How a Single Tweet Can Destroy You: SyFy’s Sobering 10-Minute Preview of “The Internet Ruined My Life”

When we weren’t looking, the SyFy Channel went off and cleaned up its act to become a respectable channel again. There’s nothing wrong with being the home to intentionally bad B-movies, but it’s better if you can make those and also make ambitious space operas (The Expanse), expensive event series (Ascension, Childhood’s End), outerspace adventure shows (Killjoys, Dark Matter), remarkably well-made time travel sagas (12 Monkeys), fun schlock (Z Nation, The Magicians, Haven) and compelling and clever reality programming (Face Off).

It’s too early to tell where the network’s upcoming reality series The Internet Ruined My Life will fall into that grouping, but we can get a start on making up our minds by watching this 10-minute preview focused on Suey Park. When a Colbert Report joke upset many Asian people Twitter, Park, who is a Korean American, joked that they should start a new trend, #CancelColbert. She meant it satirically, trying to play along and meet the Colbert Report‘s satirical tone.

Sadly, sarcasm and satire doesn’t play well in the written word online, and very few people got the joke. A HuffPro reporter interviewed her, but took a quote out of context, turning her into the internet’s favorite enemy. She was harassed by Colbert supports to the point that she received death threats, was forced to move and endured a stalker who found her even after she moved. Friends cut ties with her, and her boyfriend kicked her to the curb.

All because of one joke on Twitter, and an unfortunate interview with the Huffington Post.

Sadly, you just know that The Internet Ruined My Life will have no shortage of candidates for segments on future episodes. In fact, SyFy’s website has a list of 12 people whose stories will be profiled on the show, e.g., a guy detained by Homeland Security due to a misunderstood British slang phrase used on Twitter, a woman who committed suicide after a boyfriend posted a topless photo of her, an aspiring actress chased out of state after spoiling something from the set of Glee. For now, here’s Suey Park’s story:

The Internet Ruined My Life Debut officially debuts March 6th.

Source: io9