From his mischievous childhood to his teenage years as a bully, the producer and host of “Catfish: The TV Show” shared stories from his personal life along with advice on handling social media during his speech as one of Georgia State’s distinguished speakers last Thursday.
The person we know today as the popular catfish buster on MTV claims he wasn’t always the same person he is today. On a stage in front of hundreds of Georgia State students, Nev Schulman admitted that he wasn’t always the kindest person.
“I was a bully. I just wasn’t who I am now,” Schulman said.
After sending his best friend to the hospital for punching him and fracturing his skull, Nev was told by his brother that while he loved him, he didn’t really like him. This made him realize that he needed to change.
A part of this change occurred when Nev was catfished. The term “catfish” refers to a person who makes false identities on social networking sites. To be “catfished” means to fall in love with one of the false identities only to realize the person behind the screen is a completely different individual. The nineteen year old girl, Megan, who Nev fell in love with online, turned out to be a middle aged woman named Angela.
“The process of revelation is still taking place. It was a lifelong lesson in communication, identity, and self awareness,” Schulman said in an interview prior to his speech.
A documentary of this discovery and all the steps it took to find Nev’s online lover turned into the popular film “Catfish” and served as the inspiration for the show “Catfish: The TV Show.” In its past two seasons, people from all over the country have contacted Schulman for help in finding their online lovers in real life. However, in the approaching third season, Schulman says he wants to do a lot more.
“We’re broadening the scope… we’re looking at any new take on how digital relationships are affecting our lives,” Schulman said.
Nev plans on expanding the show to include people who are trying to help their friends and family who are in online relationships. He also says he wants to help people facing online bullying find and confront their bullies.
Nev added that “Catfish: The TV Show” is a great show for families to watch together.
“It sets up a conversation for being careful online,” Schulman said.
A part of Schulman’s speech included advice for students about making meaningful friendships, and maintaining a balance between real friends and friends on social media sites.
“Facebook hijacked the word ‘friend.’ The word ‘friend’ used to mean something,” Schulman said.
Schulman advised students to find friends that would change, challenge, and excite them, adding that people who are really weird are also really interesting and students should not hesitate to become friends with people who are different from themselves.
“I always hang around people who are smarter than me because it elevates me,” he explained.
The last part of Schulman’s speech emphasized the importance of kindness. He showed a picture of a poster in his office that says “If you work really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen.”
“Kindness is not always built in… I think it’s important to remember to be kind in everything you do,” Schulman said.
Schulman is currently in the stages of writing a book and is looking for stories as he gears up for season 3 of “Catfish: The TV Show.”
