As a test discussion, please respond to the following prompt in a comment on this page.
In the first class, we watched excerpts from Black Mirror and Blade Runner. These are two of many examples of screen-based media that engage with the challenges of electronic culture. What is your favorite example of screen-based media (television show, film, computer game, media artwork, or other form) that address the topic of our technological world, real or imagined? What are the qualities that make it your favorite?
Use links to augment your comment. If you pick something that has already been listed, add to the original thread instead of starting your own. You are encouraged to challenge each other, but always be respectful.
I thought it would be interesting to see if my opinion would be swayed or biased towards one form of media at the end of quarter but I do not think I have a specific favorite digital art form. I have grown to appreciate all digital and media art forms but, especially cinematography. Realizing how much technology has evolved, the ability to creatively write, recreate images and perfectly edit films definitely increased my interest and appreciation for movies.
One of my favorite example of screen media is Google Map, which is a navigation that provides specific guidance for people to go someplaces they want. This software addresses the topic of our technology of world, because I found that many drivers are rely on this app everyday, and cannot drive even without it. It helps our life become easier than before. In the past, people used paper maps, and it really wastes time. We need to mapped the routes and wrote down where to turn by ourself. However, Google Map creates a new technological environment for us. What we need to do is just follow the navigation on the smartphone. You could avoid the congestion road automatically by Google Map. This new technology ease our life and save a lot of time for us.
Hi , I use Google Map everyday and almost cannot leave it because it supply me so much convenience. I am supper bad at remembering routes and easy to get lost. This screen media is a good expression for our new technology and is related to our daily life.
I just recently watched the Steve Jobs movie (the one with Michael Fassbender, not Ashton Kutcher) and it made me think of this first discussion question. The movie itself didn’t dwell into some sci-fi fiction that makes you question humans relationship with technology, rather it tackled the background of one of the most famous technology CEO’s of all time. The movie depicts Steve Jobs as he truly was, an asshole, but in a way that still makes you love him. He may have been an awful father and a scrutinizing peer, but Steve has played such a primary role in developing the world today. Apple products have truly made the world a technologically advanced place that allows everyone to achieve a connection with technology. It was refreshing to not watch a technology based movie without some scary artificial intelligence cliff hanger, and instead tackle the past and present of one of the world’s greatest corporations and the man who founded it all.
Hi Logan,
I definitely agree that it’s refreshing to see a movie about technology that doesn’t revolve around an artificial intelligence takeover or a dystopian world controlled by technology. The way that this movie was made dives into a few important events that really explain how Apple and Steve Jobs came to be such prominent figures in our lives, rather than just going through the motions like other biopics might do. By doing this, I think the creators, as you stated above, “tackle the past and present of one of the world’s greatest corporations and the man who founded it all”. Do you think this is a movie that everyone should see? If so, what do you think it does to educate those watching it and what makes it so important?
Hey Hannah,
I definitely believe that this is a movie that should be viewed by everyone in today’s world. Especially people that rely heavily on Apple products, because the story behind the man who created it all is fascinating as well as informative. This movie not only educates people on the personality of Steve Jobs, but it can also be viewed as an inspiring tail revolved around technology. How just 20 years ago, Steve was struggling to create a practical computer that could be used by the masses, and now it’s hard to walk 10 feet without seeing an Apple product being used by an everyday citizen. This company formed an empire within 15 years, and it makes viewers wonder what the next 15 years will hold for us (but in a positive outlook)!
Thank you for such an informative response! I think it’s great that you noted how this movie gives a positive outlook on the next 15 years instead of a negative one. I feel like these days everyone has a negative outlook on technology and its progression. Very refreshing to hear a different outlook, and it’s interesting to note that it is because of this movie’s influence!
After this course I think I can now safely say that my favorite screen-based media that addresses the challenges of technology are television shows. This course introduced me to the Netflix series, Black Mirror, and I have been with OBSESSED with the show. Black Mirror and other technology-awareness TV episodes that I have watched to a great job at illustrating the great potential dangers of technology in the future. Although most shows dramatize and demonstrate the dangers to the extreme cases they get the point of across of how humans have become so reliant on technology. However, as I have expressed in several of my other most I believe that as humans we have that self-will that allows us to limit the time we dedicate to technology in order for us not to become so dependent of its advancements.
I think what makes Black Mirror so successful is that it dramatizes human reactions and their tech intwined realities in an over the top yet realistic way. Although the reaches they make in technology are fantastical, they are rooted in so much truth about our realities which is why they amp up their characters’ reactions to match the advancements they’ve made in that world. Although our society won’t be exactly reminiscent of the one in National Anthem or White Bear, we’ve already become so dependent on these technological advancements that taking a small break from it can feel like complete isolation from the world. For example, we’re so dependent on our cell phones for communication (to people we know and don’t), socialization, finance, time management, entertainment, etc. that taking a break from it can be such a draining experience for us (use the deprivation projects for reference).
Hi Tania,
I agree that technology in television shows definitely challenges of technology and I am also addicted and obsessing over show on Netflix like Black Mirror and Stranger Things. I think it is amazing that one, it takes several types of artists to produce one project and two, they are able to produce pieces so real they are almost scary. You mentioned that the shows dramatize and somewhat distort reality, I enjoy this aspect of filming.
One book that I read back in high school named The Circle, which recently became a film, describes the life of a woman Mae Holland, whose life is taken over from the advanced technology that she is surrounded by after accepting a new job from a tech company. Without ruining the story, this new job of Mae’s starts to affect her way of thinking, as well as her relationships with old friends. The main point is that this screen-based technology that they have at their disposal within the story is almost exactly the same from the video we watched of Black Mirror, which is that everything in your life is recorded. The difference is that The Circle makes this technology have more of a dark element compared to the snippet that we watched, where Mae’s experiences through her day to day life gets her into situations where she can be manipulated/blackmailed. This was one of my favorite examples as it gave a realistic take on how future technology could negatively affect us. The typical opinion on futuristic technology is usually positive, so it was interesting reading about future technology from the opposite point of view.
One of my favorite example of screen-based media that address the topic of our technological world, real or imagined is A.I.(Artificial intelligence). This movie is about the mother, Monica brings a cloned robot with emotional interactions to the house in order to fill the frozen son who falls terminally ill. The problem is a robot can feel all the emotion as a human which is the privilege of the human being. Consequently, the clone begins to jealous of a real son and want to more of mother’s love. One of the reasons why the cloned robot is obsessed is because they have implemented a program that loves the human. The robot has never had a rebellion or any mistakes.
If there were a robot feel emotion as the human being, if the robot were the privilege of the human being, the gap between the robot and the human would disappear, and the robot would have the same privilege as a person. It seems like a good movie to think about the relationship between robot and human, and I do not agree with the occurrence of these kind robots.
My favorite media that address the topic of our technological world, real or imagined is ‘Black Mirror’. I saw all the episodes of the Black Mirror and I really enjoyed. Honestly, I was always shocked by the story of the episodes. All the episodes were not predictable, however the contents of the stories were familiar to me. For example, one of the episodes that addressed that people’s showing off and living fake life by using social media is a true problem of this day. Black mirror indicates how the technology we use and technology that we will use are dangerous and cause the problems in this world. When I watch the episodes, it makes me to be afraid of the future. However, future technology makes me always thrilled.
Hi Yoo,
I also have watched all of the Black Mirror episodes and agree with you! I think the show does a great job of depicting the technological world that we currently live in. I think it is also very futuristic. I resonated with the episode you are referring to, the one about social media (Instagram). I think it does a good job at illustrating how we base our lives on social media and care a lot about what we portray to others, or how others view us. It does a good job at showing what our society can possibly become, and how dependent we are on social media. It is definitely scary how dangerous technology has become and what can arise if we are not careful.
My favorite screen-based media that criticizes technology is a video game series called Persona. For this example, I will be talking about Persona 4 Golden, the remastered version of the fourth game. In the game, people’s repressed thoughts and negative emotions become monsters called shadows, which manifest in a separate world called the TV World that can be accessed through entering a TV screen. Throughout the game, several characters are thrown into the TV and must be rescued before their Shadow overwhelms and kills them. Each boss battle is prefaced with a character’s Shadow saying all the secrets and bad thoughts they tried to hide, and attacks when their human counterpart denies them. After each boss battle, the character is required to accept their negative thoughts are a part of them before the Shadow can vanish. Obviously, this is a critique of how people use media as a way to present a perfect version of themselves while bottling up their building resentment. It’s one of my favorites because it combines good character development and turn-based RPG gameplay (my favorite kind). Each character has a flaw or major obstacle they have to overcome. Once rescued, they a new party member, which leads to a diverse and lovable set of characters while also delivering a usually trite message in a fresh and interesting way.
The video game series Ghost Recon applies futuristic technology towards the military,. As we look at the priority that governments place on military advancement, funding would not be a hold up for many of the technologies that the game employs towards its soldiers. One of the key aspects of the game is that the soldiers can turn invisible while in combat. If this was ever achieved, it would change the way we look at war completely. Also, futuristic weapons from this game are creative and can possibly inspire future ideas for weapon development.
One of the memorable movie that I watched is called “iron man.” It portrays technologically evolving world. The iron man always develop technology to strengthen his power and to fight against the enemy. The weapons and other technological equipments address the technological world that the audience desires. I personally love thie movie, because the movie portrays the imaginated world of advanced technology. Iron man’s suites are so creative and impressive equipment. His victory due to powerful technology satisfies my heart that desires it.
Oh wow I’m glad you brought up Iron Man! I also enjoyed watching Iron Man as well as other Marvel Movies. I think Marvel in general employs many futuristic technological advancements. For example, Captain America was awakened after over a half a century in cryosleep. Many of the devices and equipment used by Captain America are all something that sparks the imagination for what could be possible in future decades.
I agree with you on this one. Iron Man being one of my favorite Marvel characters, it was enjoyable to see Tony Stark’s character built the first suit when he was held captive to having a number of different suits with a bunch of different abilities comparative to the Mark I suit. Marvel implements a lot of futuristic ideas that address the technological world.
Hi，I also love the movie iron man, which portrays the imagined technology in the future. The iron man use powerful weapon to defeat the enemy. This movie describe how a strong and powerful man in the future help human to defeat the bad. I think his equipment is so cool and creative, which makes me excited when I saw how he wears his weapon and equipment.
Hello world,
So for me, I am a huge gamer, and one video game that sicks out in my mind when it comes to technology and how much we rely on it, is Call of Duty Black Ops 2. The reason this one sticks out more for me, is how the US and its military relied heavily on technology. Not only is it with the military, but whole networks and systems too. The story in this game is how the bad guy, Raul Menendez, plots to get revenge on the US for killing his sister. How he does this takes years, but due to the fact that the military is highly technological, he gets captured, has an army behind him to help him, and he takes over the whole US Military from the inside. This causes great chaos in the US and abroad, since Menendez has control of remote drones, airplanes, weapons, ships, and he knows where every US base, ship, personnel, is located. However, he does not use it against the US, and instead destroys everything he can, to make the US suffer as his revenge plot. This is one of my favorites because it really shows how technology is impacting our lives, more than just in our phones and at work. It is the building block, the base, the foundation of many new advancements. This is like the saying of putting all your eggs in one basket. In this case, Menendez cut the bottom of it, and all the eggs fell and broke. This is something that as we move on, can happen. Everything will be based on technology, that maybe it will be our downfall, because someone hacked the system, or took it over from the inside.
