Dr Mark’s The Meaning in a Nutshell
Joe Wright (director), ‘Nosedive’, Black Mirror (television series) (2016)
The Black Mirror television series episode ‘Nosedive’ (2016), directed by Joe Wright and written by Michael Schur and Rashida Jones from a story by series creator Charlie Brooker, presents a warning to its audience on how an obsession with receiving ‘Likes’ on social media can adversely affect one’s life, turning people into fake versions of themselves to be more popular. They become obsessed with appearances over reality and sincerity. The episode combines this with a warning that involvement with social media could develop into totalitarian control, like the Chinese Social Credit System, where people are rated according to their behaviour. The criteria by which they are rated reflect the values of the regime. Those with higher ratings are given greater opportunities for better housing in classier neighbourhoods and better employment, as well as better social opportunities. Those with lower ratings live with so many restrictions it is like being imprisoned while remaining free.
The main character, a young woman, Lacie, is constrained by her desire to be popular and to achieve upward social mobility. The television audience is positioned to cringe with sympathetic embarrassment as she degrades herself in the pursuit of popularity and five-star ratings from high-ranking people. Her existence seems empty and farcical. It gets worse, as some bad luck leads to a series of low ratings that lower her overall score, denying her access to seating on a timely flight, access to a decent rental car, and, of course, access to the real estate and employment she desires. But the episode ends on a positive note. A female truck driver shows her the way forward. The truck driver does not care about her rating. It is low, but the truck driver is free to say what she wants and be true to herself. She is a colourful character in a bland world. She shows Lacie the way forward and the television audience is left hopeful that Lacie can overcome years of social conditioning to become a more authentic version of herself.
‘Nosedive’ warns against the way an obsession with how one appears on social media can evolve into a fake existence, corrupted by excessive self-control and self-censorship, as well as a guarded approach to relating to people, choosing the company of others with a high rating and avoiding those with a low rating. This is shown to be limiting, cutting individuals off from potentially fruitful and rewarding relationships. When one is obsessed with living a ‘media release’ version of one’s life, one is not living a full and rewarding life. It is a contrived and shallow existence. It is emotionally draining to always be thinking of one’s rating.
The episode ‘Nosedive’ makes the point that it can be fun and satisfying to break rules. There is a freedom in it that can be fulfilling. This is especially the case when the rules go too far, with these rules being either official rules or cultural norms. The main character, Lacie, will experience this and eventually find love in the most unlikely of places, while in detention.
The episode ‘Nosedive’ reminds the audience that we can become obsessed with our mobile phones. When we do not have our mobile phones, we can be more authentic and more relaxed. Excessive mobile phone use and an obsession with social media discourages individuals from being their true selves. ‘Nosedive’ is intended to confront the television audience with this disturbing reality, leaving them to reflect on their behaviour and potentially do something about it.
In addition to warning people about developing an obsession with social media and the crafted personas they display on these platforms, the episode ‘Nosedive’ warns about the encroachment of a totalitarian system of control that emerged in communist China and may be incrementally developing in the West. This is the Social Credit System, which is a high-tech mode of controlling the lives of individuals. In communist China, people receive ratings on their behaviour. Individuals are judged according to criteria set by the dominant ideology of the system. Individuals with high ratings are permitted to work in more prestigious and rewarding jobs or live in more desirable neighbourhoods. Individuals with low ratings are denied access to many things, places and opportunities. This means that individuals are forced to regulate themselves. A couple of bad ratings can dramatically adversely affect one’s prospects and this is graphically displayed in ‘Nosedive’. A couple of bad ratings lowers Lacie’s overall score, and having a lower overall score restricts her access to opportunities and necessities, including avenues needed to rehabilitate her score.
Bad ratings can result from bad behaviour, bad luck, or the vindictiveness of others. The episode reminds the television audience that some elements of a Social Credit System already exist in the West. People can rate the businesses with which they deal. Bad reviews posted on the website of a business can have negative consequences, since many potential customers, who are in a state of uncertainty about dealing with an unfamiliar business, will assess it according to its online reviews. What may be helpful in steering individuals away from a bad business can also be oppressive, since some bad reviews may be unfair and have lasting negative consequences. It can be difficult to recover from bad ratings, as the main character, Lacie, discovers. She eventually decides to live with her bad rating rather than obsess about improving it.
Student resources by Dr Mark Lopez
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The purpose of the concise notes of Dr Mark’s The Meaning in a Nutshell is to provide much needed help to students seeking to unlock the meaning of the texts with which they have to deal. (More elaborate notes are provided in lessons as part of my private tutoring business.)
Subject: ‘Nosedive’, Black Mirror meaning, ‘Nosedive’, Black Mirror themes, ‘Nosedive’, Black Mirror analysis, ‘Nosedive’, Black Mirror notes