Media Studies

Sherlock Being Catfished is a memoir of a self-induced hypnosis, brilliantly choreographing a pas-de-deux with an internet “catfish” and allowing us to see a sensitive, lonely woman succumb to a devilish entrapment helplessly yet altogether knowingly. The story conveys a thrilling level of consciousness, overwhelmed yet in full knowledge of what is happening and even why, enabling Mellen author to speak in a manner that transcends her personal experience, to the universal vulnerability of the human heart. As the scam unfolds, she makes connections between present and past - the work she has done and people she has encountered over her decades of research, investigations and writing. Sherlock Being Catfished is an undeniably unique and penetrating look at the world of internet dating, and how anyone, regardless of their prolific life’s work and accomplishments, can fall victim to a romance scammer.

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Gangster Planet, which is thoroughly researched and documented, yet written in a style that entertains while it informs. Much of the book provides historical analysis about how—as technology is constantly changing—crime not only persists unabated, but criminals upgrade their modernized techniques of doing business as well.It also shows how criminals involved in drug trafficking work hand-in-hand with more “professional” white-collar criminals who assist in laundering the proceeds of crime through public corporations throughout the world.An alternative subtitle could have been “The Transition of Organized Crime into Transnational Organized Crime”.

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Brook Urick worked behind the scenes at notorious sugar daddy website SeekingArrangement for five years while trying her own luck as a sugar baby. Part coming of age memoir and part exposé with a twist of grim dating advice, Brook’s story parallels her unusual relationship history with her ascension working for a pseudo dating website designed to protect predatory men. Through anecdotal evidence and insider information, she paints the picture of an evil machine that serves as an agency for sex trafficking and exploitation.While working under a controversial  CEO, at Seeking (formerly SeekingArrangement or SA), she perpetuated lies to the media while product developers designed a website that absolved perpetrators through anonymity. The rise in social media facades of unattainable luxury and wealth disparity pushed the Disney generation to sign up as sugar babies in droves. Many were victimized. Most victims don’t come forward due to the shame and stigma surrounding sex work. Anonymous abusers are free to return to Seeking and bait their next mark.Brook’s account details how a laissez-faire attitude around sex in her early years led to manipulation, coercion and statutory rape. Her story examines the progression of the internet and its domination over our lives through an untold lens. She points a spotlight on shady websites where pedophiles hide in plain sight, revealing the sordid truth about Seeking through disturbing revelations during her tenure.Many underage sex trafficking reports from law enforcement and women’s centers cite a sugar daddy website as the root cause of abuse. Seeking and websites like it operate in a legal gray area due to vague and outdated laws governing the internet, known as Section 230. So why isn’t Seeking being investigated?

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