True stories of bullying, death threats, and other online crimes are featured in Syfy’s unscripted series The Internet Ruined My Life. Set to kick off its six episode season one on March 9, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT, the new series is executive produced by Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Jerry Kolber, and Adam Davis.
The Plot: “Each half-hour episode takes viewers behind the headlines with two gripping first-person accounts of how real people ruined their lives with the stroke of one key. Knowledgeable experts, including a former NYPD Lieutenant and a criminal justice professor and one of the country’s leading advocates for victims of cyberbullying and online crime, offer new insights into these cases as well as information on how to navigate the unregulated world of the internet.”
The Internet Ruined My Life Stories:
SUEY PARK (Chicago, IL)
When Suey posts #CancelColbert on Twitter in response to a perceived racist joke on The Colbert Report, it leads to death threats and eventually a sniper outside her window threatening to pull the trigger.
LEIGH VAN BRYAN (Coventry, UK)
Leigh tweets, ‘Free this week, for a quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?’ about his upcoming Los Angeles vacation. A misunderstanding of British slang leads the Department of Homeland Security to detain and deport him as a suspected terrorist.
BRIANNA WU (Boston, MA)
Brianna sends a tweet supporting women’s rights in the gaming industry and wakes up to thousands of gamers calling for her death.
MARK (Los Angeles, CA)
Mark is a celebrated chef, but when he decides to defend a fellow chef on Facebook, a woman threatens his daughter’s life. When Mark retaliates, it costs him his career.
CAMERON JANKOWSKI (Fort Wayne, IN)
Cameron will do anything for a piece of Internet fame, but when he participates in the #pissolympics and submits a photo to the online contest, he finds himself at the mercy of a SWAT team and the suspect of a federal crime facing up to 20 years in prison.
ALLYSON PEREIRA (Franklin, NJ)
Allyson succumbs to her ex-boyfriend’s requests for a topless photo. When he shares the photo with her entire social network, the resulting bullying drives her to try and take her own life.
ASHLEY VANPEVENAGE (Tacoma, WA)
Ashley gets a makeover so dramatic her make-up artist posts the “Before” and “After” images on Instagram without thinking that the image would be turned into a hateful meme shared millions of times sending her into hiding.
NICOLE CROWTHER (Fort Meyers, FL)
Nicole was cast as an extra on Glee, but months after her time on set, she tweets a rumor overheard at a dinner party. The Gleeks hunt her down online, ultimately blacklisting her from the acting world and causing her to abandon her dreams and move out of state.
SIERRA MCCURDY (Laurel, MS)
Sierra comments on her Facebook feed about a sensitive news story about two police officers. In her haste she types the wrong emoji. This error incites online violence that spirals into the real world when she is run off the road…and later must flee her town.
ANNMARIE CHIARINI (Baltimore, MD)
Annmarie’s boyfriend convinces her to take nude photos for his eyes only, but after a break up he auctions them off to the highest bidder online and the photos crop up for her college students and the world to see.
JENNIFER BOX (Dallas, TX)
Jennifer’s prank video “Drunk Girl in Public” goes viral and the world misinterprets it. Millions of online viewers hold her responsible, resulting in death and rape threats that land Jennifer in the hospital.
CHRISTOPHER HERMELIN (Los Angeles, CA)
Christopher is shocked to discover a photo of him taken while out in public, without his knowledge, landed on front page of Reddit. It morphs into a cruel meme, taunting him and rendering him afraid for his life.
