Privacy in Black Mirror

Privacy on the internet is a question that has hit society’s collective moral consciousness recently, but the episode of Black Mirror delved deeper into what is privacy in an age with constant recordings. In the episode, an implant has been invented which records everything that you see, hear, and do. These “memories” can then be replayed whenever you want. The episode begins with a job interview which goes poorly. Afterwards, the main character is asked by his friends to replay what happened in the interview on a screen for everyone to see. Normally, we are able to keep private embarrassing experiences, but if we are able to replay these experiences should we be obligated to? Later in the episode a character reveals that he uses his “memories” of previous one night stands as pornography. This raises the question if recordings are constant, how are people able to consent to being recorded. It seems like the characters in the episode have come to accept it as a fact of life that everything can be seen again. That would be an unfortunate state of affairs if that is what happens in the future. Privacy needs to be protected and treated as a right for everyone. As technology advances the complexities of privacy increase, but this doesn’t change its importance to people. Privacy will never be the same since Facebook and other social media websites have altered they way we live our lives, nevertheless it is important to protect what we have and find ways to responsibly move into the future.

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