The mixed, even controversial user reviews that go along with this movie, reflect that some are disappointed because of having expected more deep delving treatments from this film maker, contrary to others who find the presented topics revealing and eye-opening and are happy with the given information. The professional reviews, on the other hand, are overall positive, with no exception, giving rise to the (possibly unfounded) assumption that this writer category is not familiar with the dark sides of Internet, and that the presented material is new to them and thus eye-opening.
For me, having worked in IT all my life, mostly in the field of information security, those dark sides are all in my day's work, regrettably. This movie is not relevant for me to upgrade my knowledge, but rather to welcome a serious attempt to involve the "end user" in all the bad things that can happen. It is very difficult to make the layman (m/f) aware how important these issues are for them, let alone emphasizing how easy it is to fall victim of people up to no good. Awareness is rising, luckily, especially after some recent incidents in 2018 that arose everyone's attention, specialists and non-specialists alike.
The sub-division in chapters is logical. It clarifies where a fresh subject starts, and never becomes artificial. I saw some subjects that have nothing to do with Internet, strictly speaking, like the problems some people have with radiation (conversely, WiFi and 3G/4G have considerably contributed to the growth of Internet, but it really is something else). Unlike many popular media, this movie did not show the dark sides of Internet along the path of sex, drugs, arms trade and similar dubious areas. Rather, a central theme was created out of the unmitigated distribution of embarrassing photos and intimate video's that could better be kept private, as well as hate mail that can have devastating effects on recipients. Along that line of thought, sending nasty e-mails is simplified and anonymized by Internet, and not not need any special hardware or software, so anyone can do it (conversely, the bare truth is that it would also have been possible without Internet).
Nearly all issues brought forward were indeed thought provoking, including guessing what the world would look like after and without Internet, e.g. in a post-apocalypse situation. There were irrelevant exceptions, however, like a scene in the beginning of the movie, showing the room where the Internet was "born". The equipment on display gave rise to nostalgic feelings, for me that is, but does that part of history have some bearing on the Internet as it became after 30 years?? We know the optimistic stories of that time, where self-regulation and self-mitigation was assumed as a matter of course.
As a final observation about the movie's format, several talking heads were introduced but their number was not overwhelming and they all got their speaking chance in several scenes, which allowed us to familiarize ourselves with them and their opinions. Unlike the usual voice-over that is annoying within the average documentary, this time the director himself (I assume) was not in the foreground too much, merely linking the scenes together without becoming too scholarly. He particularly did not try to showcase his knowledge (he himself admitted being ignorant on this subject, which could have served as a universal disclaimer, but I don't doubt his intentions here).
Given my primary reasons to watch this movie, not to extend my knowledge but to welcome any serious attempt to showcase the issues at hand, I conclude that It will make many people aware what's going on, but is bound to disappoint others who expected more solid information.
For me, having worked in IT all my life, mostly in the field of information security, those dark sides are all in my day's work, regrettably. This movie is not relevant for me to upgrade my knowledge, but rather to welcome a serious attempt to involve the "end user" in all the bad things that can happen. It is very difficult to make the layman (m/f) aware how important these issues are for them, let alone emphasizing how easy it is to fall victim of people up to no good. Awareness is rising, luckily, especially after some recent incidents in 2018 that arose everyone's attention, specialists and non-specialists alike.
The sub-division in chapters is logical. It clarifies where a fresh subject starts, and never becomes artificial. I saw some subjects that have nothing to do with Internet, strictly speaking, like the problems some people have with radiation (conversely, WiFi and 3G/4G have considerably contributed to the growth of Internet, but it really is something else). Unlike many popular media, this movie did not show the dark sides of Internet along the path of sex, drugs, arms trade and similar dubious areas. Rather, a central theme was created out of the unmitigated distribution of embarrassing photos and intimate video's that could better be kept private, as well as hate mail that can have devastating effects on recipients. Along that line of thought, sending nasty e-mails is simplified and anonymized by Internet, and not not need any special hardware or software, so anyone can do it (conversely, the bare truth is that it would also have been possible without Internet).
Nearly all issues brought forward were indeed thought provoking, including guessing what the world would look like after and without Internet, e.g. in a post-apocalypse situation. There were irrelevant exceptions, however, like a scene in the beginning of the movie, showing the room where the Internet was "born". The equipment on display gave rise to nostalgic feelings, for me that is, but does that part of history have some bearing on the Internet as it became after 30 years?? We know the optimistic stories of that time, where self-regulation and self-mitigation was assumed as a matter of course.
As a final observation about the movie's format, several talking heads were introduced but their number was not overwhelming and they all got their speaking chance in several scenes, which allowed us to familiarize ourselves with them and their opinions. Unlike the usual voice-over that is annoying within the average documentary, this time the director himself (I assume) was not in the foreground too much, merely linking the scenes together without becoming too scholarly. He particularly did not try to showcase his knowledge (he himself admitted being ignorant on this subject, which could have served as a universal disclaimer, but I don't doubt his intentions here).
Given my primary reasons to watch this movie, not to extend my knowledge but to welcome any serious attempt to showcase the issues at hand, I conclude that It will make many people aware what's going on, but is bound to disappoint others who expected more solid information.