Hello world,
So for me, I am a huge gamer, and one video game that sicks out in my mind when it comes to technology and how much we rely on it, is Call of Duty Black Ops 2. The reason this one sticks out more for me, is how the US and its military relied heavily on technology. Not only is it with the military, but whole networks and systems too. The story in this game is how the bad guy, Raul Menendez, plots to get revenge on the US for killing his sister. How he does this takes years, but due to the fact that the military is highly technological, he gets captured, has an army behind him to help him, and he takes over the whole US Military from the inside. This causes great chaos in the US and abroad, since Menendez has control of remote drones, airplanes, weapons, ships, and he knows where every US base, ship, personnel, is located. However, he does not use it against the US, and instead destroys everything he can, to make the US suffer as his revenge plot. This is one of my favorites because it really shows how technology is impacting our lives, more than just in our phones and at work. It is the building block, the base, the foundation of many new advancements. This is like the saying of putting all your eggs in one basket. In this case, Menendez cut the bottom of it, and all the eggs fell and broke. This is something that as we move on, can happen. Everything will be based on technology, that maybe it will be our downfall, because someone hacked the system, or took it over from the inside.
One of the shows that I think directly relates to our constant struggle with technology, in my opinion, is “the 100” on CW. This show is about a post apocalyptic society which was forced to move to space after a nuclear war which rendered the earth inhabitable. This society relies on technology to maintain their lives in space, but once that technology fails they send a small fraction of their criminals to earth to see if it is once again livable. This new faction of people on earth then has to develop their lives from scratch with minimal supplies and virtually no technology other than their space craft that brought them down.
In my opinion, this shows our struggle with technology and how dependent we are to it. Our society would crumble with the lack of technology just like they almost do in “the 100”. This show does also show our ability to be able to work together once technology is put aside and we are forced to, which seems to be the only way to get people to interact and work together at this point of time.
In the movie Horton Hears a Who, the whole land around the populated city is void of life, and everyone depends on the comforts of technology such as cars, goods from factories, and even bottled oxygen. A huge wall that surrounded the city blocked out the disturbing grey and dead world beyond their well lit homes. Everyone was more concerned about their own lives and did not care to reach out for others. When the main character brings back the last seed and plants it in the middle of the park, sprouting a seed, the whole community joins together to overturn the big oxygen factories , and to repopulate the non existing plants and trees. I feel like this movie showed that technology distanced humans from human like qualities, turning almost into non-compassionate robots.
“Be Right Back” from Black Mirror explores the results of death of a close member of your family, such as a spouse. How would their death leave you? What would you do to have them back?.. or something like them. In the first episode of season 2, Martha purchases a clone of her late lover, which acts and speaks just like him. Creepy right. It became so surreal to her that she did everything with him..and I mean everything. It was weird, because we all know it was just a clone, but you could hardly tell a difference. I don’t think it is morally appropriate, but what would you do if you were in her place? I’m sure you would do anything to have your loved one back.
Hi Harry,
I watched this episode from Black Mirror as well and at first found it intriguing that by using a collection of past online communication and social media interactions, her late significant other was created virtually. Before she decided to buy the Ash-bot, I thought maybe such an online system can exist to fill the emotional void for those who have lost their loved ones. After all, she did gain a new sense of happiness which didn’t seem possible before. However, the real life replica of Ash wasn’t able to reciprocate the same emotions and decision making choices that the real Ash would have when placed in particular situations because the intangibles simply cannot be replicated by algorithms. Now, she simply just has an autobot that looks exactly like him and is only capable of responding to her based on online communication. If I were in her place, I think I would have “killed” Ash-bot and tried my best to move on because instead of telling the autobot what I would have liked him to say or do, I could instead be emotionally connecting to another human being who might have just as much to offer as my late significant other did.
The YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt, succinctly provides visual explanations of new technology and the implications that it may have on society. I admire Kurzgesagt’s ability to present complex topics with very little political or moral bias and with a very extensive scientific background. My personal favorite is called, “The Rise of the Machines – Why Automation is Different this Time.” The video explains why recent advances in Artificial Intelligence could lead to the replacement of humans in many types of jobs. I am currently conducting a research project using neural networks (“Artificial Intelligence”) so I am quite familiar with the limitations and capabilities of Artificial Intelligence. Kurzgesagt’s video struck the perfect balance of pessimism and hope to bring an awareness to increasingly capable AI. This extends to all of their other videos as well. In our current state of fast paced technological advancements, it is exciting to see how Kurzegesagt is able to make these ideas presentable to the general public.
Nerve, was a movie that I watch about an year and have constantly watched many times. This movie shows the power that the internet has over many people. The movie is based on a game that lets people either watch or play in the game. If you play the game, then you have to preform challenges that are given to you by users. When the challenge is completed you receive money. If you fail to complete the challenge then you do not get any money. The thing that was crazy was that once you gave a small amount of information about yourself. They connected your bak account and could easily take money away from. The protagonist, decided to snitch on the gam and lost all of her money from her mom and her combined bank account. Without giving out the rest of the movie, it shows how much power people have with technology and how they can control many people around the world.
Hey Jose!
“Nerve” was also the first thing that came to mind after reading the prompt! I watched it earlier this year also and I feel like it really captures how easily we can be drawn to peer pressure especially through the internet. It also ties together how easy money/Capitalism can create monsters out of people or convince people to do crazy things. I personally find it to be my favorite example because it also really shows how much privacy we don’t really have living in America in a very exaggerated way. It also shows how quickly we all fall into being so glued to our phones and our technological devices in this day and age. We always tend to live our lives through our screens because we want to capture the moment instead of living it for what it is, in real time. It reminded me how important it is to “disconnect to reconnect” and try to set aside time without being distracted by all these technological devices.
I saw Nerve as well and it kind of reminded me of the popular social media challenges we see today. The public mentally i the movie seems to mimic the same mentality faced in real life through social media . Some challenges are fun and for a good laugh like the dance challenges like ‘Ju Ju on that beat’, ‘Harlem shake’, ‘Running Man’ etc. Then there are challenges in response to a good cause like the ALS ice bucket challenge. However, there are also dangerous challenge that can harm a person . These challenges imitate the sense of danger displayed in Nerve. Challenges like the Tide Pod challenge and the choking challenge, Kylie Jenner Lip challenge, and various others, reflect the sick part of society where the public takes pleasure in watching people get hurt and fail.
Watch dogs is one of my favorite video game of all times. In this game you will play as a hacker and use your phone and many other electronic devices to heck into other people’s lives. This game conveys a idea that information are not safe in modern days. With the development of science and technology, people can access information conveniently and quickly on the internet. Encrypted information is also becoming more vulnerable to leaks and crack-ups because of the developing technology. The game also has a lot of interesting setting about internet/social media that reflects what you see in the real life. You can see people with nomophobia looking at their phones while walking down the street, or people who are obsessed with posting on social media. It is very interesting to me that the creation of internet can impact on people’s lives both positively and negatively.
The film The Iron Giant is masterpiece of animation, yet what makes it so memorable are the questions it raises about humanity and technology. As our weapons become more and more advance does humanity improve along with them? Or do we stay the same blood thirsty people that have lived on the planet for ages. It pushes this question even further with the idea of a weapon with a “soul”. As our weapons become smarter and smarter will we ever reach a point where the weapon is just a guilty as its creator?
Hi, I agree with your idea. As the growth of technology, it is necessary to think the imapact of weapon on our life. It inspires me to realize how the nuclear weapon changed our life before. Although it is necessary for a country to develop this weapon. However, the destruction of this weapon can not be ignored, which is devasted and scared. Hence，human should be cautious about how to use the weapon and use it properly
Alipay is my favorite screen-based media, which is a payment platform. At the beginning, Alipay only works is for an online shopping website. Just like Apple pay in United States. Besides working for Apple store, we can use Apple pay to check in some store. However, Alipay is already popular in China. We can not only pay online, in shopping mall, restaurants, transfer, but also call taxi, pay utilities, loan and credit, change different currency. Even when I buy a corn from street trader, I can pay by Alipay. It is very easy to pay by alipay, just show your unique UQ code or phone number to seller. And it is super fast to transfer money to others or to our own cards.
Alipay is still developing more and more function. For example, we can add friends on it and chat and post photo like on Facebook . We can also raise fake plant on it. Moreover, its service becomes oversea. Many Chinese restaurants and shops offer Alipay in United States, and many websites in Asian offer it. Alipay makes things convenient and also facilitates our life quality.
A few years ago I watched a very powerful and moving video called Look Up. The video was created by Gary Turk in 2014 and can be found on Youtube. This video describes how technology is making society distant and putting us in a disillusioned state. We believe that social networks bring us closer and friends are more easily accessible but the lack of real human interaction is dwindling and deep down we are lonely because of this. In the video, a man needs directions and decides to ask a woman nearby for some help. The man and woman start chatting it up and eventually start a relationship. The video shows them on dates having fun, having kids, growing old together and being happy. However, after this scenario another one is shown where the lost man is staring at his phone and he just walks right by his soulmate. The video is depressing and it makes you realize that how much of a grip technology has on society and how infatuated we are with social networks. This is my favorite video because the author gets his point across clearly and really changes how you see social networks and technology. After watching this I realized how true it was when I was walking around and seeing everyone stare at their phones, even when they are with their friends. I believe if everyone watched this video it would change how people see technology. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY
Whenever I think of the negative effects of how screen based media effects our society today, I think of black mirror. After watching “The history of you” episode, I began to watch more episodes from black mirror. After watching “U.S.S. Callister”, I saw how an online game universe could completely engulf a man. To him, that universe was his dream universe. Everything that he wish he could do and wish he could be was made a reality, even if that meant compromising the freedom of those around him. That episode showed me how many people today look at online gaming as a kind of escape from their drab everyday lives. People become so distracted with how perfect or exciting their life is in this alternate reality that they may not realize how much they are detaching themselves from the actual world. In U.S.S callister, this concept is taken to the extreme in which the main antagonist is so dissatisfied with his actual life that he not only wants to detach himself from the real world but detaches those around him from the real world as well. Black mirror exemplifes how the feeling of power, belonging, and loneliness can be manipulated and influenced by screen based media.
