The episode of Black Mirror we viewed, Fifteen Million
Merits, gives a darker and exaggerated insight as to how technology is use in
modern society as well as what the future could hold. While it’s not reality
T.V. it gives the audience a look into how we surrender ourselves to the
digital world instead of the real one. Every part of the characters’ lives revolves
around some sort of technology and constantly see a screen everywhere they
look. They are trapped in this reality that’s fake. They play games to make
fake money to spend on false objects and the whole episode just seems like a
bad dream. Of course this show takes the ideas of media and technology to the
extreme, but there is great amount of truth in how big a role technology plays
in our world today. So many people can’t even leave a room without their phone,
iPod or whatever piece of technology they are consuming. Each generation
becomes more and more oblivious to how to live in the real world and have real
connections because it’s easier to live in this digital world. We live in a society
surrounded by media and screens, though not to the extent Black Mirror
illustrates. But still we are controlled by the power of technology and have
become dependent on it. The reality is that we now live through our screens
everyday and this episode exposes this revelation through an approach that is
dark and satirical.
I think you're right that this episode is an exaggerated portrayal of our dependence on technology. Lots of companies are becoming rich off our need for the newest fastest piece of technology that they can create. There are millions of people who wait outside of Apple stores just so that they can get the newest iPhone the day it comes out, yet their old phone works perfectly fine.
ReplyDeleteWhen you mentioned about fake money, it reminds me of the money that we are using now. It is actually just a piece of cheap paper which the value is determined by the central banks. It is very fluid depending on the demand and the supply of the money. Also, we in fact already have virtual money like bitcoin which is surprisingly getting a lot of attention lately. It is funny when technology is invented to make our life better when it is actually making our life worse in the long run if the usage is left without any controls and boundaries.
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