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Black Mirror (Netflix) Season 3, 2016. Episode: Nosedive. Shown: Bryce Dallas Howard. Photo courtesy of Netflix/Photofest.
Algori t h m i c
Int i m acy ,
Prosthetic Memory,
and Gamification in
By
Jin Kim
109
110 JPF&T—Journal of Popular Film and Television
Abstract: Black Mirror (2011–current), an anthology science-fiction television se- Black Mirror reflects and shapes our
ries, portrays how digital technologies reflect and shape our dreams and night- fascinations and frustrations with the
mares about the current media environment. The ways in which Black Mirror digital media environment. More spe-
depicts the world where digital devices are strongly tied to human conscious- cifically, the distinction between the
ness and bodies can be elaborated by focusing on three keywords: algorithmic real and the artificial is blurred, and ac-
intimacy, prosthetic memory, and gamification. There are two major arguments cordingly it affects human conditions in
presented. First, Black Mirror provides critical perspectives on quantified rela- the science-fiction show. The reversal
tionships, artificial memory, and social ratings. Second, at the same time, the of the genuine and the fake has been
ways in which this science fiction text portrays current media environments ren- observed in numerous cultural, artistic,
ders these critical representations of digital technologies ironically normalized. and theoretical tropes, from Plato’s cave
metaphor to Marx’s use-value theory to
Keywords: Algorithmic intimacy, Black Mirror, gamification, prosthetic memory,
Walter Benjamin’s aura to Borges’ fic-
science-fiction television
tions to Baudrillard’s simulacra. Digital
S
simulations force us to revisit this old
question about authenticity, and Black
cience fiction can be a barom- Loop, The Man in the High Castle, The Mirror portrays how the real-genuine
eter of social-cultural-political Handmaid’s Tale, etc.). experiences are transformed by the
Praised as Twilight Zone for the fake-artificial simulations.
environments, addressing our
digital age (Nussbaum), Black Mirror Of the twenty-three episodes in Black
fascinations and anxieties about the
(2011–current) is an anthology science- Mirror, three episodes were chosen
unknown, the Other, and new tech-
fiction television series that portrays the for critical analysis based on their ex-
nologies (Bould; Sobchack). Since the
lures and perils of artificial intelligence, amination of the real-fake boundary in
early 1950s, science-fiction television
wearable devices, virtual lives, video notably realistic settings with ordinary
series have continuously garnered criti-
games, social media, surveillance, pre- characters. Episodes about intelligent
cal evaluations and market success with
dictive analytics, quantified life, and machines (e.g., “Be Right Back”) and
such shows as Twilight Zone (1959–cur-
toxic communication. As of 2020, a to- virtual reality (e.g., “San Junipero,”
rent) and The Quatermass Experiment
tal of twenty-three episodes (in five sea- “Striking Vipers”) were excluded from
(1953). Early science-fiction television
sons and two specials) have been made this analysis due to the overly futuristic
often portrayed images of monsters,
under Charlie Brooker’s production.1 assumptions about technologies and the
aliens, and robots that could be read as
Many works of science fiction offer supernatural-fantastical tone. The three
metaphors of inhumane agencies, racial
fantastical depictions of a distant future episodes chosen for analysis were “The
differences, and bureaucracy (Janco-
(Westworld, Electric Dreams), super- Entire History of You” (season 1, epi-
vich and Johnson). During the 1960s
natural settings (Sense8, Tales from the sode 3; “History”), “Nosedive” (season
and the 1970s, science fiction in tele-
Loop), or alternate histories (The Man in 3, episode 1; “Nosedive”), and “Hang
vision became more stabilized, with
the High Castle, The Handmaid’s Tale), the DJ” (season 4, episode 4; “DJ”).
ideologically convoluted liberal and
all of which speculate upon the condi- Three keywords were chosen for the
conservative discourses. The Star Trek
tions of a dystopian world. Compared depth of analysis: prosthetic memory,
(1966–current) and Doctor Who (1963–
with other series, Black Mirror takes a gamification, and algorithmic intimacy.