Hi Wendy, I just started watching Black Mirror this quarter. I am really hooked on how the series describes all the positive and negative aspects of technology integrating with our lives. It is interesting to think that technology is supposed to help us in a technical sense, but they all make us feel a certain way. While I am only a few episodes in, this show has definitely made me see the dark side of technology. The episode where the woman orders a robot who replace his dead husband creeped me out so much. The premise of the episode felt possible in the near future. Products like Alexa and Siri have definitely made our lives easier and I feel like it is possible that these products can talk to us in an emotional capacity. This show has also made me think of how we perceive things as morally or ethically correct. Do we become more disensitized as technology is progressing or are our emotions just naturally evolving?
My favorite film that I have recently seen is called “The Circle” starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. The basic premise of the story is that Emma Watson’s character, Mae, gets the opportunity to work in the best fictional social media tech company that exists in their world (like a combination of Apple and Facebook). Tom Hanks’ character is the founder of that company and has the ultimate goal of creating a society where privacy is non-existent and transparency is the social norm. This tech company created micro cameras that could be placed anywhere in the world for anyone to access to with the intentions of reducing public crime due to the idea that extreme surveillance from the world’s eyes will in turn make citizens behave at their best. The idea becomes very dystopic once the cameras were placed on Mae’s body to record her daily life activities 24/7 as the first person in the world to be 100% transparent, which then leads to getting her parents involved and accidentally exposing her parents’ most private moments to the world. This movie definitely critiques the concerns over privacy within social media today. Tech companies are not being transparent enough about their data collection methods most of the time, and it’s an issue for the average consumer since they do not know if their private lives are being recorded through the devices that they use daily. It also critiques the way politcians function in the government today since the movie had two characters with one being a regular politician that has a private life and one being a politician that decided to be transparent with all of her emails and messages between others.
Hey rgolinga,
I saw your comment and it made me want to watch the movie. It reminded me of the book “A Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley in which it is set in a dystopian future with a mass production and specification of humans as a central idea for reproduction and along with it came the idea that “everyone belongs to everyone–” which definitely reflects the no privacy ideal Tom Hanks is bringing to reality. Furthermore, it reminds me of the episode “A History of You” from Black Mirror with the idea of having cameras all over–maybe even inside our heads. Your comment even made me think of the steps that we as a nation have taken to eliminate some privacy especially with the enactment of Freedom of Information Act. It truly is scary to think of these ideas coming to life but also even scarier to see what the development of our current life and advancement is heading towards.
Hi
My favorite example would be the TV show Black Mirror. I think this is a good show because it is a good indication of what the future will be like. I believe that as time goes on we will have less privacy, partly by choice. Because of the advancement of social media everyone feels the need to share every aspect of their life. I also think that we will be surveillance more. As time goes on more and more will change as technology keeps changing and I think Black Mirror does of good job by showing what we can/will face in the future.
Hi Kandace! Black Mirror is also one of my favorite TV shows. I agree that this show does give a good indication of what the future will be like. Technology will only keep improving and will become more and more advanced. I also agree that we will all have less and less privacy in the future.
My favorite film that recently addressed the challenges of technology advancing is “Nerve”. The movie depicts three protagonists revolve around an truth or dare video game on social media, accepting challenges from “watchers” to get money and fame. Some of the challenges are extremely dangerous.I like the movie although it is somehow exaggerating the problem about the internet. Electronic devices have allowed us to watch, hear, and communicate people from the other sides of the world, thus live stream becomes a new form of entertainment. Technological world is both fun and addictive.
Hi Xiyun,
I have watched this movie and agree with you. Throughout the movie, it is crazy to see how far people will go to complete the challenges created by this technological game. It also depicts how people in this generation are very conscious of their social media and how others judges and sees them. It shows the dark side of social media, how it holds the power to change the opinions of the people and how it can lead to serious cyberbullying. However, technology is the root of many advancements in our society. It shouldn’t be viewed as all bad or all good; there are pros and cons to technology.
Hi xiyun,
I also watched this movie and really enjoyed it. In this movie, I remembered that players are given “dares” by watchers. Upon completion of the dares, which are recorded by the player and other watchers, players can get cash. The more dangerous the dare, the more money one can make. Even though I felt more excited with watching more dangerous dare , I also realized how social media can influence our life not only in positive way but also lead to serious problems.
Hi Xiyun,
I also watched Nerve and I agree with you that the movie exaggerates the problem about the internet; however, I think that was the point of the film– to highlight the potential dangers of social media in a grandiose setting. I think this film also points out the perils of social conformity in this online world through depicting how the Nerve game users would literally do anything, regardless of the consequences, just to gain money and fame. This reminds me of how YouTube is today and how the Paul brothers (Logan Paul and Jake Paul) exploit their popularity (e.g. showing a dead body in a suicide forest and putting clickbait captions) just to gain more views and followers.
A screen-based media that addresses the topic of our technological world I enjoyed watching is the show Westworld. The premise of this show is a western theme park filled with humanoid who exist only to play a part in the fantasies of human guests. Yet, humanoid gradually gain consciousness and start to develop free will which allow lifelike androids to stray away from their preset program, eventually finding meaning and truth of their existence in the artificial world that was created by mankind. This show delves deeply into the themes of western trope, visual storytelling, and consciousness among non-organic lifeform. What intrigues me the most about Westworld was the concept of developing free will from a world that seems routine, structured, and repetitive. The ultimate reason of Westworld’s existence is to entertain the guest in anyway possible, to find the thing they desire, or even transform into someone they envision themselves to become; however, the only difference between these guests and humanoids is that humanoids are not allow to make decision or choose what path they want to discover. Their job was predetermined by human creators, which means the causation of their action is repetitive and mindless. On the contrary, the greatest thing about being alive in today’s society is that we still have the ability to do what we want and when we want, based on the idea of free will.
My favorite television show that recently addressed the challenges of technology advancing is “Marvel’s Agents of Shield.” This past season they did an arc on their take of virtual reality and called it the “framework.” The story starts with a scientist and his robot building a virtual world for where he kept his prisoners. As the season progressed, more and more people entered the virtual world. To keep them from realizing that they are in an alternate reality, the robot had erased one thing that their prisoner regretted the most in the real world. It made the world more realistic. What got me so interested in this arc was the character development and the idea of living in a perfect world. Each character had to realize on their own what is real and what is too good to be true to escape. For one man, he regrets the day his daughter passed away. For another, it was the inability to reconnect with his father. Both had that erased in the virtual world. It was not easy for any of them as they had to remember how it felt to live in a world where they loss someone or committed a regrettable action. It was interesting to see the characters realize the truth and to struggle leaving the place that they thought was perfect. While this is all fiction, it kind of parallels the way in which we communicate in the world and how we can become so addicted to our social media. In addition to staying in touch, we sometimes use Facebook and Instagram as an escape from our responsibilities. We see vacations photos, food videos and happy moments that makes us want more. It can take away the time we use to reconnect with others in person or to enjoy new experiences. It shows that one needs moderation and to enjoy our time away from the screen.
I really like the Black Mirror, at the same time I have seen a lot of movies and dramas, but what impressed me the most is the story from the Black Mirror in the third quarter, “Nosedive”. It’s most attract me is not it has a fascinating plot, but it’s very similar to our real world. The story is about the world in the future, the development of science and technology has changed the way of socializing for all people, and society has become completely “networked.” Any passer-by on the road, through the terminal, can look at each other’s social networking sites. And there’s a rating system in the world, the score stands for social status and social class, the high score also represents the power to hold more benefits.
How similar it is to our current social ways. Most people in the world are using Facebook or Instagram, and the rating system is similar to the likes system, and we are free to comment on other people’s websites. But think about it, how terrible it is if it is realized in the real world. Because humans will live in a world controlled by rating. Under such a social system, relationships are used between people; friendship ceases to exist; everyone has a mask of hypocrisy; people are willing to make something contrary to morality in order to improve their scores, and finally thoroughly enslaved by scores.
The rating mechanism is not uncommon in our life, but a person’s character and value should not be scored. The reason for the development of science and technology is to make human life better in order to make progress in society, instead of human getting controlled by science and technology, more should not create a false society. How to stop science and technology from over-changing our humankind and how to avoid humankind being enslaved by technological products are issues that every one of us who rely on online social networking should think about.
Hi Yaoming,
I completely agree. with you. The episode “Nosedive” stood out to me out of all of the the episode out of black mirror because of its similarity and depiction of the real world. People use “likes” on social media now a days as means to determine popularity and to compete for likes on social media by using it as a way to boost their own self esteem or the opposite. Many people are so conscious about the amount of follower they have or the amount of likes they receive with each picture they post. Social media is used as a platform for validation from other people. The quality of this show and this episode that makes it my favorite, is how realistic these ideologies are. People use technology as a way to escape their problems and have the means of doing whatever they want behind a screen and rarely face consequences. Another quality of black mirror I like is that although it depicts several different stories and people in many situations, the contrast between the advancement of technology and the decline of the human race is relevant in every single episode. As technology becomes more advanced, I feel like people find more ways to harm others, but not only that, there’s no privacy, because everything can be posted and content spreads like wildfire. Another episode was “San Junipero” which was about a digital world where people go and they can act according to their wishes without facing consequences. You don’t age in this world and many people go there to escape their problems. This almost foreshadows what is going on in the world today because of how people use technology as an outlet to avoid struggles in the real world. People can’t synthesize their own thought and become reliant on so ultimately the creators who are the humans become controlled by the creations.
Hi Hnin,
I like how you described social medial as a way to escape their problems, and how social media often provides a sort of mask people can hide behind. I found that even visually, “Nosedive” stood out because of the way the episode was colored and framed. The overall aesthetic of the episode used pastels and faded, soft tones until the climax and very ending scenes. This shows that social media can cover the realities of people’s lives and problems with a sort of rose-colored tint. The episode showed a stark contrast between people at varying levels of popularity in social media rankings, especially in how their personal lives and happiness compared.
Hi Yaoming and Hnin,
I really like both of your discussions and I agree with what you both have to say about how technology is changing our world so rapidly. I think people in today’s century have become so dependent on technology that they don’t realize how it is changing their lives, their characters, and even their relationships with others. In a recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy, there was a major outbreak in Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital because of a hacker that overtook the entire hospital’s computer system and essentially hacked into patient medical records, lab results, x-ray rooms and machines, air conditioning systems, etc. When these technological systems stopped working for a day, everyone’s lives suddenly changed and every single move for the healthcare professionals and even the patients, was blocked by an obstacle that would’ve been avoided with functioning tech systems. This episode was a clear depiction of how every single person’s life is dependent on technology in one way or another. Furthermore, It is so true that people are in a sense “rated” by their status and rankings on social media. It isn’t just enough to have a form of social media, but you must also accumulate a certain amount of “likes,” “shares,” or “retweets,” in order to become some form of a “popular person” that is looked upon positively in this society. I think the “Nosedive” episode of Black Mirror in a sense foreshadows what our world will become in a few decades when technology continues to advance and networking opportunities via social media continue to prosper. I feel that any form of verbal or in-person communication will slowly start to fade if the people in the society don’t make an effort to not allow technology take over their lives.
