Watch The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a thought-provoking documentary film that delves into the life and contributions of technological pioneer Aaron Swartz. The film, directed by Brian Knappenberger and released in 2014, presents the journey of Swartz from his early passion for computers to his sudden and tragic death at the age of 26.

The film features interviews with Swartz’s family members, friends, colleagues, and prominent figures in the tech industry, including Tim Berners-Lee and Cindy Cohn. Through their perspectives, viewers explore Swartz’s revolutionary work, activism, and legal struggles.

The film highlights how Swartz became enamoured with technology from an early age and how it led him to start his own software development company. It follows his involvement in the development of Creative Commons and Reddit, both of which would later become staples of the tech industry. The documentary also showcases Swartz’s political activism and advocacy for a free and open internet.

Drawing on archival footage, the documentary sheds light on Swartz’s activism for the freedom of information and his battles against legal systems that he saw as working against public interests. This includes his campaigns against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Patriot Act, which is viewed as Swartz’s most daring act of civil disobedience.

The documentary then takes viewers through Swartz’s legal battles for his actions of downloading millions of academic articles from JSTOR, which led to him being in violation of a federal anti-hacking law. The film presents a detailed account of Swartz’s indictment, the intimidation of the justice system and his eventual suicide.

As the film progresses, it explores the psychological and emotional turmoil that Swartz was going through and the impact his legal struggles had on him. The documentary portrays an individual in a complex and often fragile state, grappling with his own desires to change the world and the fear of not being able to accomplish that goal.

Ultimately, The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz can be seen as a universal tale of a young person trying to change the world and ending up being stymied and maltreated by the system he wished to improve. The film reveals Swartz’s remarkable talent, dedication, and his remarkable contributions to the world of technology, politics, and activism.

This documentary raises important questions about online and offline attitudes towards innovative thinkers, and presents a heartfelt depiction of a young man who was determined to use technology for social change. The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a moving portrait of a remarkable individual who left an indelible imprint on the digital age.

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a 2014 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 44 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 8.0 and a MetaScore of 72.