current) franchises continue to embrace
realistic approach to dystopic themes Previous scholarly works on “History”
cultural diversity and political tolerance,
with a more focused angle. Specifically, episode highlight an issue of organic-
despite somewhat incoherently also re-
it is concerned with media and depicts
inforcing other values more in line with
how digital technologies are saturated
a sense of authoritarianism, patriarchy,
and imperialism (Wright). Recently,
science fiction as a genre has become
and weaponized in mundane lives. Its
portrayal of social-media addiction,
Compared with other
microchip implants and tracking, and
mainstream, enjoying both market suc-
cess and awards and nominations at the
algorithm-based apps is familiar to a
contemporary society. One particular
series, Black Mirror
Oscars (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049,
Her, Inception, Interstellar, etc.), Em-
mys, and Golden Globes (Westworld,
episode (“Nosedive”) on citizen rating
and self-surveillance was released be- takes a realistic
fore China’s Social Rating became an
Electric Dreams, Sense8, Tales from the
international issue (CBS; Hvistendhal).
As a fable and a critique of the contem-
approach to dystopic
porary media milieu, the series touches
Copyright © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
DOI: 10.1080/01956051.2021.1871584
on timely issues about the ways in which
human relationships and consciousness
themes with a more
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the
article can be found online at www.tandfonline.
com/vjpf.
are conditioned by digital devices and
technological environments. focused angle.
Black Mirror 111
synthetic memory (Jenkins; Opaza &
Faure), which deserves further inquiry.
The Truth of Feeling” is also examined
as a site for discussion about prosthetic This is a hyperreal and
“Nosedive” is similar to “Fifteen Mil- memory and China’s Social Rating case
lion Merits” (season 1, episode 2; “Fif-
teen”) in that they both satirize media
for gamification.
postmodern moment,
user labor, which has been discussed Algorithmic Intimacy in a
using the theoretical lenses of gamifi-
cation (Dragona; Woodcock, and John-
Preemptive World
“DJ” is a parable about dating apps
where a copy could be
son) and neoliberalism (Elias, Gill,
and Scharff; Gill and Kanai). “Fifteen”
and algorithmic relationships. Frank and
Amy live in a world of algorithmic codes. more desirable, and
has been explored using those theories Everyone meets other people, spends a
(Johnson), but “Nosedive” has been
uniquely studied drawing on panopti-
designated time with them, and eventu-
ally is assigned a final partner from the
thus more “real” than
cism (Allard-Huver and Escurignan) recommendations through Coach, a por-
and simulacra (Thomas and Rajan).
Critically examining “Nosedive” would
table matching gadget. Amy and Frank
find themselves attracted to one another,
the real thing.
facilitate discussions on gamification but the dating device assigns a different
and neoliberalism with supplementary partner to Amy. Nevertheless, Amy and triumph of human free will or the fatal-
comments on “Fifteen.” Likewise, the Frank decide to believe in intuition, not istic determinism of statistical simula-
episode “DJ” portrays algorithmic cal- in numbers, and choose to escape from tion. In the simulation, we see emotional
culation as a new condition in relation- the world they live in. When they arrive rollercoasters and powerful romances
ships (Abad-Santos; Gilbert), and this at the end of the world, it is found that that look vivid and vigorous. In fact,
trope can be more effectively examined they are avatars in one of a thousand they are constructed fictions generated
using recent scholarly literature on algo- simulations to test their matching, and from metadata (i.e., data about data)
rithmic culture. the avatars visually dissolve into the from anonymous users who share the
While discussing the ideologies and percentage “99.9%,” suggesting a suc- same categories of habits, likes, and
styles that often appear in the Black Mir- cessful matching probability. In the end, fears with Amy and Frank. This is an ex-
ror universe, each episode is closely tied the real-life versions of Frank and Amy ample of measurable types, a sum of “a
to memory (“History”), gamification are in a bar. They check their almost nexus of different datafied elements that
(“Nosedive”), and relationships (“DJ”), perfect matching rate and approach each construct a new, transcoded interpreta-
but they commonly reflect the ways in other more or less hesitatingly. tion of the world” (Cheney-Lippold 47).
which qualitative human conditions are Except for the ending sequence, Here is one whimsical interpreta-
replaced by quantitative measures in a “DJ” only shows the online doubles of tion of the ending scene: Frank might
world of automatic calculations. For the “Frank” and “Amy,”2 who are quanti- not necessarily need Amy if he finds a
depth of analysis of scenes, characters, fied and simulated versions of the of- 100% match with another woman. It’s
dialogues, ideologies, and styles, Ted fline Frank and Amy. This final scene a classic “boy meets girl” scenario, but
Chiang’s short story “The Truth of Fact, can be interpreted openly: the optimistic in this case what the boy wants is a sta-
tistically datafied version of the real
girl. For Frank, as long as the date has
characteristics of Amy, the actual part-
ner does not matter. This is a hyperreal
and postmodern moment, where a copy
could be more desirable, and thus more
“real” than the real thing. Although the
two lovers overcome a harsh test, this
humane triumph is conditioned by sta-
tistical design.
