It's 2012, before fake news, the cryptocurrency crash, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Internet still feels like a hope-filled meritocracy where people anywhere in the world can realize their dreams.
But changes are stirring at Boing;), in the heart of Silicon Valley. Once the world's largest Internet portal, the company is facing an existential threat from search and social media companies, as people shift their online time from portals to Google and Facebook, from desktop computers to mobile phones.
Glenn Cregg is a Senior Manager of Marketing Insights. He believes his research identifies an opportunity for Boing;) to return to its glory days, and he convinces the CEO to greenlight the new product. But when Glenn violates his own personal motto—"Being objective makes me effective"—things go badly, swiftly.
Semi Finalist
Plot/Idea: 10 out of 10
Originality: 10 out of 10
Prose: 10 out of 10
Character/Execution: 9 out of 10
Overall: 9.75 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Project Boing;) is a wry, fantastically absurd, and cogent satire that unfolds in the golden days of the internet.
Prose: Line by line, Robinson's prose is hilarious, astute, and an absolute delight. Just as the reader discovers a favorite line, it's quickly eclipsed by several more.
Originality: Project Boing;) is wholly unique in its jaundiced gaze on Silicon Valley, startup culture, and the pursuit of success in unchartered territory.
Character/Execution: Glenn Cregg is the perfect amalgamation of every marketing and PR supervisor who unknowingly became a self-parody. The larger cast of characters is portrayed with similarly sardonic humor, but also more than a few dashes of humanity.
Date Submitted: August 27, 2023
