The new Netflix series titled “You” has received various different reviews from different sources. Besides TV critics reviews, there has been an incredible amount of talk about the show on social media and no shortage of memes. I started watching the series awhile back and like many, I felt drawn to this enticing character by the name of Joe. I also felt concerned for the ideas it was giving young women. There were constant tweets going out from girls who were clearly romanticizing this character. The actor who plays Joe, Penn Badgley, has been extremely verbal in interviews and on social media about his feelings towards people romanticizing his character. Much like anyone else in their right mind, he seemed rather against the idea of romanticizing a murderer. Despite some of the negative implications of the show, the series has overall raised an awareness for young women and men.
The series starts with the character Joe stalking a character he just met by the name of Beck. Stalking Beck is far from a difficult task thanks to Joe’s internet connection. Social media allowed Joe to receive access to all of Beck’s personal information. Beck was not one to hide her private life, she kept all of her social media platforms open on public display, and she made it a priority to capture and post almost every moment of her life. This is not an uncommon thing nowadays, as most young people have a habit of oversharing and not to a limited audience. Instagram is probably the most public and most used social media platform. It allows its users to create a name, a biography, post photos/videos, and even 24-hour updates on their stories. Twitter gives its users a chance to speak publicly about anything that crosses their mind and that could be a very personal thing. While there is the option to make these accounts private and limit your audience, many feel they must share pieces of their personal lives to the world. For some, displaying their life on the internet has become an actual career. Most of these people are known as “influencers”. With all of this hype around the internet and social media, it is no wonder Joe had so much access to even the smallest parts of Beck’s life.
https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/12/27/18100495/you-netflix-lifetime-penn-badgley-joe-beck
There has always been this general idea that you want to be careful with strangers and that you do not want to give your personal information out on the internet that everyone tried to live by. Overtime, many seem to have lost sight of that idea and have put themselves in a spot where they are more likely to become victims. This does not necessarily mean victims in the extreme way that is portrayed on the show, but could even mean being a victim to identity theft or credit card fraud. The series “You” has brought awareness to this idea that the information we share is sensitive and that we have to be careful. We never know who is on the other side of our posts. Since people started streaming this show, many have become more cautious in a variety of ways in their lives. Many have even brought attention to others about living in a way that is safe for themselves and those around them. Young women have especially started to find ways to improve their safety both online and offline.
There was recently a documentary that came out regarding a serial killer that went on multiple killing sprees back in the 70’s. Sometimes when we watch shows like “You”, we can forget how real this kind of stuff actually is. This documentary put everything into perspective for me all over again. The Netflix series has surely brought awareness to such an important topic and will continue to do so. Besides entertainment purposes, this show has made a great impact in the lives of women and men all over.