Shrewsbury filmmaker creates documentary about cousin's death from Covid to show dangers of online misinformation
Tristan Copeland wants his film about Gary Matthews to be more than just a cautionary tale
A filmmaker from Shrewsbury has created a documentary about his cousin who died from Covid-19 in a bid to highlight the real life dangers of online misinformation.
Tristan Copeland's cousin, Gary Matthews, died from Covid-19 in 2021 at the age of 46
Until shortly before his death, Tristan said Gary had been drawn into believing false conspiracy theories about the virus online.
He said people began to notice Gary's posts on Facebook becoming increasing erratic and that it was becoming harder to reach him.
After Gary's death, Tristan posted a tribute to him online which he said was met with a influx of comments from others who believed in Covid conspiracies challenging the cause of Gary's death - it was this that drove him to produce his film, titled What About Gary?.
"I really wanted answers," he said.
"I knew Gary was very intelligent, I knew he was very kind. I couldn't understand how that path could have led him to where he ended up."
He continued: "If I could get into minute detail about Gary's personal journey, then maybe we can understand something important about how misinformation is being spread for everyone right now."
Tristan said Gary posted content that challenged Lockdown and didn't like wearing masks, however, he still went on to make the decision to self test when he fell ill and then stay away from his loved ones.
Gary died the day after his test came back positive for Covid-19.
Tristan said Gary's death left a hole in his family and he wants his story to be more than just a cautionary tale.
"It's meant to be a personal film, but it's meant to be a personal film about the big issues," he said.
Tristan said in the world of AI and social media today, challenging misinformation is increasingly difficult but more important than ever.
He also said it's important to reach out to loved ones and maintain a way to try and reach them if they too are slipping down a potentially dangerous spiral of online conspiracies.
He said: "We need to look at the people underneath this - if you disagree with a family member or a friend, and you see them slipping away, talk to them, because if you keep that connection going, you can always be there to help them."