EIU Media Relations

Host of MTV's "Catfish" to Speak on Safety in the Digital World

The host of MTV’s hit television series “Catfish: The TV Show” will tackle some of the complexities of dating in the digital world and online safety during a lecture at Eastern Illinois University.

Nev Schulman will share specific tips and lessons from his own experiences as host of the documentary series that exposes the truth about online relationships and catfishes. A catfish is a person who pretends to be someone they are not on the Internet. In the series, Schulman tells the stories of young people as their online-only romantic relationships collide with reality after they meet their romantic partners for the first time in person.

With an average of 2.5 million viewers, who are mainly high school- and college-aged students, the series has made Schulman a household name and icon for young people throughout the nation. He also recently wrote a book titled “In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age,” which focuses on how to connect with individuals in the digital world.

The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, in EIU’s McAfee Gym. Tickets for EIU students are $5 and tickets for the general public are $8. Special front seat tickets and meet-and-greet passes are available for $10. Tickets can be purchased in the Ticket Office at the Martin Luther King Jr. Union (second floor, west side), via phone at 217- 581-5122 or online here.

This University Board-sponsored lecture is taking place in October, which is national Cyberbullying Awareness Month, to help students learn the proper use of the Internet and become aware of suspicious activity.