The Internet's Own Boy (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #35 extract: The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

The Internet's Own Boy is a documentary that is conventionally structured. However, despite predictability, this is an enthralling story - which certainly speaks to its power and pertinence. The story, as the title suggests, is Aaron's Swartz's - activist and co-founder of Reddit. We are told of his legacy and impact upon the world as a figure that attempted to essentially spread and publicise information. And for this alone, The Internet's Own Boy is worth seeing. Its only real downfalls come with the sense that this doesn't portray all of who Swartz's was, which implies that maybe this is a little too sentimental. However, its biggest triumph beyond storytelling is its ability to present a modern biography, utilising social media and a virtual persona with poignancy.