Hi Yoaming,
I also really enjoyed this episode of black mirror and I agree with you, it is very similar to the real world we live in today. The point system in the game not only is determined by your social status and success, but also other factors, such as race, age, and sex. And the idea that these points can either make or break your career or your life is very terrifying to think about but very possible to happen in the future. However, as you mentioned, I do not think that a persons personality should be scored or can be measured or do I think that specific type of social hierarchy is in our future.
I believe that the TV show “Black Mirrior” is trying to imply the negative consequences that high technology would bring to the human race. In the movie, each character is rewatching their memory card all the time, and their topic never leaves the memory card too. For example, when the main character gets into his girl friend’s friend’s house, the black guy is watching his memory about the carpet. People are relying on the card too much. Also, since people can pull out the scene very easily, privacy gets involved. The main character almost pulls out the part where he had the interview which didn’t go well. In the end, the main character catches his wife lying to him by rewatching the memory clips over and over again. He gets too obsessed with digging into his wife’s secret. Therefore they break up eventually. In conclusion, I think technology does help human race a lot, but only if we use it in the right way. Otherwise, the technology is going to take over the control but not us controlling technology.
Hi Ta Wei,
I think you made a great point about how powerful technology can lead to negative consequences. In my opinion, “Black Mirror” shows the audience that technology has a lot to offer, but sometimes people abuse that power and use it for the wrong reasons. Technology has become a huge part of people’s lives and defines their status. In “Black Mirror” the characters’ value in society, employment status, social status, access to services, and basically their whole life depends on a score out of 5. Lacie, who has a score of 4.2 is jealous of her friend Naomi and for that reason starts to try and boost her ranking. This is eventually what will happen or already started to happen in the real world. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, have started to bring about these ranking systems. The amount of likes, shares, or followers determines how “popular” you are and how people address/treat you. As technology advances, people will have less and less in-person contact and will rely on technology to continue on with simple daily life activities/communication. It is amazing how much power technology has and how it impacts people all around the world. Black Mirror does a great job depicting how technological advances in the future will affect the human race.
One of my favorite film that address the advancement of technology I think is the first Iron Man movie. The movie depicts the creation of the iron man suit. The multifunctional suit that can bring one to outer space. Also the fact that the male protagonist has a glass heart replacement. It can be a foreshadowing of what the future generation might accomplish.
There is a movie on Netflix called “What Happened to Monday” and it highlights a world where families are only allowed to have one child due to overpopulation. However, there is one family with a set of identical septuplets who have survived into adulthood. In this world, everyone is assigned an implant that is associated with their identity and in order to leave for work or a town, they have to go through these checkpoints. At these checkpoints, the authority runs the implant to make sure they are who they are in the system. With the septuplets, the father was able to create an identical implant for every one of his 7 daughters. Since there are 7 of them, they each get to go out one day a week dressed exactly the same as each other. At the end of each day, they come back to their house and tell each other everything that happened so that the next person would know exactly what happened the day before. (Spoilers) Eventually, the government realizes what has been going on and they decided to hunt down the sisters and kill everyone except for one, Monday. What I thought was interesting about this movie is how scary it is for technology to be used to control family sizes. There are both pros and cons of technology being used to contain the population size in society. The good thing about using technology in such is to prevent overpopulation but the family does not get the say in whether or not they get to keep their other children.
Hi Quynh, I also watched the movie “What Happen to Monday” and found it very interesting. At the same time I felt fear for our future because the movie demonstrate how the technology control human by implementing the device on us and truck every single movements. In that world, human does not have any privacy. Overpopulation problem might happen in the future but I hope government will not use technology to control that.
Gattaca is one of my favorite films both because I am in love with Uma Thurman and because it addresses the ethical tug-of-war involved with ever-advancing technology and how that technology can affect lives from as early on as conception. Gattaca illustrates a world in which couples interested in starting a family can “pick” which fetus grows based on its probability of success determined by the doctor. Yet some children in the film are conceived naturally which leads to the plight of our protagonist. This system which most likely began well intentioned as a way of eliminating genetic diseases such as Huntington’s or inheritable cancers, it became the system that stratified society. The protagonist, due to his inferior genetic features, was unable to pursue his dream job of becoming an astronaut because the rigorous screening process for that job and any other prestigious positions included a genetic analysis. What I enjoy about this film is that it is not disconnected from reality. Programs such as 23 and Me let people know if they inherited certain genetic markers like those that present in Alzheimer’s patients or suffers of male-patterned baldness. Then there is prenatal screening allows parents to know what conditions their unborn child will or won’t be born with. Currently, we are experiencing the genesis of a derivative of the genetics-oriented society Gattaca portrays.
The video game Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a game the pertains to the topic of screen-based technology. This is because the developers of this game took a normal first person shooter and turned it very futuristic and full of technology. One of the main aspects is that players are given a jet pack on their characters that allow them to jump higher than normal soldiers and have the ability to run on walls to defeat their enemies. This franchise has taken normal boots on the ground warfare and turned it into a futuristic war that includes futuristic movements with jet packs, wall running, and implemented weapons such as lasers and other high-tech weapons for players to use. Despite all the futuristic changes being a way to attract a young audience, this can be an accurate representation of what war can look like one day.
One of my favorite films that can relate to the topic discussed is the movie Gattaca. The use of technology used in this film illustrates the use of reproductive technology, meaning that parents can create their child through genetic manipulation and having them have the best genes. It is interesting how in this movie and in the examples, technology has become so important and vital to our lives that it is needed for our own survival and well being. Of course, in this imagined world displayed in Gattaca, the use of technology is used to create nearly perfect individuals and living in a world where you have the opportunity to enjoy from its benefits. Personally, it make me wonder how technology has become so central to our daily lives. It is a great movie that captivates and expands your imagination of living in a future where genetic engineering is key.
Hi Michael, I agree that Gattaca perfectly depicts how technology could evolve to the point that people could be made genetically perfect. Those who are born without the help of technology are born “invalid”, and are almost worthless as they have humanistic/genetic flaws which results in them being inferior to those who are considered valid. It is a very futuristic film of what technology could lead to in the near future, and I also think that we have become dependent on technology to the point where we want technology to make us perfect like the valids in the movie.
Michael and Theresa,
I wish I saw these earlier because I also wrote about Gattaca for this discussion! I thought the central conflict of Gattaca (being the protagonist’s struggle to overcome the hurdles created for those born without the use of genetic selection) says a lot, not only about how technology is becoming more and more central to our lives as Michael mentioned, but also how that technology can be used to create barriers and oppress different classes of people. I think it is a message about being careful, not about technology itself as the ability to genetically cull things like Huntington’s disease or blindness would be a good thing, but about how we use technology.
The video game “Starcraft II” is one of an example of my favorite screen-based media. The game shows the future battle between human beings and other alien cultures. The most attractive quality of this game is that the designer imagines how the future spacecrafts look like from which, as an engineer, I can get some inspirations. The CG animation within the game shows how the future world runs: people rioted in protest against the government, launching battles and fighting for a real peaceful human society. All the stuff in the game is worth considering.
As someone stated before, I am also an avid reader of manga and webtoons. I find that they have many stories that use the concepts of social media and technology to show how it affects everyday life of a student or a person in the story. For example, “Dead Tube” is an explicit and very graphic manga that uses this concept. In this story, the main character gets persuaded to make a video and post it on deadtube (a play on the known video site “youtube”). The whole idea is to make a video and you compete with others to get the most viewers and if you win during that time period of the competition (or get the most views) then you make a lot of money. There is a catch however and the it is that if you are the lowest video in the rankings with the least amount of views then you owe the makers of dead tube money for all the property (outfits, transportation etc.) used and crimes (such as entering private property, attempted murder, sexual assault) made in their video. In this case, to get people’s attention, people choose to do murder videos or other graphic things to get people to click on their video and watch it. Usually the videos that take first place are videos of interesting murder concepts with a whole storyline “acted” out too. You can say it is like a movie but the only difference is people actually die in this concept.
This relates to our topic because it shows that people will click on obviously more interesting videos although the content is not necessarily the best or humane but they watch it because its “entertaining” or it might make the person mad but they still watched it anyways because of the content. We live in a world where technology and popularity rules, and this story shows how far people are willing to go to become the #1 even if they have to do obscene acts to get people’s attention.
I personally like this story because I do find each video they make or the storyline that builds up to each video is very interesting. I suppose you can say I am one of those suckers who give that person an extra view only because it is interesting to me although some concepts are hard to stomach.
In recent few months, one drama series in South Korean, called ‘ I Am Not A Robot’ has made me so interested and love it. In this drama, it introduces the latest technology including VR and Robot technology, which may improve people’s daily life and quality.What’s more interested is somewhat these technology can even save people’s life. In the drama, the main character is sick with one rare illness that he can not touch with people and then bought a female character to talk to her and train her to finish a series movement so that she can almost live like a real person instead of a robot. Gradually, he overcomes his fear about people and recover.Also, digital arts technology such as movie special effects used in the series is very cool and make me feel so real about robot.As one word, this drama is definitely interesting , funny and meaningful, so it’s my favorite one in these three months.
Hi Jinyi!
I recently caught up to the latest episode of the series “I Am Not A Robot”! I definitely have to agree with you that the drama was very interesting! I have to say that this drama is currently my favorite screen-based media that portrays our technological world very well. Although it is set in Korea, it replicates the ideals that America also has on technology and how fast the technological world has improved; where everyone wants the latest technology. An example from the drama would be when the director focuses on the different high tech objects in the main rich household. The different objects include the robot cleaner, the voice-controlled smart house device, and the robot girl with real attributes. Since the director decides to focus on all these different types of high tech devices, it influences the audience to desire the devices in their houses because of how much easier their lives would be if they had those smart devices.
I am an avid manga and webtoon reader, one of my favorite manga series is Real Account. I suggest to those who love horror and psychological survival stories to read this. This manga really examines and stresses the concept of how social media weighs the number of follower and friends a user has. There is this concept in society that the number of followers on an account suggests how popular/successful a person is. In Real Account, the most popular social media is called ‘Real Account’. MyAnimeList commenter Zedwardzenyz gives a great explanation of the manga:
Imagine.
You’re sitting there, phone in hand and scrolling through your social network, following people, adding people, commenting on things, your general everyday thing
(facebook, twitter, etc).
Suddenly, you’re teleported into cyberspace, into a room with people you’ve never met before.
Pretty cool right? yeah.
You are then greeted by the social network mascot. He then announces that you and the people that were using the social network at that time, are to play social network
games. “Heh, I can do that”, is what you’re thinking. The mascot then continues to tell you that these games you will be playing is for your life. He proceeds to tell the whole
world that you must have people following you.
If you have no followers, you die.
If you fail the mini-game, you and your followers die.
Followers are unfollowing to protect themselves, this includes parents, siblings, significant others, best friends…. You are left alone to die.
