We live in an ever advancing world. In the past ten years or so, we've seen computers become common household appliances, televisions go from five channels to several hundred, news turn into a running commentary of the world (interesting or not), and telephones turn into all-purpose, wireless multi-tools. Things have advanced so quickly we've had very little chance to question it, and now we're constantly plugged into sites like Facebook and Google, which have come to know some of the most intimate details of our lives...
In a new three-part comedy drama series, Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker casts a cynical eye on the modern world, with a hint of techno-paranoia regarding the current progression of some of the most influential technologies today and where they may lead us. Somewhat inspired by shows like The Twilight Zone and Tales of the Unexpected, Black Mirror delves into a world not too dissimilar than our own, exploring the hypothetical what ifs of our current technological progress and it's potential impact on our lives. As a series of tongue-in-cheek cautionary tales, Black Mirror takes a sarcastic and cynical view of how technology can be used to both enhance and complicate our lives.
The first episode, The National Anthem, is a farce of how rolling news coverage and social media has had an impact on how we react to current events. Written by Brooker, the premier episode of the series portrays a somewhat contemporary world in the grips of the Twitter age, with information circulating at the speed of light, and public opinion louder and more influential than ever. Life for the rich and powerful is more difficult now that their every action is the scrutiny of the world, and Britain's Prime Minister is faced with a very serious dilemma...
With the kidnapping of a princess, and a rather unsavoury request involving the Prime Minister and a pig, this political thriller focuses on the public's reaction to unfolding events, despite the government's best attempts to stifle them... “I'm thinking about things like the Raoul Moat saga and when Gordon Brown had to go and apologise to Gillian Duffy,” said Brooker in regards to The National Anthem, “You get this sort of strange centrifugal force that builds up throughout the day with the rolling news networks and public opinion. It's a story in which the Prime Minister, who's played by Rory Kinnear, and the Home Secretary, played by Lindsay Duncan, are faced with a dilemma. It's very much in the Twitter age.”
The second episode, 15 Million Merits, also penned by Brooker and co-written with his wife Konnie Huq, is a sarcastic look at the future, depicting a dystopian society in which people are confined to a life of physical drudgery. The only way to escape this life of hardship is to participate in a talent show and pray you impress the judges. “It was sort of her [Konnie's] idea, 15 Million Merits,” Brooker stated, “One of the first things you see is somebody in a room, which is almost like a cell, where every single wall functions like an iPad. She was watching me using an iPad and taking the piss out of me, saying that I'd basically be happy in a room where every wall was like that. The tone of that episode is probably not what people would expect - in places it's almost like a romance. It's sweet and sour.”
The third and final episode, In Memoriam, is scripted by Peep Show's Jesse Armstrong, and is set in an alternate reality where everyone has access to a system that records everything that they see, hear and do. Able to remember every face, every event and every sound, Armstrong's tale focusses on the implications (both positive and negative) of such a technology. You know how in the heat of an argument you just wish you could rewind and say “See, this is what you said earlier!” or show how you were actually in the right all along? Well, that's essentially the premise of In Memoriam, set in a world in which everybody is equipped to replay their visual feed at will, and focusses on one couple who have a particularly bad evening...
As somewhat an enthusiast of the technological market, gawping with awe at the leaps and bounds made in the space of a few years, and luxuriously stroking a touch-screen device, I tend to have a fairly optimistic outlook when it comes to new advances. However, I must admit, I have fallen prey to techno-paranoia before... Most of us are owners of smartphones; amazing little pieces of tech that allow us to access the worldwide web where-ever we are, communicate with our social networks at the press of a button and navigate by satellite at almost any time (although their key function seems to be to keep people up to date with the minutiae of our lives, which but a few years ago we would have kept to ourselves and not felt the need to bother other people with). But are we not conditioned by these machines, to run and answer their every beep and flash like well-trained labradoodles? We are now so attached to these devices that we can never escape an email or a social update, and could only be more plugged into the net if we were in the Matrix (and don't get me started on the possibility of that already being true!).
And what if the machines decide to rise up against their squishy organic creators, or the companies that develop our most beloved technologies start to take over the world (I'm legally obliged to add that it is unlikely Google wish to take over the Earth, even though they are in possession of everything we do online, on our phones, and can locate us all using satellites and a Google Maps app)?! If I had to go into hiding (probably for outing Google's clandestine plot in that previous sentence), then I'd have to leave most of my technology behind, as it could easily betray my location, as well as any digital correspondence I may have had. I trust these companies with my details, but it is now far too easy to gather information on someone since the advent of social networking and the smartphone.
Mark my words, it's only a matter of time until SIRI changes it's name to HAL-9000* and starts informing people called Dave “I'm afraid I can't do that...” Until that day comes, though, Charlie Brooker can fill your head with techno-paranoia, as Black Mirror will be transmitting it's digital information into your household black monolith on December 4th. And I, for one, reckon it's set to be bloody brilliant.
What's the bet it'll become a trending topic when it airs?
*Incidentally, I have a HAL-9000 app on my Android. I have yet to teach it to sing “Daisy”, although it has often tried to kill me with misleading map directions.
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