Unfriended: The Demon of Cyberspace

The concept of Cyberspace, created by William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer to describe a society connected entirely through computers, is one that is no longer a vision but rather a reality. Since the emergence of the internet, our interactions with others has changed significantly and as we technologies continue to emerge, our relations become increasingly virtual, to the extent that even sexual intimacy have become possible through cyberspace. Now, although there are many positives to Cyberspace, there are also major concerns that surround it, particularly that of Cyberbullying. Because after all, we are (still) human, and not everyone is so nice. For this post, I would like to discuss the darker side of Cyberspace, by talking about a very interesting horror film called Unfriended.

Unfriended is a film that is about a literal ‘ghost in a machine’ that begins to terrorize and kill a group of teenagers, on the anniversary of the suicide of one of their class-mates. The film explores several different ideas regarding cyberspace, such as the psychological effects of Cyberbullying, as well as our inability to disconnect to our screens, even when we know that it’s the best thing to do in certain situations. Additionally, the film reminds that what we reveal in Cyberspace can never be erased and everything that is said or done can be retraced. Oh, and the film takes place entirely on a single computer screen, which makes every sudden Facebook or I Message notification even scarier. Most importantly, however, it acts as a sharp reminder that in Cyberspace, there no boundaries between private/public information.