The american meme.

- The American Meme. (2018. Dir. Bert Marcus). Assorted internet influencers (amongst them Paris Hilton, Kirill Bichutsky and Brittany Furlan) are interviewed about their methods for capturing a huge online following --and in the process wind up revealing the genuine horrors of a soulless existence. 

What starts as something of a vanity project (Hilton is one of the producers) becomes a fascinating exploration of the pitfalls of celebrity adoration and a certain cultural equivalent of fast-food joints (amusing, satisfying once in a bit, but astoundingly dangerous if you make them a regular part of your life). The portrayals of each online personality feel genuine, in that all admit to catering to the lowest common denominator in order to gain attention --enough that they can monetize their quickly-consumed (and quickly forgotten) antics. At times the documentary borders on exploitative as it beings to portray what come across as profoundly self-destructive personalities (at least two of the persons interviewed state numerous times that they want to die but their followers won't let them go). Even Hilton, whom the director attempts to portray as a tragic figure ultimately comes off less as a victim of media and more as a person trapped in a hole of despair of her own making. Her final decision is both reminiscent of a "Black Mirror" episode and borderline surreal: To quite literally live permanently on the Internet, building herself an online world where she's to spend most of her waking hours. 

But seeing this documentary merely as a freak show would be missing the point: There is an understated warning about the dangers of online addiction. How many people do we know who state the same lament many of the interviewees say: "I don't know how to be alone with myself." 

To be sure, the documentary itself remains manipulative. No attempt is made to present a more responsible use of online distractions, nor of the ways in which the Internet itself can be used for more humanitarian causes (say, grassroots campaigns. Say, distribution of urgent information. Say, reaching out to the more communication impaired). In that respect, it's an interesting, provocative and thought-provoking film, but that needs to be balanced with further research on the viewer's part.