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Barry Trotter and the virtual world
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Tragically, trainee chat room Wizard Barry Trotter has become addicted to social media. His avatar, a disturbingly thin blonde woman with a strange twisted smile, has begun to dominate his life. His irritating little friend Nobby (himself a reformed Internet addict), takes it upon himself to help Barry to quit…
We join their conversation in Barry’s bedroom – the place where all geek-hood begins.
BARRY: You don’t understand Nobby. I’ve got to keep going back. I don’t belong here in RL. I belong in your world – in Facebook and Instagram. It’s the only place I’ve got… friends.
NOBBY: Friends who don’t even text Barry Trotter?
BARRY: Well, I expect they’ve been.. hang on, how do you know my friends haven’t been texting me?
With a sad, guilty expression, Nobby produces Barry’s SIM Card.
NOBBY: Barry Trotter mustn’t be angry with Nobby — Nobby hoped if Barry Trotter thought his friends had forgotten him… Barry Trotter might not want to go back online, sir…
BARRY: Give me that. Now!
Nobby frowns sadly, then runs out the bedroom door. Barry desperately chases Nobby, dashing headlong down the stairs and into the kitchen. As Barry races in, he finds Nobby standing on the bench top, waving his arms. Barry’s personal computer floats into the living room, hovering 8 foot above the stone floor.
BARRY: (Horrified) Nobby… Please… No…
NOBBY: Barry Trotter must say he’s never going back online.
BARRY: I can’t. Social Media is my home.
NOBBY: (With a tragic expression) Then Nobby must do it, sir. For Barry Trotter’s own good.
In a fit of rage and grief, Barry turns Nobby into a toad.
We join their conversation in Barry’s bedroom – the place where all geek-hood begins.
BARRY: You don’t understand Nobby. I’ve got to keep going back. I don’t belong here in RL. I belong in your world – in Facebook and Instagram. It’s the only place I’ve got… friends.
NOBBY: Friends who don’t even text Barry Trotter?
BARRY: Well, I expect they’ve been.. hang on, how do you know my friends haven’t been texting me?
With a sad, guilty expression, Nobby produces Barry’s SIM Card.
NOBBY: Barry Trotter mustn’t be angry with Nobby — Nobby hoped if Barry Trotter thought his friends had forgotten him… Barry Trotter might not want to go back online, sir…
BARRY: Give me that. Now!
Nobby frowns sadly, then runs out the bedroom door. Barry desperately chases Nobby, dashing headlong down the stairs and into the kitchen. As Barry races in, he finds Nobby standing on the bench top, waving his arms. Barry’s personal computer floats into the living room, hovering 8 foot above the stone floor.
BARRY: (Horrified) Nobby… Please… No…
NOBBY: Barry Trotter must say he’s never going back online.
BARRY: I can’t. Social Media is my home.
NOBBY: (With a tragic expression) Then Nobby must do it, sir. For Barry Trotter’s own good.
Nobby snaps his fingers. The computer plummets to the floor, and smashes, sending shards of glass and pieces of metal and plastic flying.
In a fit of rage and grief, Barry turns Nobby into a toad.
Barry Trotter and the virtual world by Steve Wheeler was written at Dogwart’s School, Somerset and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
