Film adaptation is always perceived to be controversial. Movie directors often capturecapture storylines and try to send deeper meaning of hidden information within a two hour film. For example, the movie Smiley is a 2012 horror film directed by Michael Gallagher. The movie is a product of the American Psychological Slasher Film Company and it seeks to attractentice viewers with cheap scares. Moreover, the viewers’ expectation anticipation of watching the movie matches the deeper meaning that the director sends viewers. SSmiley is not all about horror for entertainment, but rather social atrocities associated with the Internet. An overview of this horror film will educate enlighten people on the hidden meaning that the director was passing to the society, which is the Internet can be a source of great evil.
The plot of the movie revolves around a titulakiller named Smiley that is circulating on the Internet as an urban legend (Eve par. 1). It is an Internet myth where a person logged on a ‘ChatRoulete’ website, leads their chat partner to death by simply typing the phrase “I did it for the lulz.” Smiley appears every time a person chatting online types this phrase three times. The movie depicts portrays a huge prank organized by a classroom to get at one of their classmates (Olsen par. 2). They manage deaths through the web cam to freak out one of the characters in the movie. Watching the entire movie creates a philosophical discussion in an attempt to clearly understand the filmThey stage manage deaths through the web cam chat to freak out one of the characters in the movie. Watching the entire movie sparks a philosophical discussion in an attempt to clearly understand the film.
In the 21st century, people are involved group in various peer groups, especially high school and college students. The movie clearly shows how the college freshman Ashley tries to find her way in the new school. She eventually joins a circle of friends who lead her to make wrong
decisions. These peer groupings have been known to be poor influences on the lives of many people, especially in this era of Internet interaction. Many of the moral and decent people always get influenced to make an unwise decision through peer pressure. The director of the movie shows how peers can be mischievous and plot evil deeds such as murderinfluence their friends. This is well replicated presented in the movie, where Ashley, who is the good girl, is tricked to participate partake in the dreadful online prank. The deeper element of messages passed in the movie highlights how human mind and ethics have been harmed by technologyThe deeper and introspective elements of messages passed in the movie highlights how human reason and ethics has deteriorated with the introduction of technology (Harris par. 2). Technology has slowly but steadily caused humanity’s downfall and Gallagher uses this horror film to educate the world about the dangers of the Internet as a social tool.
Smiley shows how people witness the inhumanity in society spread through the Internet. Gallagher ascertains believes that humanity has changed the Internet platform to be a base of unleashing violence, homophobic, and racism racist, and misogynistic attacks. The online articles, as well as social media pages, have greatly been flooded with negative information about race, sexuality and dirty politics. By using the phrase, “I did it for the lulz” in the film shows that the typical vicious platform online discourse has turned out to be in the recent times (Harris par. 5). The Smiley killer represents the evil within humanity that is rapidly tearing the sanity that is within the society. However, the culprits who are responsible for perpetuating keeping these heinous awful atrocities have hid behind the cowardice of anonymity.
Online discussions, as well as chat rooms, are becoming dangerous locales for releasing forces that could kill humanity. The Internet attracts millions of users conducting online activity on a daily basis. While coming in handy as a tool to conduct business, research information and for various other tasks, the Internet also degrades ethical considerations that remained in the human race worldwidethe same Internet demeans the little ethical consideration that was remaining in the human race Just like a serial killer, the evil on the Internet will submerge the
Humanitarian plight of humanity (Harris par 3). Gallagher shares this assumption through the movie. One of the characters, ‘Binder,’ says, “all the evil around the Internet found one place to hide” (Zhuravsky par. 2). This affirms ascertains that the Internet is the root of all evil within humanity in the modern era. From the movie, Ashley portrays represents the fragileweakness of, emotional and mental state of most people who are exposed to the negative influence on the Internet. Most people usually doubt themselves when they first read the articles and insulting posts on the web. However, they continue to sink deeper into madness, in turn killing humanity. they continue to sink deeper into the paranoi
The evil being spread on interaction websites can easily find physical form and cause destruction on societyThe evil being spread on most of the interaction websites can easily find physical form and cause immense havoc on the society. As people learn about the negative influence killing humanity over the Internet, actions will be placed to avoid its escalation, measures will be put to place to avert its escalation. The world is not sliding but rather galloping into a new transitional dystopia of World Wide Web. Smiley poses compelling questions to the ethics of technology (Zhuravsky par. 3). The modern societies are easily finding it easier to manifest their evil nature and get away with it without being convicted for the wrong they commit. The philosophies of characters in the film have replicated the intersection of strange people of this age. The opposition to catch the culprits who are responsible for the negative comments as well as the defamation also comes out in the movieThe reluctance to fish out the culprits who are responsible for the negative comments as well as the defamation also comes out in the movie. When Ashley reports the murder incidences to the authorities all they do is to dismiss it as a prank without even further investigation. This ignorance has contributed to the degradation of moral standards of the society. Racists, sexual offenders, and other law breakers are getting away with crimes they commit daily, yet the responsible law implementers are doing nothing to avert this worrying trend.
Sadly though, this emanating threat has not been recognized outside national security circles. International surveillance industries have taken no incentives to speak out against these negativities being spread. In this instance, however, it could be because after beginning the prank, Ashley then feels remorseful and tries to reverse what she has done. Throughout the course of the movie she then cannot determine what is truly going on around her and sinks into paranoia. In this frame of the mind, it is difficult at best, for the police to truly believe her story or even to think there is a
story there at all. It is a sad example of when people become so deformed by their actions or information from online sources, they are not able to discern what is transpiring in the real world. So the police think Ashley is merely a very disturbed young lady rather than someone attempting to rectify a wrong.
