Black Mirror

          Good morning to all of you who are reading the articles and (fingers crossed) enjoying a snow day! Take a seat back, relax, and turn on some black mirrors. What are black mirrors, you say? Well, each time you stare into a laptop monitor, a smartphone, or a TV, you're looking at a reflection of yourself through the black mirror of technology. Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror is up on Netflix, and after binge-watching all seven episodes (please note that the Christmas episode is strangely absent from Netflix) I thought it was the perfect topic to blog about.

          As the name suggests, Black Mirror is a look at the darker side of technology. As Brooker himself stated, ""If technology is a drug – and it does feel like a drug – then what, precisely, are the side-effects?" As such the show dives quickly into shocking twists and turns with each episode focusing on a different aspect of technology and its effects on us.

          One episode deals with a world in which every person has a camera installed into their eyes which makes privacy nearly extinct.

          Another tackles the issue of artificial intelligence and how "human" a piece of code can become.

          Yet another deals with the criticism of bystanders who eagerly stand by and film tragic events instead of offering aid.

          Finally, the Christmas episode showcases a world in which one person can block another person in real life the same way that we can in social media.

          The format of the show is reminiscent of The Twilight Zone in that each episode is a stand-alone and take place in completely different universes. It is also not for the faint of heart. Brooker makes sure that Black Mirror is constantly fiddling between the lines of delight and discomfort. The first episode alone will likely weed out most viewers - which involves the Prime Minister being forced to have sex with a pig on national TV for the safe return of the royal Duchess who is held hostage.

          The scariest part of the show is that some of the technology seen on the show is not too far off from current society. Public surveillance may soon make anonymity a thing of the past. Artificial intelligence is improving with each passing year. People already stand by idly as accidents unfold before them and can block people on Facebook or Instagram. Yet I argue that once you get past the discomforting and depressing aspects of the episodes, you can dive down to the social commentary that makes the show well worth watching.