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Facebooked | Short Film | Miami, FL

Directly following the title card and fade to black, we are introduced to a solitary figure lying in bed, a man we will spend the entirety of Facebooked with. This is no mistake, as the short film aims to discuss the implications of social media networks and ask questions such as “is Facebook as helpful as we make it out to be?”

As our character gets ready for the day – brushing his teeth and making coffee – he is bombarded with horrific-sounding news headlines talking about murders and robberies; yet after the daily weather report, the voice emanating from the man’s phone reminds him to have a ‘happy day.’ The cold, robotic voice reminds us how detached technology is from humanity. Although we surround ourselves with it every day, it will never truly be a part of us.

Equally robotic to the robot’s voice is the way in which our character scrolls through his Facebook feed; he’s not excited by the thought of seeing what his friends and family are up to, it almost seems like it’s a chore for him to mindlessly look at pictures and posts. While brushing his teeth, he’s no longer even scrolling; with the push of a button, his feed automatically scrolls on the mirror. As he leaves the bathroom, the feed is still up, showing the nonchalance and disregard we all have for the constant stream of information we are fed.

As our character stands on a balcony drinking coffee, he speaks to himself (and us,) while helping us realize how backwards our reliance on technology has become. “Now we surround ourselves with distractions from people that we love, our friends and family – the same devices that are used to bring us together are the ones that are tearing us apart,” he says.

As he stands on the balcony, we see a chip with the Facebook logo implanted near his ear, and as he looks at the foggy sky his Facebook feed clogs his view of nature. Although the sky is gloomy, the fact that he can’t even look at the sky is frightening, yet all too real. How many times have you checked your phone while on a walk, or at a national park? While you’re talking with friends or visiting with family? This is what Facebooked wants you to be cognizant of.

The film’s monochromatic color palate and dark tone may be frightening to some – but when you think about how reliant we all are on technology, how frightening can it really be? The film ends with our character waking up again to the robotic voice whispering in his ear, thus illuminating the daily social media cycle we all have become accustomed to.

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