Furthermore, it seems needless to ask
why the couple fit as long as their data
are matched well. Dating apps are less
about understanding how matching oc-
curs and more about producing good
matching outcomes. Hence, predic-
tive analysis is a key component to the
matching business, where causality is
Back Mirror (Netflix) Season 4, 2017. Episode: Hang the DJ. Shown from left: Joe Cole, replaced by correlations in a preemptive
Georgina Campbell. Photo courtesy of Netflix/Photofest. condition. The metadata measured by
112 JPF&T—Journal of Popular Film and Television
were allegedly ‘already there’” (29).
This is similar to what “DJ” portrays as
the end of human desire: Coach knows
me better than I do, expresses what I am
before I feel, and fulfills my desire be-
fore I dream.
Knowing the simulation result, the
real Frank and Amy conveniently ac-
cepted a preemptive result, an algorith-
mically perfect matching. The matching
app in Black Mirror, similar to real apps
such as Tinder and eHarmony, is a relief
for those with “optional paralysis,” who
are afraid of “[t]oo many choices… [t]
oo many variables. Too many unpleas-
antries if things go wrong” (Gilbert). As
Black Mirror (Netflix) Season 4, 2017. Episode: Hang the DJ. Photo courtesy of Netflix/ an information filter, those relationship
Photofest. apps predict outcomes, and in doing so
the spontaneous and ubiquitous moni- (Andrejevic, Infoglut 50–53). In other outcomes are effected.
toring of human behaviors and emotions words, sentiment analysis means a shift In “DJ,” the reality-representation re-
is more central to this process than the from qualitative human conditions to lationship is circular. Vivid and concrete
knowledge or wisdom based on direct quantitative measures. details of reality are translated into data,
experience and observations about indi- Frank’s decision to meet Amy is in- which is then made to correlate with
viduals. The categorical sums of Amy’s formed by 1,000 simulated tests based reality. At the same time, the real vs.
and Frank’s characteristics match ac- on the virtual “Frank,” which is a sum of data relationship reflects what Andre-
cording to the algorithmic codes in recorded, categorized, and repurposed jevic (“Reflexivity”) calls “the logic of
Coach, and that result is accepted sans parts of the real Frank. Thus, the per- pre-emption,” which means experience
explanation. This statistical matching sonal narrative driving the offline Frank and narratives are displaced by a data-
works similarly to sentiment analysis, is shadowed by the calculated simu- fied and automated response. That is,
which is often applied in customer ser- lations of a thousand virtual Franks. “Frank”’ (a measurable type of the real
vice and user analysis. The strategies While the real narrative is silenced, the Frank) sees and imagines, even desires,
of sentiment analysis are based on “the constructed one is detailed. The young before the real Frank does.
displacement of representation by cor- couple’s love matters in a strategic fic- “DJ” portrays an algorithmic society,
relation” by “relying on instantaneous tion so that they are only “narrativized where people stop desiring before they
and ongoing mechanized monitoring when [their] data is algorithmically spo- desire. The end-of-desire logic applies
of aggregate flow rather than on dis- ken for” (Cheney-Lippold 41). Conse- not only to romance but also to revolt.
crete analysis of individual responses” quently, calculating emotions does not The main characters resist Coach, but
only feign vivid experiences but also their rebellions are scripted, can be
skipped, and thus can be institutional-
Knowing the
empty genuine desire.
The preemptively destined couple in ized. While the climactic scene is a mo-
this episode of Black Mirror are like ment of protest, it also confirms what
simulation result, the nowadays consumers who are able to
express what they do, feel, and desire
Coach prophesizes. In a preemptive
world, people can know and imagine,
through automated algorithms more but they cannot desire and act.
