Social Networks on Black Mirror (Nosedive)
The articles linked below contain recaps of and commentary on the season three opener of Black Mirror, the popular series on how technology is powerful but also loaded with opportunities for dystopic experiences. In Nosedive (spoilers ahead), the writers provide a dark, satirical warning against the emphasis our society puts on social media. The members of the society in Nosedive are labeled with a floating user-generated score out of 5 that floats over their faces, essentially turning their whole world into a social network. After each interaction between two people (be it a shared elevator ride, an exchange at a cash register, or a passing hello), the two rate each other. The Protagonist, Lacie, has a respectable 4.2 — but she pines for a higher score, and that opportunity arrives in the form of being a bridesmaid at her more-popular friend ’s wedding. However, as the episode title hints, that social climbing goes less than swimmingly for Lacie, and she ends the episode arrested and phone-less.
Nosedive obviously shows the importance of connections. Lacie’s social-media-star friend was a childhood friend who she had not kept up with, which we could define as a weak connection. This weak connection had the potential to connect her to the “prime influencers” who could raise Lacie’s rankings. Similarly to how weak connections are strong in that they can connect you to jobs you would not ordinarily know of, this popular friend could open the door to a whole new world of social influence and social power. Lacie tries so hard to woo the people around her that she spends hours practicing her smile in the mirror, posting perfectly aesthetic photos on her profile (including cookies that go uneaten — the horror!), and charitably rating those around her five stars — no matter what — and crumpling in relief or distress, depending on the score she receives in return. This brings us beyond the “connection building” aspect of the show, to the mind games being played by the members of this society.
Basically, the society in Nosedive is a cheery, terrifying, pastel dream-world, where the ordinary people try their best and act their best, but will retaliate when they are treated poorly. The taxi driver who was kept waiting, the airline representative who Lacie frantically argues with, and the witnesses to Lacie’s emotional breakdown all contribute to the decrease in her score. The Atlantic’s article aptly picks up on how the nightmare-ish quality of Nosedive does not come from jump scares or psychological horror, but emotional fears like being excluded or being disliked. This connects with The Verge article’s commentary comparing the rating system to a “lopsided giant prisoner’s dilemma of applied power”. While two people rate each other following an interaction, they have multiple considerations. If they are likely to meet again, a negative rating will be sure to elicit a negative rating in response the next time around. In addition, lower-rated people in general want to cater to higher-rated people’s whims, in hopes of raising their own ratings. On the other side, higher-rated people can rate more flippantly towards lower-rated people, as they have less to lose — they hold the power in the relationship. However, both people are sure to have actual emotional responses in regards to the interaction, so how much weight should that have?
Overall, Nosedive is an excellent satirical commentary on our world, filled with copious (and overwhelming) amounts of salmon and teal clothing and decor. Like an Instagram feed come to life, it is filled with the politics of social networking as well as the mind games and game theory associated with social climbing.
https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/24/13379204/black-mirror-season-3-episode-1-nosedive-recap