Equal parts a dive into the old-school Internet of 2005, when YouTube was a new and unknown site, and a murder mystery to rival even Knives out, this “Internet Story” video is something you should watch right now.
In under 10 minutes, Internet Story by filmmaker Adam Butcher is a criminally underrated short film, a modern-day fable that holds incredible insight.
Since it’s such a short video, we can’t tell you much about it, but this teaser should pique your interest enough to give it a watch:
“A fast-paced and experimental film told through fragments of internet videos, animations, blogs and news articles. A series of shocking events unfolds when a young man creates a public treasure hunt for his own amusement and a video blogger decides to pursue the riddles across country.”
Adam Butcher’s Internet Story deals with the wonders of the web of old, when everyone was anonymous. However, instead of waxing poetic about that privacy, it showcases exactly what could go wrong and turns into an impressive thriller.
Considering how nowadays Internet users have to deal with threats like catfishing, doxxing, social-media induced depression and parasocial relationships distorting their reality field, Internet Story still resonates. Somehow, 13 years after Adam Butcher’s Internet Story launched, this short film not only holds up well but appears prophetic.
As for the nostalgia factor, you get treats like a glimpse at the old Internet, including Youtube’s first design and the chaotic old-school forums that were thriving way before 4Chan had mainstream notoriety, plus the joy of geocaching. Remember geocaching? Those treasure hunts got people to walk away from their computers way before Pokemon Go did the same.
In any case, if you watched Internet Story, I’m sure you’re going to want more, so here’s a link to Adam Butcher’s portfolio for more amazing short films – and a link to a great Internet Story analysis.
Also read: The 26 Lines of Code that Changed the World, A New Book You Should Definitely Add to Your List
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