Zofia Miłosz
Have you ever wondered how far could the digital go? In the first episode of the third season of the British science fiction series called Black Mirror, the directors have offered us their perspective. This episode, titled “Nosedive”, was directed by Joe Wright, even though the main story writer was his co-showrunner named Charlie Brooker. This futuristic tale of how does a world run by technology look like could serve as a warning for all of us.
This episode is set in a world where the main currency is your own personal rating. You are ranked on basic interactions with other people. After every human exchange, you receive feedback from your recipient. This feedback is then displayed in front of you, for everyone to see. It is advisable to have a rating of around 4, and that of “upper four” is highly sought-after. The ratings not only earn you respect among other people, but also serve as currency. You’re able to exchange it for goods such as plane tickets, apartments or cars.
Completely immersed in this world is a young woman named Lacie (Bryce Dallas Howard). Lacie is a woman overly obsessed with her ratings, and she is willing to do anything it takes to score a better one. She even sees a rating-counselor to increase her scoring. What I found particularly captivating is how similar Lacie is to many people of the modern times. She’s so caught up in those digital ratings that she barely notices what’s going on around her. She’s so blinded by the urge to become liked and admired by everyone that she barely finds the time to listen to her friends and relatives. All is well, however, until she is asked for a certain favour by one of her oldest friends. This is where it all goes downhill. She soon realizes that there’s more to life then ratings.
While I was captivated throughout the whole story, there was one aspect that truly stood out to me. It was the ending, when Lacie realizes the nonsense of it all. I think the creators of the show did a great job of translating our own world into those dystopian. There’s plenty of food for thought. One can truly think about the consequences of being overly obsessed with social media. In a sense it’s what one might call a doomsday scenario. The dependance on social media and all digital matters is bound to be disastrous. Humans are not supposed to have all their interactions through the online world. I believe this is what makes this particular story so extraordinary. It presents us with a world so similar to ours yet so different, and gives us an insight into how we might end up if we don’t take any action.
All in all, I think that “Nosedive” is a worthwhile piece. It gives some incredible insight into what the future might hold for us. It would be a shame not to watch it and consider the depths of it. I highly recommend that you check Netflix as soon as you can, and I promise you won’t regret it.
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