The phenomenon of 4chan is somewhat scary for most people who don’t have access to “that part of the internet”. For most of us who have only learnt of the bad side of the website, Netflix’s newest documentary that tries to showcase (once again) how the internet is bad, feels somewhat approachable ironically. 4chan is truly not for the uninitiated – it’s a murky mess where you can get a little lost if you don’t know what you’re doing. But of course, like most other parts of the internet, it’s a fun place for people who like being anonymous to have some fun without the thought of being judged.

Most people who have grown up with the internal, might, like me, feel a bit bored of the documentaries that try to capture the essence of the internet revolution and the subsequent culture that it created. Of course, that is forever ever-evolving but the essence of these shows mostly revolve around the worst parts of the internet and try to create a chaos that feels cheap, unnecessary and grossly unfair as well. The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem is a little bit of that, but it is surprisingly extremely interesting in the same beat so it sucks you into its narrative early on and never really lets you go.

Although the older generation might find another way to point to the internet and proclaim how the internet is what is bringing about the end of the world, there are many moments in this documentary film that those of us who grew up with the internet will find surprisingly relatable. However, we slowly move from the relatable and rather sweet start of the documentary to the insanity that 4chan eventually became and I must say that the film does a great job of slowly increasing that intensity to eventually giving us a nice downtime.

However, the fundamental problem with documentaries of this genre is that they are unable to stop themselves from creating chaos and trying to put too much into one small show – it tries to simplify something that cannot inherently be simplified and put it out on a platter, making us feel like everything starts from the topic of the show. In The Antisocial Network as well, it is very interesting how they go from the start of 4chan as a phenomenon and its humble beginnings to the QAnon movement but with very little nuance or even trying to tap into anything other than that.

That being said, geeky documentary fans are going to love this little deep dive and get to know some fascinating stories of 4chan, the birth of some of the most viral memes even today and get a nice breakdown of how different people associated with 4chan created some of the most shocking things whose ripples jumped out of the online realm and affected everything and everyone offline. The story feels out of the world because in a way it is, but it’s told so well that you don’t realise it until it’s over.

The Antisocial Network Review: Final Thoughts

Regardless of failed nuance, The Antisocial Network does great work of peeking behind the curtain of some of the most influential people for millennials who found themselves lonely and needed a place to fit in. It also showcased how some of these people, who surprisingly don’t really take much accountability for their part in the madness, were just nerds trolling each other which got out of hand. It’s a fascinating documentary with its own demerits, but one that viewers will be able to move past easily, especially thanks to those beautiful animations and gritty storytelling.

The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem is streaming on Netflix.

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