Journal of Emerging Scholarship

This paper presents research conducted over the course of two semesters at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) by a network
security researcher interested in the anthropological aspects of people’s online interactions, particularly catfishing. The study explored the dynamics of catfishing, focusing on the reciprocity of non-tangible and physical items exchanged between catfish and their victims. Contrary to the prevalent notion of negative reciprocity, the research uncovered a theme of a more balanced reciprocity emerging from online interactions. Through digital observation of episodes from Catfish: The TV Show and Catfish: The Podcast, supplemented by insights from a preliminary pilot survey, the study aimed to identify patterns of interaction to serve as warning signs of catfishing. The digital observations were coded, which uncovered information about the reciprocity patterns in catfishing. Although the subsequent pilot survey did not contribute to triangulating the digital observations, it provided valuable direction for refining follow-on research design as well as identifying next steps in fieldwork.