Many people perceive the Internet as the greatest tool of emancipationexpressing their feelings, but in reality it has transformed into a dangerous facilitator tool to socializeof totalitarian. Already the advances of artificial intelligence have created a risk of corrupting and replacing human race from their respective jobs. Perhaps another reason for the reluctance of the authorities is due to the silent mode through which the Internet is transforming the society (Assange, et al., 71). Nevertheless, global civilization is threatened by the postmodern dystopia which is resulting from breakout of skilled individuals supposed to conduct the surveillance. It certainly has made our way of live vastly different within with a very short period of time and is an outlet for many people that do have enough interaction or satisfaction in their daily lives. They can simply hop on the Internet and talk to people they feel connected with for hours, without ever seeing them or really knowing anything about them. With this becoming so prevalent in our society through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, it is imperative people exercise proper care in their posts, screen who they are talking too and why and exercise proper caution in online chat rooms. Websites such as Wikileaks have exposed secrets of most powerful nations that have raised questions over the credibility of the surveillance of such nations. Besides, such secrets being spilled all over the Internet, people wonder how authorities vow to protect people from danger yet they fail to protect state secrets from being exposed.
The new world of the Internet abstracts itself from the old world of in terms of expressing one's viewsThe new world of the Internet abstracts itself from the old world of dictation and colonial oppression in terms of speech and expressing one's views. However, responsible persons have to move with speed to control the virtue of freedom to express opinions over the Internet. Although this may interfere with the independence of personal opinions, it is the best way to curb counter the monster of inhuman nature portrayed represented over the Internet (Assange, et al., 153). This brings forth the hope that courage insight and solidarity will help individuals resist the urge to spread animosity and negativity through blogs, social media
platforms and online Internet articles. As various states are merging up through the Internet, the future of global civilization as well as humanity becomes the future of Internet relations. Additionally, serious sensitization of Internet etiquette will also contribute to reduce the abuses that currently exist on the webserious sensitization of Internet etiquette will also contribute to curbing the coercive force that is currently a platonic realm on the web. This will improve the physical world that is filled with cyber-pranks and human ignorance. This behavior, however, is not something that is easily modified and has been the subject of much legal discussion over the last several years for how do your govern cyberspace and what limits should be placed on a person’s personal freedoms while online? What constitutes a violation of someone else’s rights or privacy constraints? It is an area of deep debate that will likely take a tremendously long time to adequately address and define. Meanwhile, more abuses and crimes will be committed because of the nature of the Internet and the freedom with which trusting, lonely people can easily be placed at the mercy of people with less than the best intentions. It’s an extremely important issue in today’s world and one that could polarize people at times on what it means to control or limit Internet usage in this fashion.
Another theme addressed in this film is what is real and what is not. Ironically, most horror films would never even endeavor to ask such a deeply philosophical question and are available to entertain only, but Gallagher does attempt to tackle this issue although he could have certainly improved how this was accomplished. To prove the point, Ashley and her friends cannot determine if Smiley is actually killing people or it is all just a game gone horribly awry. That is why Ashley transforms from a vibrant heroine to a young girl that is mentally shattered. She has no concept of what is going on around her and does not stand on firm ground. She is clearly not living in reality.
In an era where anyone can jump online to find nearly any kind of material they can seek, such as games, videos and any kind of content that can be imagined, what is real? It is very easy for many people to lose their own grips on reality or what is truly going on in the world when they conduct online relationships or use the Internet to subvert to their ideas of what the world should be like, which in turn could cause them to withdraw even further.
Also, can knowing and thinking something is evil be enough to make it arise or give it life? Or does evil reside in a person and they bring it out of themselves as well as bolstering its presence in other people using the Internet as a tool to do so? These are intriguing questions. As is the Smiley killer what all people will develop into at the end of the day? Do people have the capacity or the propensity to become shadowy figures giving in to their base urges rather than interacting in a more normal one and one social setting? Of course all these things can and have happened, as there will always be people that abuse anything that is available to further their own purposes but faith in humanity because in the end this faith will provide the necessary laws implemented to streamline the system. It will become safer for everyone if people realize the risks.
It is worth saying that ‘smiley’ drives a crucial point home. The movie highlights the negativity among humanity. Nothing in the movie looks clumsy amateurish as the screenplay develops a story that attracts many viewers. The visuals of the killer in the film come with humor that completely makes one comfortable to note the thin line of the message being passed in the plot story. Gallagher captures the pulse of a culture that is corroding the human race. He tackles the subject of the Internet monster and that many individuals are falling victim to its allusions. Many critics have termed the movie a low budget film, however, it has been an effective vehicle to enlighten educatemany people on the casual cynicism and nihilistic misanthropeInternet's abuse that often goes along with
online culture. The fear of technology causing humanity downfall has been ignored for a long time. With movies such as Smiley, this discussion should be embraced adopted within society to help reduce the negative effects of the Internet.
Works Cited
Assange, Julian, Jacob Appelbaum, Andy Müller-Maguhn & Jérémie Zimmermann. Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet. New York, NY: OR Books, 2012.
Harris, Mark H. 'Smiley' Movie Review. 2012. Web. 22 May 2014. <http://horror.about.com/od/2012theatricalreviews/fr/Smiley-Movie-Review.htm>
Michael Hallows Eve. Smiley (2012) Plot Summary. Web. 22 May 2014 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2025667/plotsummary>
Olsen, Mark. Review: 'Smiley' an Internet Age horror film. 11 October 2012. Web. 22 May 2014. <http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/11/entertainment/la-et-mn-smiley-capsule-20121012>
Zhuravsky, Mark. Review: 'Smiley' An Internet Age Horror Film That's Not Quite Worth Booting Up. 9 October 2012. Web. 22 May 2014. <http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/smiley-an-internet-age-horror-film-thats-not-quite-worth-booting-up-20121009>