Ask yourself this. How many people will really put their life on the line for you?
Watch how far we humans will sink to grasp onto survival.
The person next to you. Will you exploit them for your own survival? How far will YOU go to survive?
What do others truly think of others?
A person could brag about having 8000 followers who like and support all posts. This manga brings to light whether or not all those 8000 will have your back when you really need it. We like to think that the number represents the number of people who love and care about you. There is the harsh reality of knowing that the number on the screen is really just a number. I know it’s kind of a grim thought. I definitely recommend the read though. It really relates to the technological and social media driven world we live in today.
I am an avid manga and webtoon reader, one of my favorite manga series is Real Account. I suggest to those who love horror and psychological survival stories to read this. This manga really examines and stresses the concept of how social media weighs the number of follower and friends a user has. There is this concept in society that the number of followers on an account suggests how popular/successful a person is. In Real Account, the most popular social media is called ‘Real Account’. MyAnimeList commenter Zedwardzenyz gives a great explanation of the manga:
Imagine.
You’re sitting there, phone in hand and scrolling through your social network, following people, adding people, commenting on things, your general everyday thing
(facebook, twitter, etc).
Suddenly, you’re teleported into cyberspace, into a room with people you’ve never met before.
Pretty cool right? yeah.
You are then greeted by the social network mascot. He then announces that you and the people that were using the social network at that time, are to play social network
games. “Heh, I can do that”, is what you’re thinking. The mascot then continues to tell you that these games you will be playing is for your life. He proceeds to tell the whole
world that you must have people following you.
If you have no followers, you die.
If you fail the mini-game, you and your followers die.
Followers are unfollowing to protect themselves, this includes parents, siblings, significant others, best friends…. You are left alone to die.
Ask yourself this. How many people will really put their life on the line for you?
Watch how far we humans will sink to grasp onto survival.
The person next to you. Will you exploit them for your own survival? How far will YOU go to survive?
What do others truly think of others?
A person could brag about having 8000 followers who like and support all posts. This manga brings to light whether or not all those 8000 will have your back when you really need it. We like to think that the number represents the number of people who love and care about you. There is the harsh reality of knowing that the number on the screen is really just a number. I know it’s kind of a grim thought. I definitely recommend the read though. It really relates to the technological and social media driven world we live in today.
I don’t know if only me and my friend have this problem or maybe every one else who is using instragram have the same problem. I have been noticed that the serves ads that instagram automatic shows in my screen are basically related to some thing that I have been talking to friends recently. For example, one day I was talking about north face gloves, that night whenever I was using Instagram, the advertisement posts about north face showed up in my instagram. A lot of my friend have the same problem, we often find out that a lot of our instagram ads posts are related to what we have been talk out loud recently. I am pretty there are some new technology about wiretap in our iPhone! Good thing about the wiretap is that the phone might show us the product that we really need. But on the other hands, imagine there is a people or intelligent inside your phone that are always listen to everything you talk about, I’m afraid that nowadays as all kind of iPhone 99 shows up, there will be no privacy for us even when we talk
This so alarming! I actually saw a video the other day that spoke about this problem. This did not happen on Instagram but on Facebook. It was a couple that received advertisements about their conversation so they decided to record their whole day conversation to prove that Facebook was hearing to people’s conversations. They agreed that they would only talk about babies and babies products and sure enough that night they saw baby product advertisements on their page. Coincidence? Maybe, but it is very odd. This shows the problems with technology advancement. Technology is a platform that allows us to do things that in the past might have been impossible, but it also shows a downfall. We need to be careful and more aware.
Instagram is one of my favorite social media apps because it gives a way for people to express their creativity through pictures and videos. But, I started noticing that the ads are also related to the conversations I have on my iPhone. It’s quite convenient and a great move for marketing purposes. Most of the time, when I see an ad of a product that I’ve been wanting, it sort of feels meant to be. Like the universe wanted me to see the ad and then I am convinced to buy it. This is obviously not a great thing for me because I only have so much money and self control. Also, it is quite creepy that Instagram has a way of searching through our phones to convince us to buy things.
Hi Dekang Wang,
This too happens to me all the time and it is sort of a relief to know that my friends and I aren’t the only ones that experience this. I think for the most part this happens because a lot of out social medias are linked to our emails and our emails tend to be saved on to several devices and technology is so advanced that it helps promote such products and makes it easier for us to access the websites for products that we regularly search. So, I don’t think it is necessarily wiretapping the reason why this occurs I think its more of the advancement of technology and its databases that store certain things that might be of interest based on relative and constant searches one makes throughout the days. But, if it were to be that wiretapping was the main case I agree with you that it definitely interferes with our privacy.
Hi Dekang,
I have noticed this recently as well! Not only did the ads show on Instagram, but Facebook too! I always get lured into clicking those advertisements which gets me frustrated because I would be attempted in buying whatever it was advertising. Technologies have definitely take over our lives by invading our privacy which makes online surfing even more dangerous than it already is. In addition, we have so many platforms of social medias linked to the same account which allows recent technologies to easily recognize our necessities. I first thought it was only a coincidence but now looking at your post and the comments you have been receiving, I am surprise to know that I am the only one who is experiencing this.
That is terrifying but extremely believable. I have experiences such incidents myself with Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. A friend was talking about how therapeutic journaling and scrapbook making was. I told her that I was interested in starting myself. As soon as I opened up facebook, I was exposed numerous ads from Amazon recommending craft and bullet journals. Pinterest followed up with journaling example pins and my Instagram feed displayed journal calligraphy videos. That really freaked me out. I mean once is a coincidence but three times in a row is a very concerning pattern. I have never sought out journal related things before so it made no sense as to why it would appear on my feed.
My favorite depiction of the technological culture humans are trending towards is the Black Mirror episode “Fifteen Million Merits”. In this episode everyone but the social elite are forced to ride bikes everyday to generate power and earn money that they spend on food and entertainment. The only opportunity for these commoners to change social class is to save enough money to spend on a ticket to audition to become an actor or member of the entertainment industry. In the end a commoner gets a deal to enter the entertainment industry and finds that the world outside of their structure is lush nature. The thing that stands out to me the most is the use of technology by the social elite to suppress the commoners. The biking technology is made to give commoners a purpose and distract them from the oppression that it represents. I was also very intrigued by the contrast of thriving forests and nature shown through the window of a building. I believe the message here is that the only way to preserve nature in the future will be to suppress humanity’s access to it and ability to destroy it.
I have been watching Black Mirror since the series became popular on Netflix and it has become one of my favorite shows about electronic culture. It is one of the many shows that touches the base of what our technology is like and what problem can occur. One of my favorite episodes is from the new season named “Hang the DJ”. (Fair warning there may be some spoilers in this post) It is basically about dating through a “system” where one is forced into a relationship to see if he or she is the one. This makes a huge comparison into todays dating with the popular app Tinder. That is one of the things I admire most about this show there is a lot of things that we, as a society, might think is totally normal and harmless, but are twisted too see the dark side of what could really happen.
The Black Mirror episode “Hang the DJ” was one of my favorite episodes too! It addresses the topic of dating apps but takes it a step further, depicting a world that allows couples to know how long their relationship will last and only allows them to be together for that duration. One of the characters endures an ill-fated phase during her use of this dating system where she’s consistently matched with partners, each for only a short duration. A montage of her and her partners illustrates how this technology diminishes the romance and excitement involved in relationships, leaving the user to become a slave to this monotonous, technological system. This episode also depicts two ways people can approach the dating system: through conforming or through rebellion. A quality that I appreciated in this episode was that the happiness of the couple in the end depended on them rebelling against this strict system and rather than having a dark, unexpected twist at the end that the majority of the episodes in this series have, “Hang the DJ” has a lighthearted ending. This show does a superb job at making the viewer question what they think is normal, such as a seemingly simple dating app.
I totally agree with you! I love “Black Mirror” and I think that it can really extrapolate on some fears we as a society face as technology advances. However, “Hang the DJ” is a more upbeat episode in comparison to the majority of the season, so what warning do you think the episode poses to our society? Especially considering the parallels to the normalization of dating apps like Tinder and Bumble?
Hi Esly,
I have also watched Black Mirror and think that it does a great job of illustrating our future technological world. The episode you are referring to has to be one of my favorite episodes too! I think this episode was interesting in the way that it showed how the use of technology (being forced to match with a partner for a certain amount of time) took away their own freedom and curiosity. Through the technological device that they were forced to obey, it took away their emotions and experiences that they wished they had. I like how this episode illustrates the consequences that could arise if we let technology takeover our lives. This showed how a couple only found happiness by rebelling against their society and technological system. This is scary because it foreshadows what can possibly happen to our future if aren’t careful with the power we give technology.
Telling me to pick only one of my favorite screen-based media is like telling the anime industry to stop pandering to fetishistic otaku — it’s difficult, but necessary (for the assignment and to push towards compelling media without escapist delusions of reality).
Out of my repertoire of favorites, a recent one is Devilman Crybaby. Although I have criticisms about its somewhat sensationalist handling of (homo)erotic themes and warn of its long trigger warning list, the animated series’ graphic nature is meant to be a mirror of humanity’s own demon-like hysteria when faced with carnivorous entities that take over human bodies called Demons. The nihilistic behaviors of humans are heightened and proliferated through technology in the anonymous bullying and hive-minded hate that one of the main characters faces when she posts an eye-opening exposé of the Demons on series’ version of Twitter and Instagram in hopes to change the negativity brewing in a world that is increasingly festering with turmoil and anarchy. I highly enjoyed how well the series presented the damaging nature of modern mainstream news-reporting and the resulting social media frenzy that steam-rolls any calls for understanding and unity. It draws parallels to historic “witch hunts” that were weaponized by government institutions to assert power over opposing groups.
One of my favorite video games of all time that addresses the topic of an unimagined technological world is the video game “Bioshock.” This video game set in the 1960’s starts off with you controlling Jack, the protagonist, right before Jack is involved on an airplane accident that leaves him stranded on the middle of the ocean on a lighthouse. The video game explores an underwater Utopian city of Rupture. The game centralizes on the use of technology that made it capable for humans to create an underwater city yet it takes a dystopia approach when ADAM is discovered. This ADAM is genetic material that when used by humans gives the user superpowers, causing havoc on the city with people fighting over the ADAM. The video game indirectly approaches the fall of the city as technology and humans brought it up yet greed for power and technological advances caused the demise of this city. This video game features great game play but also one of the best plot twists I have ever encountered which make it be one of my favorite games of all time. The creative and beautiful world encountered in the game make it unique with an action filled story and the contrast of human greed and technological power.
My favorite TV show is running man, which is a most popular and funny show in South Korea. I have been watched this show for six years and I started from the first episode . The reason that I follow this TV show until now is I appreciate every member in running man family. They bring about laugh and positive energy. They never give up even though the tasks are extremely difficult. The only way I can approach them is from television and computer because we are from same country. And also they played lots of interesting games and give me inspiration to create new idea . I sincerely enjoy this show.
