Black Mirror

I wish I had seen the three episodes of Black Mirror (created by Charlie Brooker) before I had written my research paper! Nonetheless I found this series extremely interesting and related to what I am doing. All three episodes are a reflection of the ever evolving social technology and how it is affecting (or destroying) our lives. Although slightly dramatic (of course, it's a drama) I think Black Mirror is a great interpretation of technology vs nature and an interesting negative view of the ubiquity of internet, social networking and video games.

I was mostly interested in the second episode "15 million merits", where the protagonists are stuck in what seems like a virtual prison. They are represented by a virtual avatar, and are constantly instigated to get points and rewards by not wasting water, eating healthy food and exercising (very similar to how Jesse Schell described the near future in his presentation 'Design outside the Box') although Brooker takes a negative perspective. He satirises Reality TV, making it look like the "Bad Guy" although simultaneously, for the protagonists it is the only way out of the prison. The ending is a perfect example of human nature and perhaps human selfishness where we see the main protagonist Bing, choosing "reality" and conformity over rebellion and uncovering the truth. We can see him staring through windows (or perhaps a screen) and drinking a glass of juice whilst admiring a natural landscape.