Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet- Review
Web of Make Believe is an American crime documentary series that was released on 15 June 2022. Directed by Brian Knappenberger, the series follows the real-life stories of people who became victims of the dark side of the internet.
It highlights the importance of using social media safely. One never knows how and when can things go out of hand on the internet. The series features Aaron Kuban, Samara Couri, and Daniel Rigmaiden as the lead roles. The series consists of a total of six episodes with each telling a different story of virtual horrors and crimes.
The Opening Scene
The first episode of the series called ‘Death by SWAT’ opens with the interview asking a question to Tyler Barris though we only see the sound bars moving and the scene is cut. The first episode is based on Barris’s series of deadly pranks.
Barris started calling the emergency helpline with fake alarms and gave the address of the people who he wanted to come back. Barris was a gamer. After he realized that he could not gain much fame and attention by gaming, he started doing these pranks referred to as “swats”.
He used to claim falsely a bomb in several locations. He seems to enjoy the chaos of people evacuating buildings, caused by his lies. He was once caught for this and sent to jail for a year. But he did not learn after spending his time in prison and made swatting people a business.
Things got seriously dangerous when a Call of Duty gamer dared Barris to swat him. He gave him an old address in Kansas and the police teams went to the place to raid. In the raid, Andrew Finch, who knew nothing of the false accusations ended up being shot by the officers. An innocent life was lost in the name of an internet prank.
Highlighting Internet Crimes
The episodes tell different stories of the dark side of the internet. Web of Make Believe sheds a light on the crimes that are happening in real-time by using the internet as a medium.
Viewers will find it relatable at times because there is a documentary and the stories involve normal people like us. It reminds the people that it is important to keep in mind, one’s safety and privacy while using the internet.
Web of Make Believe is a true crime story and should only be watched if one is ready for the chaos and rage it leaves in the minds of the viewers. The series brilliantly captures the horror and the violence of the virtual world and portrays it in six different episodes.
It talks about issues like substance abuse, sexual harassment, intense violence, and murder. The web series goes all in the display of the horrors rather than just describing it through words and experiences which is why it is rated TV-MA. The actors had a difficult job of portraying the roles of criminals and cynics in their hands but they did it well.
Web Of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet is streaming exclusively on Netflix.
