Project Details

CS 3043 Social Implications of Information Processing

Team Members: Kristen Thebeau, Reid Dugas, Cheuk Ngai Alden Lo, Yuankai Shen

Our group project was a study of the societal impacts of computational technology in the 2022 movie, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery [1]. Fictional tech billionaire Miles Bron and his influential friends are involved in a pair of murders that stem from a debate over the ownership of a successful innovation [1]. We chose this movie because it demonstrates, in a discrete way, the impacts of various modern computing technologies on society. Our project explores and analyzes the parallels between these impacts in the movie and in the real world.

Summary of the Movie

Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously invited to an island retreat by tech billionaire Miles Bron. Miles hosts an annual murder mystery weekend for his group of influential friends: scientist Lionel Toussaint, politician Claire Debella, Twitch streamer Duke Cody, fashionista Birdie Jay, and Miles' former business partner Andi Brand. Each person can attribute some amount of their success to Miles. It is quickly revealed that Miles did not invite Benoit Blanc, which raises the question of why he arrived for the weekend retreat. Blanc dismantles Miles' murder mystery game with problem-solving prowess, when a real murder suddenly occurs, turning the lighthearted weekend into a real investigation. Blanc gradually reveals that each guest has personal and professional reasons to want Miles dead, meaning he could be the next victim. The truth is ultimately revealed by Blanc in a dramatic conclusion. (Details excluded to avoid spoiling the film).

Conclusions

Project Presentation

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Presentation

Citations

1. Johnson, Rian, et al. “Glass Onion: A Knives out Mystery.” IMDb, 23 Dec. 2022, www.imdb.com/title/tt11564570/.

2. Title: Ethics for the Information Age / Michael J. Quinn, Seattle University. 

Description: Ninth edition. | Hoboken, NJ : Pearson, [2025] | Includes bibliographical references and index. 

Identifiers: LCCN 2023057085 | ISBN 9780138238537 (hardcover)