This week, Black mirror premiered its sixth season on Netflix. The series often frightens and surprises viewers, who never imagined that technology could lead to such serious and bizarre situations.
And the most sinister: their subjects leave the screen and can be seen on the news. Some episodes of the series are very close and even feature real-world technological events and creations.
As Oscar Wilde said in the essay decay of the lie, “life imitates art”. But, in terms of black mirrorthis is quite worrying. Take a look at some predictions – or almost – made by the Netflix series created by Charlie Brooker.
Fifteen million merits
In the second episode of the first season, Bing lives in a reality where the world is full of screens showing advertising all the time. To earn money, he spends the day riding an ergonomic bicycle to earn “merit”, the currency used in this reality.
In this utopian storyline, every time the characters skip an ad, they lose part of the merits earned by cycling.
The episode recalls the current streaming scenario, where most platforms have adopted plans with cheaper ads. Unlike the series, there are no streams that charge to skip ads (yet), they are mandatory after all. But ad-free plans from Disney, Netflix, and others cost the consumer more.
In the real world, ergonomic bikes don’t give you money back for every pedal stroke, but there are models that generate renewable energy, such as the brand’s models off the grid.
I will be right back
In the episode, the character Martha, who lost her husband in a car accident, asks a company to create an AI Android version of her partner.
Today we have humanoid AI robots that have gestures and facial expressions that approximate human appearance. Some examples of this are:
Another prediction by I’ll be back in a moment it’s about AI with dead people. The Somnium Space company is developing a metaverse virtual assistant that will allow interaction with people who have died with the “Live Forever” mode.
Another project in this direction is the experimental functionality of Alexa, which Amazon has tested to put the voice of the dead in its virtual assistant.
Hang the DJ
In this episode, Frank and Amy meet via a dating device called “Coach”, which matches users based on their information and indicates how long the relationship will last.
After the episode’s release in 2017, programmer Julian Alexander developed a website based on the show’s app. nominated by Julietthe site unites people based on their “compatibility” and presents the validity period of that relationship.
After the end, the site asks the user to describe how the experience was, and then, the algorithm learns the user’s preferences to suggest new relationships.
Julian Alexander said the episode inspired the site’s creation.
The national anthem
In the first episode of the series, released in 2011, the plot of National anthem deals with the kidnapping of Susannah, Princess of the United Kingdom. In order to be released, Prime Minister Michael Callow has to have sex with a live pig during a television broadcast.
In 2015, the case known as “PigGate” came to light with an unauthorized biographical story in the newspaper daily email. The text said that former UK Prime Minister David Cameron has already done something similar to the series character at a university party.
dive
The episode shows a reality where society has a digital social classification. People rate all of their interactions on a five-star scale. This classification constitutes the socioeconomic status of each.
The plot tells the story of Lacie, who tries at all costs to raise her rank in order to get a discount on the rent where she wants to live. When she reconnects with a childhood friend, her character ratings begin to drop and she becomes desperate.
Ratings on delivery and mobility apps are nothing new, but the ratings system sparked controversy in 2020 with a city in China starting to use a “Civilization Code.” To do this, the authorities used a application to monitor the social behavior of citizens and reward points.
With information from The messenger.
The post Era Black Mirror has come true: see the accurate predictions of the series that first appeared on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
