A new Netflix documentary anthology series is diving into the cesspool of misinformation in the new trailer for Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies & The Internet.
The series, from director Brian Knappenberger, tells stories of people caught in a dark and twisted web of modern digital deception, according to a press release.
The topics include the sometimes-deadly consequence of SWATing, taking a chilling trip down the rabbit hole of white supremacist online echo chambers, a Federal manhunt of an IRS heist suspect, and a murder investigation amidst a backdrop of Russian election interference.
Ordinary American households collide with a chaotic torrential storm of misinformation in these tales of warped reality peppered with surprising plotlines and richly distinctive characters.
The series comes from production companies Luminant Media and Imagine Documentaries.
Some of the other topics touched upon in the series include women being blackmailed with sexual material, a Beanie Babies counterfeiter, and the murder of a Washington D.C. staffer that spurs conspiracy theories.
The danger of misinformation is certainly an important topic in this day and age, where it seems that any theory — no matter how false — can now be preserved for all of time, thanks to the internet. The toxicity of this “junk data” was prophetically touched upon twenty years ago in the video game Metal Gear Solid 2.
“The digital society furthers human flaws and selectively rewards the development of convenient half-truths,” a character states in the game. “Everyone withdraws into their own small gated community, afraid of a larger forum. They stay inside their little ponds, leaking whatever ‘truth’ suits them into the growing cesspool of society at large.”
Web of Make Believe hits Netflix June 15.
Published: May 26, 2022 12:54 pm