real Frank and Amy clearly than ever. Andrejevic (Auto-
mated) hypothesizes that Amazon can Memory Overdose
conveniently accepted
deliver a commodity to one’s front door “History” takes place in a world
even before that consumer feels a real where people implant Grain behind their
desire, and the logic behind this pre- ear that allows people to record, browse,
a preemptive result, an emptive consumption resonates with
that of recommendation in the recent
replay, edit, and delete what they see and
hear. Grain functions like a synthetic ex-
algorithmic milieu. Drawing on Lacan tension of organic memory, a personal
algorithmically perfect and Zizek, Andrejevic (Infoglut) argues
that algorithmic devices “anticipate de-
digital video recorder with a streaming
service in one’s brain. In the episode, a
matching.
sire before it happens—to precipitate an husband (Liam) suspects that his wife’s
accelerating range of latent desires that (Ffion) behavior toward a man named
Black Mirror 113
In an early scene, Liam where Plato writes in the Phaedrus that
a prosthetic memory device (writing)
was with Jonas when he was attacked
by Liam. When she called the police to
hurts our organic memory. As the size report the incident, they hung up when
is asked by security and speed of digital storage devices has
increased in recent years, the paradox
she said she does not have Grain. As
Jenkins writes, individuals may “gain
of prosthetic memory, which enhances control over [their] own memories at
whether he did any yet collapses minds, has become more
pertinent. “History” looks like a digital
the expense of being taken seriously as
a citizen” (49). In a world of prosthetic
illegal activities version of Funes in Borges’ short story,
where Funes fails to think because he
memory, seeing is not believing—resee-
ing is.
can remember everything he sees, hears, Discussing the issue of memory, Chi-
recently, and he allows and experiences. Borges writes “[t]
o think is to forget differences, to gen-
ang differentiates “the truth of fact” and
“the truth of feeling.” The former is ex-
eralize, and to abstract” (137). Under ternal; the latter is cognitive. The former
his Grain to be scanned the legacy of Plato and Borges, recent
science-fiction texts have continued to
relies on the accurate representation of
what actually happened with details as
rather than tell his own question whether memory can be a hu-
man condition. In his short story, “The
in photorealism; the latter depends on
contextual understanding and relational
Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling,” Ted interpretations. “The truth of fact” is
narrative. Chiang introduces the Remem, a device
integrated into consciousness. It moni-
about preciseness; “the truth of feeling”
is about righteousness. In the end, Liam
tors, records, and replays one’s experi- loses his wife and baby because he was
Jonas at a dinner party is flirtatious. ences. With Remem, we become cogni- obsessed with precise facts. He earns
When the couple return home, Ffion tive cyborgs who cannot misremember. “the truth of fact,”’ but loses “the truth
admits she and Jonas briefly dated, but “History” portrays several cases in of feeling.”
the husband thinks there is more than which digital memory replaces organic What is stake is a paradox of mem-
that. Becoming paranoiac and drunken, memory. In an early scene, Liam is ory: our obsession with perfect memory
Liam scrutinizes Ffion’s and Jonas’s be- asked by security whether he did any meets its emptiness. As Chiang writes,
havior by Grain redos, demanding Ffion illegal activities recently, and he allows “a perfect memory couldn’t be a narra-
provide more answers. When she denies his Grain to be scanned rather than tell tive any more than unedited security-
this, Liam heads to Jonas’s house, forces his own narrative. At the dinner party, cam footage could be a feature film”
him to replay his memories of Ffion, and there is a woman who decides not to (209), and Andrejevic (Automated)
finds Jonas’s memory of sex with Ffion implant the prosthetic memory device writes that “a story about everything…
about 18 months ago, which was about in order to live in her own memory. She would tell us nothing” (34). As fables of
when the couple had a daughter. Back at
home, Liam demands that his wife re-
play the sex with Jonas in their home,
finding they did not use a condom. At
the ending, left alone in the house, Liam
plays back happier redos of the couple,
following which he surgically removes
the Grain from his ear by himself.
Jenkins examines this episode by in-
corporating fictional and nonfictional
narratives (Strange Days and Cyborg)
in terms of prosthetic memory and
wearable computers. Based on McLu-
han’s notion of the narcissus narcosis,
Jenkins claims that “History” questions
our fascination with our own mechani-
cally enhanced memory. In this section,
Jenkin’s arguments and his method of
using narratives are extended to reflect
on meanings of prosthetic memory from
“History.”
Criticism of tools replacing organic Black Mirror (Netflix) Season 1, 2011. Episode: The Entire History of You. Directed by Brian
memory traces back to Ancient Greece, Welsh. Shown: Toby Kebbell. Photo courtesy of Netflix/Photofest.
