions here!
Please click "read more" to reveal our sources & to see navigation notes for our professor (Hi Dr. H)!
Due to the formatting limitations of Tumblr & our desire for a somewhat immersive experience, sources are not cited within the text of the game. Relevant articles that inspired each storyline are hyperlinked in each pathway's starting screen. All descriptions of ethical principles come from Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning.
For those navigating the blog who do not want the CYOA experience: each pathway has a specific tag associated with it. To read these without any gameplay (and out of order), please use these linked tags:
To see all of the potential "end screens", aka points where the game ends and the player must return to start, click this link: #endscreen
To see all of the potential "start screens", aka points where each pathway begins, click this link: #start screen
The joke track is entirely for MC's enjoyment, because they could not resist an actual catfish joke. The same goes for this account's profile picture.
References:
Christians, C.G., Fackler, M., Richardson, K.B., & Kreshel, P.J. (2020). Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning (Eleventh ed.). Routledge Publishing Group.
Knafo, D. (2021). Digital Desire and the Cyber Imposter: A Psychoanalytic Reflection on Catfishing. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 31(6), 728–743. https://doi.org/10.1080/10481885.2021.1976187
Martin, D. (2014, May 21). "Here's How MTV's Catfish Actually Works". Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/2014/05/catfish-mtv-casting-production-process.html
Snyder, J. A., & Golladay, K. (2024). More Than Just a “Bad” Online Experience: Risk Factors and Characteristics of Catfishing Fraud Victimization. Deviant Behavior, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2024.2416071
Stroud, S.R., & Purcell, A. (2018, November 15). To Catfish or Not to Catfish? Case Study: The Ethics of Online Deception. Center for Media Engagement. https://mediaengagement.org/research/to-catfish-or-not-to-catfish/
>You are really put-off by how many reactions to this episode have homophobic undertones.
>Are these reactions your responsibility? After all, if the the catfish didn't want the consequences of being outed, he shouldn't have tricked so many people, or agreed to be on the show in the first place.
>You think about Rawl's Veil of Ignorance, which encourages people to imagine a literal "veil" over their eyes when making ethical decisions so they can imagine what the outcomes of that decision would be for all participants
>Going forward, you might want to put that "veil" over your eyes before you chose a story to envision the potential harm it might cause.
>An attractive 22 year old man believes he is talking to an attractive 21 year old woman. They live across the country and believe the show is the only way for them to meet. The man has somewhat of a following online and states he wants to finally be able to “show her off”.
>You have previously received emails before about this same young woman, so it is clear she is a catfish. Due to his attractiveness, age, and following the episode is sure to gain traction and lots of viewers regardless of outcome.
>Upon some investigation, you discover that the catfish is far from what she seems - in fact, “she” is a gay man from western Nebraska. On camera, the confrontation is explosive–the catfish’s victim freaks out, takes off his microphone, and leaves the set! His online following takes a huge hit at this revelation, and the story is picked up by outlets reporting on influencers.
>The episode is one of the most-viewed in the show’s history, and your boss is ecstatic. He praises you for finding this story and hints at a promotion if you keep up the good work.Â
>You feel a little uneasy about some of the homophobic reactions to this episode online, but brush it off at the promise of better pay in the future.
>An unattractive man in his 30s believes he is talking to a 28 year old model. He says they’ve been dating for almost 2 years now but they’ve never had a video call. He is desperate to meet her. It is pretty clear to you that he is being catfished; it'd make a good investigation for the show.
>The unattractive man is excited to be chosen and hopeful to finally meet his girlfriend of two years. They meet up with the “model” only to find out it is an overweight 35 year old woman from Nebraska who was also just desperate for love. She cries when they meet and the man expresses that he feels “heartbroken and betrayed" by her deception.
>Viewers love this episode and clip the woman's tearful apology to use a reaction meme. It goes somewhat viral! Your boss tells you to keep up the good work, but you feel sad about putting these people's emotional turmoil on display.
>You sit at your desk and think about the consequences of putting these people's lives on display.
>>You find yourself coming back to Nodding's Relational Ethics and Judeo-Christian Persons-as-Ends ethics. Putting this relationship drama on display may permanently harm these individual's reputations, self-esteem, and other interpersonal relationships.
>What gives you the right to potentially ruin a life?
>But you have to pay rent and make money to live. Maybe you should consider your own loyalties to your job and your personal well-being.
>A middle age average-looking woman is worried her online boyfriend may be a catfish. They’ve only been talking for 2 months, but she wants to meet him before she gets too involved. Not much is at stake. It seems like this is an opportunity for real love!
>You fly to the girls state and are able to successfully contact the man and he agrees to meet. The next day you all meet up, and it turns out that she was not being catfished! The guy is from the photos and everything he said online is true. They hit it off right away and when the show checks back in, they are officially dating and happily together! This is a rare "success story" episode.
>Unfortunately, the episode received poor ratings as the story was not appealing to viewers in the commercial previews. Viewers of the episode were upset that there was no actual catfish and angrily take to Twitter announcing that they don’t watch this show for “real love”. MTV is upset with your choice and push you to create a better storyline next week.Â
>As the name implies, you are on a team of people who facilitate the investigations that take place on MTV’s Catfish. As described in this Vulture article about the process, you don’t want to ruin anyone’s life, but you also need to make the most compelling episode of television out of a story you can, or you could lose your job.Â
>You tend to rely on Mill’s Principle of Utility to make ethical sense of your life–your episodes try to create the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, audience and cast member alike.Â
>Your task today is to go through your email inbox and decide which situation should be investigated by the show and put on air.Â
>You feel conflicted. You thought this show was about helping people stop living false lives, but it seems like no-one wants to see happy endings.
>Nodding's Relational Ethics & Judeo-Christian Persons-As-Ends Ethics both say to value others as individuals and to consider the human lives and experiences in all ethical conundrums. Maybe it's time for a change?
>You are proud of what you accomplished, but decide to seek a different TV production job.
>Victims of catfishing are a diverse group with a few overarching factors that make them targets. According to recent research, older women are the most likely to get catfished, and victims generally have public social media accounts and no restriction on who can send them private messages.
>Additionally, many victims are lonely and isolated individuals, meaning they are willing to overlook suspicious behavior for the sake of connection.
>>You, the catfish victim, have been using a popular dating app for several months with little results. You finally get a message from someone who seems interested! The only problem is that their photos look a little strange, and they immediately ask you to move off the app to email.
>The person is funny, kind, and exactly your type! You want to meet up with them in person, but they say they’re on the other side of the U.S. That’s a little suspicious, but you’re inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.
>They decline to video call, saying that their computer doesn’t have a camera. That’s even more suspicious, but not impossible–what if it’s just a series of unfortunate coincidences?
