3rd Season of Black Mirror Deserves A Close Look

Black Mirror may be the most important series of recent years.  Given the grave concerns of at least half of the American voting public after a recent Trump victory, the third season of Black Mirror (recently released on Netflix) plays out some of our worst fears in a way that is hyperbolic enough to terrorize and grounded enough in contemporary trends to seem plausible.  That said, the tone is not political in any partisan way other than to show how this collective info-revolution could take some serious wrong turns.  Every episode is within the realm of possibility; at times it is too much to fully absorb.  The tech intelligentsia and geek hipsters have flocked to it.  Like Mr. Robot, it speaks to  a new generation of fans who've grown up to speculate at "the story behind the story" in our latest media headlines rather than accept everything at face value.  This, my friends, is a show for our time, and we can only hope the series creators continue this work of demented, public service. 

    The first episode is arguably the most disturbing one: it literalizes social media ranking systems in a way that paints SEO-type algorithms into a more technologized version of a high school popularity contest.  Likewise, some play along, and some do not.  The danger becomes the addiction of other people's approval, which not only has social value, it carries an immediate, ubiquitous economic weight.   Discounts on prices and even commerce itself intrinsically connects to the economy of supply and demand that determines price.  One must seriously consider the concept of social economics, or, simply block it out and immeditately proceed to watch the next episode.   The danger for viewers would be too watch this season too fast, all in one sitting, and never revisit it again.  Sure, it is great entertainment for those of us prone to a dark sense of humor and an overt distrust of mass culture, but it's only great entertainment because it pierces our illusions without reserve.   -CLINT SABOM   [Clint Sabom also runs a blog and podcast on spiritual themes at The Graveyard Cowboy.]

Created by: Charlie Brooker

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Genre: Science Fiction/Satire