114 JPF&T—Journal of Popular Film and Television
“History” delivers a flections. Selective and partial memory
is not necessarily a weakness.
Consequently, she ends up in jail where
she enjoys the feeling of liberation from
“History” can be read as a moral fable worrying about her rating.
timely lesson given for contemporary people who are overly
reliant on prosthetic memories rather
“Nosedive” is a satire about gamifica-
tion, “the process of turning something
than organic ones. Series producer that is not a game into a game” (Drag-
recent discussions Charlie Brooker mentions how the im-
portance of remembering goes together
ona 2) to change individual behaviors to
be productive and efficient. Another ep-
over the “right to be with the importance of forgetting as the
initial idea of “History,” which portrays
isode of Black Mirror, “Fifteen Million
Merits” (season 1, episode 2), also uses
a man slowly killing himself with an ob- gamified lifestyle and reality TV as key
forgotten” in Europe session with the past, aided by a gadget
(Brooker, Jones, and Arnopp). Memory
tropes. In this other episode, people earn
virtual credits by watching commer-
overdosed people are keen at the details,
while also discussing
cials when their media consumption is
but blind to the big picture. This Black translated into currency. Whereas “Fif-
Mirror episode is a variation of bounded teen Million Merits” portrays a world of
a “future where you rationality, in which people are too in-
formed to miss values from imperfect
audience labor (i.e., watching as labor),
“Nosedive” depicts a world of aesthetic
human nature, such as empathy and labor (i.e., social-media posting as la-
don’t forget anything,” forgiving. “History” delivers a timely
lesson given recent discussions over the
bor), but both Black Mirror episodes
imagine conditions of living where our
“right to be forgotten” in Europe while
a world that a Google
mundane media consumption turns into
also discussing a “future where you value creation.
don’t forget anything,” a world that a “Nosedive” draws on a digital version
executive imagines. Google executive imagines. In this con-
text, obsessions with perfect memory
of respectability politics, which “rein-
force designations of appropriate or in-
must meet the virtues of obsolescence, appropriate behavior rooted in structural
curses and blessings of perfect memory, “the solace of oblivion” (Toobin). Those inequality” (Pitcan, Marwick, and boyd
“History,” Borges’s and Chiang’s stories who remember everything cannot think. 164–65). The main character of the epi-
commonly touch on total-surveillance sode embodies strategies of digital re-
Neoliberal Subjects in a spectability politics, such as adapting
society, where everything can be re-
corded, categorized, and interpreted but Gamified Society to what counts as normative in a world
omnipresent information fails to deliver Lacie, the main character in “Nose- of social-media influencers. Lacie is al-
meaningful experiences to individual dive,” lives in a world where people ways vigilant to how her neighborhood,
and society. The main characters in the evaluate each other using a social rat- colleagues, and social-media friends
three fables come to have accurate in- ing system. Personal interactions are see her. She never stops smiling, laugh-
formation with a perfect memory (de- streamlined in a five-star scale, and the ing, and complimenting others, and she
vice). The problem is that they are so ratings affect people’s socioeconomic consistently posts peppy images and
trapped by details as not to have abstract status, including employment, housing, messages on her social-media account
and critical thinking. Perfect memory transportation, and other socioeconomic (e.g., the picture of her teddy bear doll).
is earned by sacrificing sensory expe- conditions. Lacie hopes to improve her It is amazing to see how she can spare
riences, and thinking is hindered by 4.2 score to 4.5 to qualify for a luxury her time for her work and house chores
“memory overdose” (Opaza & Faure). apartment. When Lacie is invited to if one sees her series of overly posi-
Andrejevic (Automated) argues that the wedding of her childhood friend tive phatic communications. It is also
“complete specification does not en- (Naomi), who has a 4.9, she finds an questionable how genuine her smiles
hance the subject, it liquidates it” (8). opportunity to boost her score. Unfor- and compliments are; remarking on the
Google has imagined the future of tunately, her rating plummets when a character’s laugh, Bryce Dallas Howard,
not forgetting everything (Silverman), series of mishaps occur and, due to her who plays Lacie, says she “added 15 per
and this belief is imbued with a value reduced score, Lacie is unable to board cent fear, 30 per cent disingenuousness,
judgment that accurate and automated the airplane or use a rental car. Knowing and 25 per cent depression!” (Brooker,
recording-storage in machines are better Lacie’s lateness and low score, Naomi Jones, and Arnopp 137).
