‘Catfish’ Star Nev Schulman Schools Larry King on How to Avoid Getting Catfished

Are we a society of screen addicts? “Catfish” star and internet darling Nev Schulman sat down with Larry King on the Emmy nominated series “Larry King Now” to shed light on why our digital lives could be making us less empathetic and the trouble with forging relationships online. Plus, Nev’s case for connecting in real life.

MTV’s “Catfish” star Nev Schulman explained to Larry King that the time we spend online is affecting our ability to meaningfully connect with each other “When we curate our emotions based on what’s easy for us, we lose touch with the ability to connect with people who are going through something difficult” he said.

The ‘In Real Life’ author talked about his thought process before sharing something online, “Whenever I’m in a situation that I’m excited about, I say to myself ‘Why do you need to take a picture of this? Why do you need to share this with other people, instead of just being here, being present, and really taking it in for yourself?’” Nev also shared some telltale signs with Larry King on whether or not someone may be digitally lying to you, and the crossover between catfish and scam artists.



The “Catfish” host finished his interview with Larry King by answering social media questions from some of his biggest fans, including the worst catfish he’s encountered and whether he’d recommend digital dating to his one-day children.


"I immediately understood and sympathized with her and saw that her situation left her with very few choices." — on sympathizing with the woman who deceived him in "Catfish" (the movie)

"There's an interesting overlap between catfish and scam artists.”

“Even if they person that you’ve been talking to via social media is exactly who they’ve presented themselves to be, you’re never going to get what you expect because even when you're face-to-face, relationships change. People change. Some are more honest than others, and you can never account for chemistry or attraction or awkwardness."




“It’s not real, but you don’t have to be as vulnerable. You don't potentially get embarrassed or turned away. There's not as much of a risk. You can connect with lots of people, but if they don't like you or you don't like them, it's very easy to disengage." — on why we choose to communicate digitally versus in real life

“I think the fact that we’re all now so much more invested in our digital selves gives us permission to embellish here and there.” — on why we lie online

“I think the less we look each other in the eyes and the less time we spend listening to each other rather than just putting out content for everyone to consume, the less we understand each other, and as a result, the less likely we are to actually feel and be felt.” — on why our digital lives are making us less empathetic

"It's easy to be mean or critical of someone else, especially when there's no way for them to do it back." “What I’m hopeful is that we can redirect some of the energy that gets spent online to something good.” “We have a huge picture window now which is our screen life, whether it’s your phone or your computer or television, movies, and we’re constantly distracting ourselves from ourselves with other people’s lives and information and ideas.” "It's just people who are struggling, who are unhappy or lonely or insecure." — on what catfish have in common "It has turned our world into a single community." — on the best thing about the Internet


Full Interview - http://on.ora.tv/WnIojA

This Week’s Schedule:

Monday - Kathy Griffin

Tuesday -  Craig Ferguson

Wednesday - Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos

Thursday - Michelle Monaghan