Running Man is one of my favorite TV show too because like you say, they bring us lots of fun and positive energy. Moreover, Running Man is also classified as “urban action variety show” because they go to different places in every episode, so we can learn more about different places and different urban environment. We also can learn the culture, food, history of that place. Therefore, Running Man is not only a variety show, but also you can learn so many thing in the show.
Hello,
My favorite example is the black mirror which is classified as a TV show. The reason why it’s my favorite is because it shows how the future would be. Many people will have trust issues and there will not be privacy which causes challenges in our culture. I feel like this type of technology would be useful only for the government because if someone commits a crime then the police men can see what exactly happened and they will see if the criminal is guilty or not and if she or he is telling the truth. This is why I like this example because it’s really mind-blowing to think about these scenarios.
As like many others, I am a huge fan of black mirror as it is very interesting in how it portrays technological innovations in the near future and the drawbacks it could inadvertently have on its users. In addition, I really enjoy the film “Ex Machina” due to its depiction of artificial intelligence because I feel like that is a topic of contention nowadays. I like how they pose the question of what does it mean exactly to be human as humans dive deeper into how far they can push the boundary between technology and man.
I totally agree with you that this could be a reality we will face in the near future. However, it would create so many controversies because it would affect people’s privacy. It would be nice for solving crimes and government surveillance but it would make it so much easier for the government to become dictatorship like the Novel 1984 . It is crazy that technology can bring so many benefits but at the same time, it might also would destroy humanity (possibility).
To add on for the movie Ex-Machina, I really like that movie. I think it was successfully portrayed the near future of AI since recently, we just created Robot Sophia. It is great that we can create something closed to human, but since it has its own intelligence, it might outsmart human species and might do some crazy things like in the new Alien: Covenant movie where AI created the Aliens and let them kill all living organisms. But in a positive note, they might not do crazy things such as those but instead they can help human to make more logical decisions and make earth becomes a better place for all living species. We really don’t know what might come but it is still very fascinated to think about the future in either way.
A screen-based media I like that addresses the topic of technological world is a movie called “Her”. The main character Theodore becomes captivated with a new operating system. Although technology is everywhere, there are no keyboards in this world that can be comparable to Theodore’s desktop and his artificially intelligent OS named Samantha. Currently, Samantha’s technology lies beyond the dimensions of current automated assistants like Siri. Even though Siri is helpful, our growing use of technology and reliance on technology can also have a negative effect on human.
I agree with you. One of screen-based media I like is the movie Ex Machina. After watching this movie, i start to think carefully about the dangers of AI. When people create machine, they pay more attention on the utility of the robot. Although those machine looks like human, they are actually tools. Thus, they don’t have consciousness and humanity. Just like things happen in the movie. At the end of story, Ava, the robot kill the man who helped her and love her. Also, it’s hard to imagine what happens if robots have their own intelligence. One possibility is that they may take over all human beings and create their own world. Thus, there must be a regulation on the use and development of machine.
A screen-based media I like that addresses the topic of technological world is a real virtual reality game that is called VR: Chat. The game functions as basically a hang out spot online where a person chooses an avatar and hangs out and talk with not much other functions in the game. It is extremely interesting because people choose to hang out online other than in person. VR: Chat has also allowed for a new meme, de wae, where people choose a squirrel avatar and run around harassing people with African accents. This gang is known as the Ugandan Knuckles Tribe and can be inappropriate and offensive to some and hilarious for others. They have strange traditions such as clapping for the queens with their tounges and spitting at nonbelievers. Yet, whereever they go, people tend to encourage them to be more wild. I like this game because it allows people to choose very funny avatars and do what they want that they can’t do in person, which is appropriate as they are not hurting anyone. The game also allows people to be extremely silly without getting judged.
A screen-based media I like that addresses the topic of technological world is a real virtual reality game that is called VR: Chat. The game functions as basically a hang out spot online where a person chooses an avatar and hangs out and talk with not much other functions in the game. It is extremely interesting because people choose to hang out online other than in person. VR: Chat has also allowed for a new meme, de wae, where people choose a squirrel avatar and run around harassing people with African accents. This gang is known as the Ugandan Knuckles Tribe and can be inappropriate and offensive to some and hilarious for others. They have strange traditions such as clapping for the queens with their tounges and spitting at nonbelievers. Yet, whereever they go, people tend to encourage them to be more wild. I like this game because it allows people to choose very funny avatars and do what they want that they can’t do in person, which is appropriate as they are not hurting anyone. The game also allows people to be extremely silly without getting judged.
One of my favorite pieces from the artist Banksy showcases the effects of how technology affects our world today and how it can potentially pose as a challenge to our everyday lives. In this piece, Banksy portrays a couple who are embracing lovingly, but are focusing their attention to their respective phones rather than to each other. This piece showcases how technology can serve as a distraction to what’s truly real and in front of us. As time goes on, it seems like we are beginning to prioritize our lives on social media more than our present life.
Hey Flora,
I actually didn’t know Banksy until this post and when I looked him up he has some promising works. I totally agree with what you said and it is crazy how technology can take us and make us not see what the more important things in life, like one’s significant other or their family. Thank you for this post, it was a very enlightening experience!
Hey! I am glad you mention Banksy. He’s a legend. His art pieces fit the statement–a picture speaks a thousand words. I have seen many pieces, but never the one you described. I just looked it up and it’s very interesting because it is a piece that fits the contemporary lifestyle of many people. This picture illustrates the issue that many of us spend our time engaged in our phone and not living the moment. Our phone has evolved to be part of us. We cannot go without it for a day or two. I agree with you, but also have a somewhat different take on the issue. I believe we are becoming too invested in building up our lives on social media and we become blinded by the notifications and likes. We start to believe that our social media account is more important. The best part is that we are in control of it, we get to add the photos we want everyone to see. Unlike our life, which gives us all the good and bad experiences. The worse is when the life we have social media is an alter ego only to attract likes and views. Unfortunately, we get pushed to become like this because it’s the trend that everyone is hopping on.
A TV show that I, too, enjoy is Black Mirror. A while ago, I watched an episode called White Bear. In this episode, a woman wakes up with amnesia not able to recall any memory. She leaves the house trying to get help but people ignore her and instead record her while wearing a mask. She later finds out the entire thing was staged and that she partook in a child abduction with her fiance. The fiance tortured and killed the girl and the woman recorded his actions on her phone. Although this episode was much more dark than the other ones, it still depicts our world on how much our phones mean to us. There are many who cannot live without phones. There have been instances where people would rather pull out their phones and record someone being hurt or a crime scene rather than to prevent or help out the situation. People are more interested in recording the moment rather than preventing it which is sadly shocking. I enjoy watching shows because we are able to visualize the instances occurring regarding the technological world. Not only that but also it helps others to relate more when we are able to actually see it rather than hear about it.
Hello Moses
I recently finished watching that episode and i totally agree with you. For example, back in my high school students would fight a lot and would not try to stop the fights. Instead they would encourage them by screaming “fight! fight! fight!” and majority of them would have their phones out and record the fights. This is something that happens everywhere and this means we are making this a universal culture. Even now days grown people still do this. This is something we always we have to keep in mind.
I agree completely with your post Moses. It’s almost as if people are beginning to lose a sense of empathy and compassion as technology takes over the world. When a horrific incident occurs, people’s instincts are to grab their phone and record. Then that graphic video footage will later be posted online where millions of people love to watch it for some reason. Although technology gives us a huge opportunity to act quick and seek medical attention, humans seem to disregard that and use technology for the wrong reasons.
Over the break, I watched a movie called, “Snowden” which depicts a government contractor who leaked classified government information to the world about how our form of digital communication was being tracked by the government through global surveillance programs. This movie really opened up my perspectives on how connected we are to the digital world and that it can cause more harm in a sense. As we grow more into this digital culture, it’s scary to think our everyday lives could be watched over by the government through the technologies that we use daily.
Hi Kevin!
I totally agree with you. In today’s world we are so connected that sometimes we forget about the dangers about social media. For many, being watched by the government may appear to be harmless, but it goes on to show how much our world has changed over a short span of time. It is scary to imagine that we live in a world where we risk losing our privacy.
A TV Show that I really enjoy watching is “Criminal Minds”. This show involves technology in terms of the police, more specifically the FBI unit. They have their own personal “hacker” type agent named Penelope Garcia. They call her whenever the team is putting together details of an unsub and she puts all of these details into relevant data bases to generate names. This then leads to them getting a lead and/or finding the target killer, rapist, etc. I think that is my favorite part, just the way that technology is capable of generating our where about’s, demographics, and interests based on profiling details. This show is an example of how advanced technology is from a government standpoint and the capabilities authorities or even hacker personnel have.
I highly enjoy this show as well and agree with the remarks made in this comment. In note of the hackers topic mentioned at the end of this comment, it reminded me of those underground hacker groups that would perform hacks in big corporate settings for the greater good. I forgot what the actual term for these underground hackers are called, but that just shows how much of an impact technology can have within society, rather it be big or small.
Sabrina,
I also really enjoy watching this show not only for the fact that I enjoy shows with criminal and detective stuff but because of the technology the FBI has. Penelope is a very talented individual who can narrow down an unsub from the smallest details and how fast she is able to do this. It is crazy to think that they have technology like this today and could possibly use that technology to invade our privacy without even us knowing. Thank you for sharing this response, I thought it was very interesting!
I used to see Criminal Minds. I do not anymore because I do not have time but I enjoyed the tv show. You’re right, it is all that. The show shows how technology has helped the government and police affiliated branches to help solve cases and arrest people that responsible. However, it also poses the question whether the government has too much information about the people and if this ethical correct. The surveillance against the people in the country is constantly growing. Can we possibly grow into a nation that reflects the world shown in Black Mirror and be okay with it? With the continuation of technology advancing, it shows to be a double-ended sword. It can help but also strike back and affect us.
I agree this show uses technology in a new creative way that created an initial interest for new viewers. As I watch the season progress I came to the same connections about the use of technology by the character Penelope Garcia and the way the unsub was researched, profiled, and then matched.
I love watching Criminal Minds! But yeah seeing Penelope’s hacking skills in action real got me thinking about fact and fiction. In high school, I was familiar with the idea of the government being able to monitor us. I understood that filtering through our search history could weed out potential criminals. What made me uncomfortable was the rumor that the government can gain access through our laptop and phone cameras. That they can watch our every move without our knowledge. I shrugged off the uncomfortable feeling up until my freshman year of college. For one of my 400+ student lectures, I sat in the very back and was able to look down on majority of the students in class. I noticed that many of them had their laptop cameras covered with stickers or post it notes. That freaked me out. I ended up covering my camera as well as a safety precaution. How do you all feel about this idea?
