Black Mirrors Episode 1

In the first episode of Black Mirrors it shows a British society that seems to be taken place in today’s world due to all of the technology being used. Government officials have been given an alarming video of their Princess being forced against her will to give the Prime Minister a series of disturbing tasks if they want to see her again. Whoever it is that is keeping the Princess trapped, demands the Prime Minister to have sexual intercourse with a pig. The video is posted on YouTube and despite their best efforts to remove it, it had been online for too long. The government tries to talk to the news station by begging them to hold off on discussing the video, but unfortunately the video had been viewed many times throughout the entire country.

           

There many different mediums being used in this episode, such as, YouTube, Twitter, and the television. These mediums have a negative impact on the characters because I think they could have dealt with their situation in a different way. Right after the Prime Minster views the video he is so focused on getting rid of the video and hiding it from the public eye. In todays world it is almost impossible to hide any photo or video that has been taken. Rather than the government trying to stop the media and news stations from airing the video, they should have taken matters into their own hands, and let society know they are aware of the video and have taken a plan of action. This idea is proven to be true when they receive another video of the Princess’ finger being cut off, and then they are given that finger with a note saying “you have been warned”. I think that part particularly justifies my point by saying the government should not have tried to hide this in the first place.

The episode portrays a dystopian society, technology seems to be a major issue, which I think is true for today. In this particular episode I believe a utopian society would show an even balance between the mediums and how the people of society work with them. Rather than viewing it as a negative, or frustrating part of the world it would be used in helpful ways.  If it were also set in a utopian society the characters may be able to actually control the video and the ways that it shared, or find out directly where the video came from.