than imperfect and slow human mem- asks her not to come, telling the truth As a low-status individual, the her-
ory. The Black Mirror episode points that Lacie was invited as a symbol of or- oine does what Goffman means by
out the limit of this futuristic version. dinariness, authentic friendship, a pure self-presentation, especially concern-
When mechanical redos replace organic decoration. Frustrated but enlightened, ing how low-class individuals portray
memory, there are repetitions but not re- Lacie makes a scene at the banquet. themselves (e.g., pretending to be high-Black Mirror 115
culture consumers) in the hopes of being
uplifted in a social ladder. Critical media
scholars coined the term aesthetic labor
to explore the ways in which online us-
ers emphasize positive moods and opti-
mistic attitudes, especially in the area of
beauty products, fashion, food, decora-
tion, and health (Elias, Gill, and Scharff;
Gill & Kanai).
The heroine of “Nosedive” engages
in diverse forms of aesthetic labor as
she spends her time and energy taking
cute photos and uploading feel-good
postings. In a café seen in the early part
of the episode, she decorates her cof-
fee and cookie to take a picture that her
followers might like. She nibbles the
cookie and sips the coffee, but she does
not seem to enjoy them. Lacie is more Black Mirror (Netflix) Season 3, 2016. Episode: Nosedive. Shown: Bryce Dallas Howard.
interested in presenting her experience Photo courtesy of Netflix/Photofest.
than in cherishing it. Post first, experi-
ence later (or never). Her aesthetic la- Authentic gesture, that’s the key.” His sentation and self-surveillance. Lacie is
bor is mixed with self-presentation and advices sound contradictory in that the seemingly respectful to and observant
authenticity. When Lacie posts a picture “authentic gestures” are to be performed about others, yet her attitudes and behav-
of her teddy bear, the image is meant to to raise her credit scores by decorating iors are very much strategic in order to
provoke a sense of childhood, and Lacie her life bigger than real, by boosting her impress herself on others effectively so
successfully valorizes it when the post- social-media likes numbers, and by con- that she could climb up a social ladder.
ing bumps up her scores. The teddy bear necting to high-rating people. She is an entrepreneur who sells exces-
becomes a moment for Lacie to recon- Practices of self-transformation (e.g., sively optimistic, confident, and relat-
nect with her old friend Naomi because makeover shows) align with neoliberal- able images of herself, which is noth-
they both share keen interest in decora- ism, a systemic ideology that individual ing but a brand. Here, self-surveillance
tion, diet, and healthy food. In a scene well-being and success can be best im- meets self-branding. Employing diverse
where they have a video chat, Naomi proved by “liberating entrepreneurial tactics of impression management, the
is doing yoga, and Lacie is cooking a freedoms and skills within an insti- heroine in “Nosedive” embodies a neo-
healthy meal. When they begin to talk tutional framework characterized by liberal subject who is monitoring real
about Naomi’s wedding, they never stop strong private property rights” (Harvey and imaginary eyes of the others. The
2). Female users often work under less mode of self-surveillance aims to opti-
shouting, cheering, and laughing. Their
or no pay with expectations to produce mize products of individuals’ aesthetic
overjoy is strategic; Lacie needs Nao-
social capital, the currency in emotional labor so that the neoliberal subjects
mi’s invitation for boosting her rating,
capitalism, which is coupled with ideas can construct their images to appeal to
and the bride wants her old pal as a sym-
bol of innocence, just like a teddy bear. of self-care, aesthetic labor, and “beauty
Lacie is more interested
Two of the key elements to social-me- politics in neoliberalism” (Elisa, Gill,
dia posts are genuineness and authentic- and Scharff 22). Practices and strategies
ity, and these qualities are unintuitively of aesthetic labor resonate with those
often achieved through planning, stag-
ing, and scripting. This seemingly ironic
of neoliberal subjects, who are continu-
ously advised, requested, and some- in presenting her
but likely qualities of online presenta- times enforced to present themselves as
tion fits with the nature of the heroine.
Joe Wright, the writer of “Nosedive,”
authentic, real, and ordinary (Duffy).
