Theme and message

The power of the internet 

The short film “Viral” by Donald Broida explores the theme of the power of the internet. 

In the beginning of the film, we see how the internet has the power to destroy her life. She overdoses next to her son in a grocery store and a stranger captures the scene on camera and uploads the video online. When the video goes viral, apparently along with her identity, May finds it impossible to escape the hateful comments and judgement from strangers. She obsessively plays the video on repeat, clearly affected by the hateful comments which make her feel like a truly bad mother to Hayden. 

The damaging power of the internet is also seen by the fact that May finds it almost impossible to find a job. Potential employers who search for May’s name on the Internet are bound t...