Over the winter break, I saw “The Bicentennial Man” because it happened to be on while my family and I were in food comas. The film stars Robin Williams as a domestic robot purchased by a man for his family to use as a butler because everyone who’s anyone’s got one. However, this particular robot seems to be able to form his own emotions that stray from his standard programming. Long story short, the robot, who they name Andrew, is so good at learning that he is eventually able to help a scientist create artificial organs and body parts that basically allow for him to be human in every way (this is where Robin Williams loses the suit and appears as himself) and for humans to be immortal. However, his motivation to do this is to be more human. Spoiler Alert* (this is a 90’s film but I’ll warn anyway) regardless of being able to live forever, he chooses to purposefully change his system to allow him to age like a mortal because he wants to be human. To think that the very thing we are advancing towards right now with AI was played out here until we ended up going back to the meaning of humanity. Andrew lives throughout a total of 200 years (bicentennial), hence the title. You will note that the title says “man” and not “robot”. In the end, Andrew has a video conference on his death bed with congress and dies as they tell him he has been granted humanity. This is my favorite example because it has no robot takeover and it simulates the potential goal in our current advancements but still goes back to illuminate the value of being human.
During this winter break, I watch the Black mirror season four. I am impressed with episode Crocodile. The main character Mia witness a car accident while killing a person, insurance investigator of the car accident find Mia and harvests her memory of a nearby accident scene. While doing the investigation, Mia’s memory of killing people comes up. For not to divulge the secret, Mia kill this insurance investigator. If this investigator does not know Mia’s secret, she wouldn’t die. In this case, the electronic devices used to help us becomes a killing machine. In one side, this memory machine can help us to record information accurately; however, it sometimes reveal information that people do not want to share to other people. Thus, Electronic culture can be both helpful and harmful to human beings.
One of my favorite screen based media is Youtube. I am a person who love watching videos more than reading words. For me, Youtube is the most convience place to find videos that I want. There are so much resources and information in Youtube, for example, news, TV shows, funny videos that others made. It includes the videos from all over the world. The other reason that I like it is that everyone can access it.
I think I agree with you that YouTube is a great source for screen-based media. One of the reasons I enjoy using YouTube is because it allows for different types of media, whether it be news, entertainment, or an outlet for creativity such as music or short-films/webseries. It has evolved so much since the mid-2000s when YouTube was just starting out and much of the content was funny and homemade videos that were silly, but as technology advanced, the videos also advanced in terms of screen quality and type of content too. Record labels use YouTube to release music videos and advertise their artists now, so YouTube is a way to spread word of new information. Film and webseries creators also use it as a platform to upload their stories for worldwide access rather than on a specific TV channel that may be restricted to a certain region. My favorite thing that I love is that YouTube allows for access among those whoever has access to technology rather than just limited to a specific part of the world, which is what many technological advances in the world is trying to do: allow access for communication and connection. It definitely allows me to know different people from different fandoms and such.
Hi Debby! I completely agree with you. YouTube has become a place where people from different parts of the world can share their videos with one an other. YouTube can be a source of knowledge and information, used for tutorials or different life hacks. Whether you are looking for a recipe for dinner, help with algebra, or need further instruction on building a furniture piece, YouTube contains all the answers. It is a great place to acquire new knowledge and creates the opportunity for entertainment.
To add on, I agree as well that Youtube is a media source that I tend to rely on a lot. My main use for it is to learn how to do something (tutorials). Whether it be about makeup, cooking/baking, painting, how to fix something, how to work a certain camera. I feel like I am able to learn so many things within a few minutes/hours that probably would have taken me a longer time elsewhere.
I completely agree with everything you have said, I too am someone who uses youtube in a degree that I almost rely on youtube to get me through situations such as everyday tasks, life hacks, and even to just put me in a better mood. I honestly do not know what would happen to me if the internet were to get rid of youtube.
Completely agree with you. YouTube is actually a really great source for screen based media. People can find what they need on YouTube. For example, every time my daughter cries, I would play baby song via YouTube, then she would stop crying. Moreover, most videos from YouTube are free, so you don’t have to pay for that. Even though you have to pay for some new movie, it is cheaper than the theaters. Further, if you want to buy something on the website, and you are confusing about the product, you can search the product review videos on YouTube. Isn’t it cool?
I am also a big fan of youtube. Not only does it serve as a source of entertainment and advice, it also allows you to “subscribe” to channels and connect with its creators. It’s almost like another form of social media, in which the creator is given the freedom to post whatever they wish and their followers are free to comment, give feedback, and connect with the creator. I find it crazy how people from a wide range of ages have become successful enough to make a living off of it.
I agree with you that Youtube is a very good screen based media because you can find whatever you want on youtube. People can post whatever they want. Youtube conveniences my life in America. For example, if I want to visit some Chinese video websites for the latest TV shows, I always find the the internet connection is not so good because of the transit server. However, I find that I am able to find those resources on youtube. Also, there are lots of subscriptions. If you love music, you can watch your favorite singer’s MV. Or if you are a game fan, you can “subscribe” to gaming channels. Youtube is a place that can satisfy everyone’s need.
I agree with you that Youtube is a very good screen based media because you can find whatever you want on youtube. People can post whatever they want. Youtube conveniences my life in America. For example, if I want to visit some Chinese video websites for the latest TV shows, I always find the the internet connection is not so good because of the transit server. However, I find that I am able to find those resources on youtube. Also, there are lots of subscriptions. If you love music, you can watch your favorite singer’s MV. Or if you are a game fan, you can “subscribe” to gaming channels. Youtube is a place that can satisfy everyone’s need.
Hi Stella,
I’m also the person who love watching videos more than reading words. Nowadays have a new career like Youtuber who shares their live, thinking or things on Youtube. Sometimes I search on Youtube to get the review from them, for example, the foundation or makeup review from these Youtuber. My friends watch Youtube learn how to create the Amazon account. People can get a lot of information on the Youtube.
I agree that Youtube is a great screen based media that has a big impact in real technological world. I like that it is very entertaining, provides a platform for people to express themselves, a way of a communication and it is also very helpful and easy to obtain information. For example, watching news, tutorials of literally anything, free music, and much much more. Also, all this information and entertainment is available for every one to access and enjoy it. I think that is why Youtube has become very impactful for so many people.
One of my favorite show as a child as well as an adult has to be Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny (anime). It is set in the future where mankind has separated into two categories: Naturals who lives on Earth, and coordinators who are genetically enhanced human beings that resides in artificial orbital colonies. This series depict the war between naturals and coordinators with the help of man-controlled robots known as mobile suit. Although this series is a fictional piece, it contains a lot of elements that are closely related to today’s world; from political views to military advantages, it has them all. This series really show me how technology can really help mankind to advance, but it will never change mankind’s nature. Although human has advanced enough to live in space as well as developing mobile suits, they are still the same as they used to be. Getting in wars because they don’t share the same point of view, fighting because of hatred towards one another. We have seen this throughout the history of mankind and we will probably continue to do so because of our nature. Technology is like a double edged sword, it can definitely improve mankind’s life, but it can also devastate the lives of human.
Hi Jerry! Although I haven’t watched that particular Gundam series, I encountered other Gundam series such as “Iron Blooded Orphans.” Most if not all Gundam series revolve around political views and military advantages like what you stated above. I agree on your notion of technology being a double edged sword, because in most of the Gundam franchise, wars are started through the fight for freedom between two sides that uses giant robots. The outcome of these wars were generally really devastating, with each side suffering many casualties. This led me to think of what will happen in the distant future if we were to recreate these giant mobile suits; would it change our way of bringing peace or would it end like what it would always be in wars?
My most favorite recent show that’s related to the technological world would also be Black Mirror. The episode “Arkangel” definitely stood out to me the most because it discusses how such an advanced form of technology can be detrimental to our relationships with people. The mother’s obsessive behavior to constantly watch her daughter’s every move to ensure that she’s safe eventually took an opposite toll. There was no form of trust in the relationship, as her mother didn’t trust her to be safe and her daughter lost trust in her mother after she found out that she was still using the ipad system to watch her every action. Like many episodes in black mirror, there are some pros in the advanced technology but the cons outweighed most of them. Arkangel intensified applications that we use today such as “Find my Friends.” Because my friends and I use it often to track each other’s location, it makes me think about how the advanced technology is decreasing our individual privacy in life.
Hi Cheryl,
I too have been following along the Black Mirror series and I like the point you made about how technology can affect our relationships. Season 4, episode 6 “Black Museum” shows us the pros and cons of technology as well. Having a dead loved one living inside your mind being able to sense the same senses as you seems like a nice commodity to have, but over time the relationship and your mental mindset begins to take a toll. Overtime, we saw a relationship between two past lovers start to deteriorate and eventually events of cheating occurs. However, with this same technology, we saw a daughter save her trapped, abused father and later on avenge his mistreatment onto the creator of this scientific advancement. Technology is great but it is also very powerful. To a certain extent, the overuse or power of technology can replace our happiness with such devices. As seen in this episode of Black Mirror, it is important to be responsible with the technology on our hands even with little apps like you mentioned, “Find My Friends.”
Hi Cheryl! Black Mirror is also one of my favorite recent shows too and I think it’s one of the biggest cautionary tales of technology in our media today. “Arkangel” was one of my favorite episodes from the new season. I think one of the episodes that’s very close to today’s social environment is “Nosedive.” Whenever I would watch with friends or family, people would always make comments like “I can see you being that person” or “I would do that too.” As an Informatics major with a specialization in HCI, I’ve had to analyze this episode before in classes and discuss what went wrong that led this world to occur, and how close is our world turning into that.
Hello Rhian, I have also been watching Black Mirror and “Nosedive” is one of my favorite episodes because it has emphasis on social media, which is so relatable. I haven’t watched “Arkangel” but it sounds interesting. I will check it out!
I also recently watched this episode of Black Mirror and although the idea seems really helpful for parents watching over their children, there is no boundary/fine line to the privacy of the child. As technology advances and transparency as well as the ability to stay in contact with others increases, the parameters of privacy definitely change and the decrease of privacy is becoming more normalized as technology allows it. The episode really emphasized the irresistible temptations of invading other people’s privacy, especially your own children. As much as the mother tried to not use the device, she gave in to her temptation. There was also a setting in the device that hid “dangerous” things and blurring it from her daughter’s vision. Even though it may be helpful in preventing them from any traumatic experiences, there were times where that exposure was needed in order to mature and develop. This is one of my favorite episodes watched so far because the idea of isn’t as far fetched as one might think it is. It’s like attaching a go pro to someone and being able to see what they see. Apps like snapchat and instagram are part of the reason why privacy is decreasing because anyone can see your “story” and see what you’re up to, but the only difference between this and Arkangel is that there is a freedom of choice on what you post on snapchat and instagram versus arkangel where there is no control from the person with the implanted device. It is only a matter of time before a technology like this is developed and abused with good intentions.