Just like Grain, the memory device in
experience than in
imagines Lacie as a likable character
who wants to be loved and, thus, au-
“History,” an eye gadget is implanted in
the citizens in “Nosedive,” and they can cherishing it.
diences can easily identify with her see others’ ratings so that they are vigi-
(Brooker, Jones, and Arnopp 143). She
is genuine and vulnerable, but also stra-
lant about rating control. In a world of
“ubiquitous personal rating” (Third and
Post first, experience
Domingue), people are automatically
later (or never).
tegic and ambitious. Lacie is consulted
by an expert, who says “Just be you. interpellated and engaged in self-pre-116 JPF&T—Journal of Popular Film and Television
The score increases as a user performs
“good” behaviors (e.g., buying diapers,
disposing of garbage properly), and
decreases as the user performs “‘bad”
behaviors (e.g., jaywalking, littering,
spreading unchecked rumors) (Hvis-
tendhal; Mitchell and Diamond).
As a surveillance technique, this
gamification system benefits those with
high scores via rewards such as hous-
ing loans, travel, school, jobs, and util-
ity billing. People with high scores can
check into hotels and rent cars without
a deposit. One Shanghai hospital allows
users with a score above 650 to see a
doctor without waiting. Online dating
venues give better visibility to users
with higher scores, and on Circles, Ali-
pay’s dating app, only male users with
Black Mirror (Netflix) Season 4, 2017. Shown: Cristin Milioti. Photo courtesy of Netflix/ 750 or higher scores can comment on
Photofest.
women’s posts (Rollet). However, there
imaginary audiences, like family, peers, ing section will discuss how gamifica- are also more serious concerns. Those
and employers (Duffy and Chan). tion affects our lifestyles with a recent with low scores are limited in using
The main character’s journey can be Chinese social rating system. planes, trains, real estate, cars, and even
read as an allegory about neoliberal sub- high-speed Internet (CBS). In the city of
jects in a gamified society. By commit- China’s Social Credit System Suzhou, 200 points are deducted when
ting herself to consistent self-branding When the main character of “Nose- users are found to have posted false
and mutual rating, Lacie becomes a dive” could not purchase a plane ticket product reviews, evaded utility bills, or
brand “to maximize the self as a project” due to her low rating, it was not just a missed a hotel booking (Rollet).
(Weber 227). “Nosedive” seems realis- fictional situation. In 2018, four million Sesame Credit is computed using not
tic not only because it depicts how our people in China were blocked from pur- only users’ behaviors, but also those
lives are gamified so as to be translated chasing high-speed train tickets due to of their friends. One can lose points in
in to a measurable type or a data tem- low social scores (VICE news). Using their rating due to a friend’s low score.
plate (Cheney-Lippold) but because its total surveillance tools such as facial Likewise, in “Nosedive,” one of Lacie’s
plot is based on technologies, which are recognition and behavior monitoring, colleagues is bullied and struggled with
available or in use now. Watching this the Chinese government introduced the a plummeted score. When she feels bad
episode even seems surrealistic in that Social Credit System (Zhima) in 2014, for him and gives him a positive rating
it looks similar to what has been already aiming to collect searchable data from out of pity, she is not just warned by her
occurring: a rating society. The follow- 1.4 billion citizens in the near future colleague, but she also receives negative
(Mitchell and Diamond). As of 2020, lo- ratings. The side effects of a rating sys-
cal governments manage their own sys- tem as a digital social ladder could thus
When the main tems, and there is no centralized system.
There are, nevertheless, fears of a police
be social segregation, increasing exclu-
siveness and promoting a new digital
state and an authoritarian turn in China divide.
character of “Nosedive” (Mozur and Krolik) as the government
and private institutions have linked up,
Combining financial and political
metadata into a super app could deepen
could not purchase a
and a networked and nationwide data- a government’s control over its citi-
base is expected in the future (Kobie). zens, thereby weakening civil society.
Of many systems, the Zhima (= Ses- The Chinese government published the
plane ticket due to her ame) credit score is noticeable. Devel-
oped by Ant Financial in 2015, Sesame
names of political activists, and as a
result, they came to be restricted in pri-
Credit (ranging from 350 to 950) was vate and public services. One Chinese
low rating, it was not adopted by Alipay and WeChat, two
major Chinese apps. Just like the rat-
journalist was banned from traveling
and using hotels after reporting on sus-
just a fictional situation.
