Let's Go To The Videotape Summary

Let’s Go to the Videotape written by Fiona Maazel, is a story about a father named Nick who is addicted to publishing his life on the internet. His addiction to the interweb is so dangerous that he uses his five year old son, Gus, to not only try to save his and his sons memories but try to feel like he is a good parent, being that he is a single dad after his wife died. Through the story, we see the character development of Nick, from just using the internet just for memories, to devoting his whole life into it. In the beginning of the story, Nick is presented as a widower with a little son. With this being said, it is very clear that Nick is going through a lot emotionally, raising his son alone without the help of his wife or any immediate family. “The hardest part of being a single parent wasn’t the logistics or even the exhaustion, but just the solitude of having no one to share his son’s life with (183).”

All the responses that Nick received from people behind their computer screen made him feel good, and gave him the sense that he was being a great father. He slowly got addicted to it once he joined online groups that gave advice about things that were going on in his life. This put a strain on his son, because once Nick was recording everything about his life, even his injuries from getting bullied, Gus played it down and said he only “fell” to try to get his father to show him compassion and put the camera down. Nick didn’t see it during that moment because all he wanted to do was “nail those little shits” (186) and try to get compensation. His addiction got so severe that one night “he was so touched all these people and taken the time to think about him and Gus, he stayed up late with his computer and woke up on the couch well after Gus had made his own breakfast and left for school