Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet

Last updated
Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet
Genre Docuseries
Created by Brian Knappenberger
Directed byBrian Knappenberger
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companies Imagine Documentaries
Luminant Media
Original release
Network Netflix
Release15 June 2022 (2022-06-15)

Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet is an anthology true crime docuseries, directed by Brian Knappenberger, [1] released on Netflix [2] on June 15, 2022. The series explores instances of digital misinformation and its consequences. [3] [4]

Contents

Summary

Each episode presents an example of how the internet is used to cause harm and commit crimes. The people involved in the cases tell their struggles, mistakes and efforts to catch the perpetrators, and also how it affected their lives. After introducing the key characters in the case the episodes explain how the internet was used to commit the crimes. [5]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 6June 15, 2022 (2022-06-15)

Season 1 (2021)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal release date
11"Death by SWAT"June 15, 2022 (2022-06-15)

An online gamer makes a series of fraudulent 9-1-1 phone calls to lure police SWAT teams to innocent people's homes, known as swatting. [6]

Presented case: 2017 Wichita swatting in Wichita, Kansas
22"A Murder in D.C."June 15, 2022 (2022-06-15)

The murder of a political staffer spawns several right-wing conspiracy theories. [7]

Presented case: Murder of Seth Rich in Washington, D.C.
33"I'm Not a Nazi"June 15, 2022 (2022-06-15)
A woman tells the story of how she became a mouthpiece for a white nationalist hate speech group. [8]
44"Sextortion"June 15, 2022 (2022-06-15)
Several women recall their experiences of virtual blackmail, aimed at obtaining sensitive sexual material, known as sextortion. [9]
55"The Stingray, Part 1"June 15, 2022 (2022-06-15)
Two hackers revisit their tax fraud schemes that caught law enforcement's attention. [10]
66"The Stingray, Part 2"June 15, 2022 (2022-06-15)

The FBI hunts the hacker, but he quickly turns the tables by contesting the legitimacy of a crucial instrument in their investigation, the Stingray phone tracker.

Presented case: Daniel Rigmaiden tax fraud

Reception

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 83% "Fresh" rating with an average rating of 6 out of 10 based on 6 reviews. [11]

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References

  1. Cobb, Kayla. "Brian Knappenberger Is the Best Director Documenting Our Digital Age". Decider. Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  2. "Watch Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  3. Keller, Joel. "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Web Of Make Believe: Death, Lies And The Internet' On Netflix, A Docuseries About Digital Misinformation And Its Consequences". Decider. Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  4. Shore, Martin (20 June 2022). "Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet — release date, trailer, premise and more". www.whattowatch.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  5. Acosta, Nelson (15 June 2022). "'Web Of Make Believe: Death, Lies And The Internet' Review: Or How Terrifying The Internet Can Be". Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. Norton, Romey (10 June 2022). "Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet review – fascinating, forthright and frightening". www.readysteadycut.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  7. Phillips, Aaron (21 June 2022). "REVIEW: 'Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies & the Internet' is a Haunting Watch". www.butwhythopodcast.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  8. Adelgaard, Karina (14 June 2022). "Web of Make believe: Death, Lies and the Internet – Netflix Review". www.heavenofhorror.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  9. Wheeler, Greg (15 June 2022). "Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet – Netflix Season 1 Review". www.thereviewgeek.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  10. Morfoot, Addie (26 May 2022). "Netflix Docuseries 'Web of Make Believe' Tackles Sextortion and Death by 'Swatting' in First Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  11. "Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies & the Internet". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.