ing in “Nosedive,” this credit is calcu- picious dealings by Chinese politicians
lated using people’s everyday routines. (Hvistendhal). The Chinese governmentBlack Mirror 117
also announced a measure to ban the
blacklisted citizens from social gather-
ditions as forgetting, genuineness, and
vivid relationships. Experiences of watching
ings (Rollet). Black Mirror simultaneously criti-
Notably, other user rating systems
that are limited to one app (e.g., Uber,
cizes techno-utopianism and welcomes
a world of gamification. The series is
Black Mirror warn us
a battleground between optimistic and
against a ubiquitous
Yelp) are becoming more common. The
fictional and the nonfictional rating sys- skeptical perspectives in portraying
tems are based on user aesthetic labor, problems, concerns, and challenges of
expanding ideas and practices to diverse
aspects of life. And although they are
digital culture: that is, mostly on the the-
matic level. On the stylistic level, how- and always-on media
technically opt-in, they are admittedly, ever, the ways in which the episodes
realistically mandatory. depict near future society are resonating
taken-for-granted images about digital
landscape and, at the
Discussions and Conclusions media. This television series is timely
There are two worlds that conflict and
in touching on possible consequences of
wearable technologies, neoliberal sub-
same time, invite us to
exist in parallel in these Black Mirror
episodes. One is automatically recorded
jects, and quantifiable relationships. But
it is shy of questioning more fundamen- participate in the same
(“History”), statistically rated (“Nose- tal assumptions behind infrastructure.
dive”), and algorithmically simulated
(“DJ”). The other is filled with specific
The starting point of the show accepts
rather than problematizes its very as-
environment.
human activities and existences in the sumptions. Consequently, the overall
forms of organic memories (“History”), tone leans toward nihilism—the notion its thematic insights might be weakened
diets and exercises (“Nosedive”), and that one cannot avoid technological by the very styles that depict it. Here,
physical intimacy (“DJ”). The first type development. it would be worth reminding view-
is measurable, with little room for the Another point worth noting is the dra- ers of Lazarsfeld and Merton’s notion
messiness of lived experience; the sec- ma’s convoluted plot structure, which of the narcotizing dysfunction of mass
ond type is unquantified, with ample is not exclusive to Black Mirror, rather media, whereby exposure to media con-
room for human mistakes. Our current a cliché in recent science-fiction texts. tent may anesthetize rather than ener-
society is experiencing the first type of Plot twists, reversals, conspiracy nar- gize audiences. Lazarsfeld and Merton
lives (i.e., the fake) more and the second ratives, and counter narratives might warn against mass media because au-
type (i.e., the genuine) less. be trapped by “the paradox of general- diences often mistake knowing as act-
The transition to a more automated ized savviness: it is impossible to take a ing. Watching Black Mirror could be
society must embrace ubiquitous sur- stance that debunks all representations” experiencing narcotizing dysfunction of
veillance and complete databases of (Andrejevic, “Reflexivity” 170). The digital media, if tech-savvy audiences
the “truth of fact,” which belittles vivid seduction of the science fiction genre acknowledge nightmares of current
human experiences and memories be- lies at a double logic of debunking and technological environments, but their
cause they are incomplete, partial, and endorsing myths of new technologies. novel insights end up with skepticism
subjective. This bias of algorithm pre- Experiences of watching Black Mir- against any social-political-communal
ror warn us against a ubiquitous and actions. These seemingly enlightened
fers the metadata versions of everyday
always-on media landscape and, at the citizens might accept algorithm, pros-
life to representational narratives. What
same time, invite us to participate in thetic memory, and gamification as new
is expected to happen in the future is a
the same environment. People are sup- digital destinies rather than avoidable
society full of ratings and simulation,
posed to be enlightened about dangers dystopias.
not much of experiences and narratives. of “dataveillance” in most Black Mir-
What is at stake here is that people are ror episodes, but what they remember NOTES
deprived of the capacity to make sense is likely gadgets for perfect memory 1. In a 2020 interview, Brooker expressed
of their lives. Experiences and narra- (“History”), peer rating systems (“Nose- his hesitation to continue the Black Mirror
tives are by nature selective, framed, series, saying “I don’t know what stomach
dive”), and relational matching (”DJ”). there would be for stories about societies
and subjective. People can think deeply In other words, although the audiences falling apart” (Morris).
in abstraction, which is to rule out spe- problematize these issues, they end up 2. The distinction between datafied and
cifics and sensorium particular. Perils accepting these ideas. quantified “person” and genuine and natural
occur when the dreams of full memory Black Mirror is a cultural barometer person is borrowed from Cheney-Lippold.
(“History”), total gamification (“Nose- of the contemporary media landscape. WORKS CITED
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