Black Mirror Analysis

Great Essays
Black Mirror is a psychological thriller and science fiction anthology series created in 2011 by Charlie Brooker. An anthology series depicts a different story and separate characters in every episode, making each one a standalone plot by itself. It ran for two seasons on Channel 4 before the show was made popular for its latter two seasons when it was purchased by Netflix. This dystopian series quickly became a hit through its focus on the controversial truths of modern society, as well as its notable inspiration from the sci-fi thriller series The Twilight Zone. The majority of the episodes tend to emphasize the ways in which society has become dependent on technology, specifically the negative influence that technology will have on people …show more content…
Although Jamie himself is pessimistic about his life, his character Waldo becomes very popular among those who are also unhappy with the current political state. Due to Waldo’s growing fame, Jamie gets signed for his own comedy series, which launches his character even further into the spotlight. His act predominantly focuses on political humor, specifically the harassment and humiliation of one of the Conservative politicians who is running for the upcoming election. After being pressured to run against that candidate, named Liam Monroe, Jamie agrees to run a campaign of sorts for Waldo to be elected as a politician, even though he doesn’t particularly have any interest in politics. Unfortunately for Jamie, he/Waldo are also running against the woman that he likes, Gwendolyn, and she is advised to avoid Jamie because of his character. The turning point of the episode occurs when Waldo gains even more popularity from aggressively criticizing the other candidates for being phony. Jamie uses his anger to expose them for only caring about their own popularity and rising status instead of putting their efforts into helping the people in society. Waldo criticizes Liam by saying, “[you’re] assuming you’re my superior because I’m not taking you seriously? No one takes you seriously, that’s why …show more content…
“Nosedive” and “The Waldo Moment” in particular are incredibly critical of the ways that people become so reliant on new technologies that they miss out on reality. While Lacie’s story in “Nosedive” criticizes the negativity associated with technology and social media, it also plays on a positive point of contemporary American culture. Much like the ways in which Lacie removes herself from the technology of her world, although inadvertently, this episode demonstrates how one can experience a happier and truer reality if they can only rid themselves of the technology that threatens to control their lives. What it doesn’t show about society in the U.S., however, is how uplifting and helpful social media can really be; technology does have some positive effects on people and this episode only demonstrates how social media dehumanizes people. Social media gives people quick, easy access to knowledge, in addition to a way to connect with people they may have lost touch with. Similarly, “The Waldo Moment” represents such negative aspects of the way the media influences politics, but it neglects to demonstrate how technology has greatly improved the political climate in the U.S. With easy access to information online, people are now even more capable of educating themselves on political issues and current candidates. Waldo,

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