We all have a relationship with the Internet. It just depends on how we use it. Though there are people who use it to spread animosity and hostility, others use it to bring joy. And Ralph Breaks The Internet addresses the dichotomy of Internet use.
ThatsItLA attended the Ralph Breaks The Internet press conference. The sequel, which takes place six years after the original, finds Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) living happy lives as arcade sprites of Litwak’s Arcade.
But Vanellope has grown somewhat bored of her game. Racing the same track over and over again doesn’t bring the same kind of joy as it once did. But when a player accidentally breaks her game, and a replacement part is deemed too expensive, Ralph and Vanellope go on a quest to find the part on the Internet. And they soon discover that the Internet is much bigger than they thought. Which can help answer all of Vanellope’s extensional questions and bring out some of Ralph’s worst insecurities.
During the press conference, Silverman was asked about what her relationship to the Internet is like. “Do you know what my search words are,” Silverman joked.
The comedian admitted that things like Twitter seemed like a gimmick at first. She even made fun of her friend who introduced her to Twitter. “Then one day, I was listening to the radio,” Silverman said. “They said follow us on Twitter. And I wanted to hear more about that story. So you have to log on. Then that was it.”
Reilly chimed in saying it was like a gateway drug.
To which, Silverman agreed. She added how she is able to use the platform to test out jokes and if she ever had a funny thought, she has a place to put it for her fans to see and read. She also saw how it helped evolve the way we consume information and news. ” I think the Internet because it was new for us, kids, it’s all they know,” Silverman said. “And they probably… I wonder in what ways that’s good and bad. But we had to learn how to navigate and how to protect ourselves. And what we can handle.”
She also addressed the dichotomy of the Internet and how there can be too much of it but at the same time, it can be a nice treat. At the same time, the Internet can be an unforgiving place, especially when a celebrity makes a mistake.
“There are bells that can’t be unwrung that probably happen a couple of times a week or a day or in the middle of the night,” Silverman said.
“But I think there’s a lot of good on the Internet. It’s brought the world a lot closer,” Silverman said. “It’s made it a lot smaller,” Silverman said. She also acknowledges the darker side of the Internet, which can be a place of outside misinformation and lack of knowing.
But Silverman uses the service for very different reasons. “Learning truths about other people that I would have never known,” Silverman said. “Culturally. Like waking up to my own white privilege had a lot to do with the Internet for what it’s worth. But yeah. It’s a very complicated relationship, the Internet, that we all have. And we have to try to find a healthy balance.”
Ralph Breaks The Internet opens in theaters on November 21, 2018.