I actually haven’t watched much of Black Mirror although I have heard a lot of good things about the general synopsis/message of the series. I think watching the episode where the detective was interviewing the criminal trapped in a cabin really tripped me out, but maybe if I watched another episode I would be more hooked to the series. However, I think that does prove that the series accomplishes its goal by trying to get people to think more about the eerie side of technological advances. I think what I appreciate from what I know about the series is that it introduces some technology that seem feasible in the future so that you start to question if you really want “said technology” to even be created.
Hi Anthony! I just watched the Arkangel episode of Black Mirror yesterday and I agree with your idea that this kind of technology, although developed with good intentions, can quickly be abused as well as normalize the invasion of privacy. I thought it was really interesting that the mother in the episode just wanted to protect her daughter from the dangers of the world, but as a result of the Arkangel technology, she actually made a really negative impact on her daughter’s life. I think this episode also shows that humans have very little self control, which would be an important reason to be careful with the technological advances we make.
Clarissa and Anthony , I definitely agree with you in the judgement that technology can be developed with good intentions but lead to bad. Usually the bad to this technology is the #1 topic of privacy. Based on the “Arkangel” episode in Black Mirror, I feel that at first the mothers excuse for the tracker was because of protection but as one gets older a child needs their own privacy. The technology instead of helping the mother and daughter live their went an opposite direction when the mother decided to abuse it and instead ruined their relationship. Another episode from Black Mirror that also hits on the invasion of privacy is “The Entire History of You.” Its purpose for the creation of the recorder placed in ones eye is first hinted when he is trying to entire a building of which they explain they must see everything he has done in the past 24 hours for security reasons. However, as the episode continues it ends on a note where a man forces his wife to show him what she has been doing while he has not been around (which moves away for the purpose of security and protection ) and finds out that she has been cheating on him. Both of these episodes hit on new technology that do not seem impossible from hitting our current life. Although they would be for security reasons I do not really agree with it I feel that there should be a boundary between ones privacy. However, being realistic from our current technology we do not see much privacy being given after our phones, computers, and social media, store everything we upload, everything we search, and after phone calls and texts can be retrievable.
Hey! I really like the point you made about this episode of Black Mirror because with the rise of technology comes this lack of privacy. There are perks in having a device that “protects” you and that censors bad things, but at the same time you risk losing the ability to learn from those parts or things in life that help you grow as an individual. Your response to this episode reminded me a lot of “Nosedive” because it also depicts this lack of privacy as everyone is so concerned with being liked and fitting in with society’s elite that they are publicly posting their daily activities to receive ratings. In the process, we can see that they lose their individuality and are forced to make “good” connections with people they dislike. As you mentioned, in “Arkangel there is no control from the person with the implanted device”, but in Nosedive there is and everyone feels obliged to participate in this rating system (society) because they want to be liked and enjoy the benefits of having a high rating. Overall, I think that both episodes showcase the pros and cons of technology for individuals and for society as a whole.
Hi Cheryl, I just recently finished watching the new season of Black Mirror! I agree with your thoughts about how technology can negatively or positively affect us because of the power it holds. The show does an excellent job at illustrating how the advancement in technology can benefit or bring harm to society. As you mentioned, even today, many of us are overlooking the influence that technology has already acquired through apps such as Find my Friends, Instagram, Facebook etc. Thus, I think it is important for everyone to understand the potential consequences of technology, and be more weary of the personal information we share online.
Cheryl,
I 100% agree on your analysis of Arkangel. I found it fascinating how in-reach the technology of the mother being able to monitor her daughter’s every action was. It was quite frightening, really. I remember specifically watching the scene where her mother tunes into her daughter’s viewpoint because she’s dealing with withdrawal, since she no longer has any control on what her daughter sees, especially after removing the parental control feature. Aside from that, as you mentioned, it also reminded me of location-based services. Specifically, my mind went directly towards Snapchat’s Snapmaps- finding your friends’ locations is only a matter of opening up the app. Although Arkangel’s intent was to show the viewers what “the next step” of location-based services would be, the episode felt that a service such as the one in the episode could arise any moment.
Hi Cheryl,
You make a very good point regarding how technology exposes one’s privacy in life. Snapchat is an example of an application that allows people to document and share every moment of their daily lives. You are able to know what your friends are doing at any time of day through snapchat or any sort of social media. But as technology advances, we have gained a bigger interest in the lives of others. We actively try to scope out what others are doing by looking through social media. We have lost privacy of our lives because everywhere you go, something or someone can capture a moment of your life and upload it for others to see.
Arkangel was such a good episode. Before even watching the episode I knew it would be a good one since it was directed by Jodie Foster. I watched this episode with my cousins and we all had somewhat of helicopter parents when we were younger so we were able to relate to the episode. The episode was very believable and realistic with how it relates technology with parenting. It’s easily one of my favorite episodes of season 4!
One of my favorite TV shows that address the topic of our technological world is The Flash. In The Flash, Barry Allen was struck by lightning because of the explosion of a particle accelerator created in STAR labs. It fascinates me to see how chemicals from the explosion could affect a normal human being and give him super speed. It challenges our current day technology as scientists experiment on his abilities and train him to use his powers to his maximum capabilities. Throughout the seasons, scientists use technological devices to advance his abilities in order to fight super villains from other worlds. Though the possibility of combating enemies from other worlds is unlikely, the source of Barry Allen’s super speed is more of a possibility than coming from another world with super powers as Superman came from Krypton.
A movie I recently watched that I thought of which related to this response is the movie, “Pacific Rim.” This movie is a science fiction about humans that create robots as another form of defense against new threats to Earth, in the form of monsters. In this society, there are new threats that humans have never encountered before. What caught my eye about this movie is the idea of protection for the human beings. Since there are new threats like monsters that were present in that society, the defense humans currently have like policemen, the military, nuclear bombs may no longer be enough to protect us. The innovation of robots of equal size to the monsters present a new foundation and a sense of security in humans’ lives.
Hi Aaron! I’ve also watched Pacific Rim and I think it’s really interesting that you brought it up for this topic. I guess when I was watching it I just noticed the action and didn’t really think about how it relates back to the technological advances indicated in the movie. Although it is science fiction and the technology of giant robots seems less plausible than the technology illustrated in Black Mirror I like how the movie added certain restrictions/rules for operating them (such as needing more than one pilot). Now that I am more aware of the movie’s use of “uninvented” technology it makes me wonder how much better or efficient technology will be in the future.
Wow. I never thought of that movies giant robots this way. I see what you mean by them being like another branch of human protection agencies such as police, firefighters, etc. These would be more towards military though I think as a full force combat type of protection for the human race.
My favorite screen-based media would be Colossus. It is a film about a super computer named Colossus starting to form its own language and thoughts which then allowed it to fully control human, even the scientists who invented it. It is so unique because not only is it a film which requires camera, lighting, editing technologies and longs for a need of a screen to make it able to watch as a medium, but also it addresses the ongoing anxiety about what the world would be as our technology develops in such a fast speed. The film presents the fear of high-tech controlling human beings exclusively well, and at the same time encourages its audience to always have his agency and not to lose his minds in a world full of technology.
I like to watch movies in my spare time and my favorite movie series is Star Wars. It depicts adventures of characteristics “a long time ago”. Apart from this, it also demonstrates a dark technological world both in existence and under development. Such as solar power technology, robotics, and lasers. In the book, the author writes “Star Wars is also very much concerned with the tension between humanity and technology, an issue which, for me, dates back even to my first films. In Jedi, the theme remained the same, as the simplest of natural forces brought down the seemingly invincible weapons of the evil Empire”. When I watched the movie, I start to respect to the modern technology and I also expect to see more in the future. Thus, these movies use screen-based media to show audience like us a totally different world.
My favorite screen-based media would be Colossus. It is a film about a super computer named Colossus starting to form its own language and thoughts which then allowed it to fully control human, even the scientists who invented it. It is so unique because not only is it a film which requires camera, lighting, editing technologies and longs for a need of a screen to make it able to watch as a medium, but also it addresses the ongoing anxiety about what the world would be as our technology develops in such a fast speed. The film presents the fear of high-tech controlling human beings exclusively well, and at the same time encourages its audience to always have his agency and not to lose his minds in a world full of technology.
One of my favorite examples of screen based media would be the terminator series where machines are exterminating the human race because they are seen as a threat to the world. I feel that we can see some aspects that relate to our current society but in a less dramatic way. I feel that the amount of of attention given to our phones or other media consumption devices make us move to more machine like thinking instead of the humanistic interactions we should have.
Perhaps this movie can also be a symbol as technology can control our daily lives. We use technology everyday and people rely solely on their phones for communication, GPS, social media, etc. As our technological world is advancing within our society, we are sucked in with using these devices that exterminates the human race. For example, we use technology a lot in various work industries that take over the human labor and increase unemployment.
My favorite screen-based media is video game Call of Duty: Black Ops, specifically the zombies mode. The zombies story takes place during World War II, where a group of scientists design technologically advanced weapons to defend the Nazi regimen and created teleportation devices. Also, with the discovery of a rare element, they were able to create zombies. The combination of a historical moments like the 40s and technology that people believed the Nazis where producing at some point make it a very futuristic and at the same time realistic video game. This is what makes this game mode my favorite screen-based media, the fact that not yet developed technology is presented in very important years of human history.
Last night I watched Black Mirror for the first time. I watched the episode National Anthem. I was extremely impressed with how well the writer depicted the challenge we have with electronic culture. We as a society are so wrapped up in it we often forget about all of the things outside of it. And as displayed by the falling apart of the relationship between the husband and wife we often lose touch with our relationships because of the media, we allow it to control our lives in some senses. This show is a great example of why we as a society need to stop this electronic dependence, we need to step back and see what it is doing to our relationships.
I agree with your comment. I also just watched Black Mirror for the first time for this class assignment. I agree that the episode was a short representation of our current society because almost all of us are dependent on electronic devices. The internet allows us to connect with others yet also isolate us and prevent us from real human interactions. Electronic culture can be both an advantage and a disadvantage to human beings.
I agree with your comment. I also just watched Black Mirror for the first time for this class assignment. I agree that the episode was a short representation of our current society because almost all of us are dependent on electronic devices. The internet allows us to connect with others yet also isolate us and prevent us from real human interactions. Electronic culture can be both an advantage and a disadvantage to human beings.
I also agree with your comment. It was my first time watching Black Mirror and I found it fairly interesting. It was an representation of our society now and how we’ve become so dependent on electronics and rely on them in our everyday daily lives. There are many advantages and disadvantages to having technology in our lives as some noticed that technology has taken away from our social interactions with one another.
Hi Kaelen!
I finished all the episodes of Black Mirror, yet the very first episode of the first season sticks to me. It made such a strong impact on me that made me want to continue the rest of the show. I agree that the author framed our society’s electronic culture today is accurate. Technology has advanced so dramatically in the last couple decades that people are beginning to lose sight of other important things. Certain lifestyles such as going out for a morning coffee or conversing with strangers on a day to day basis has been lacking nowadays. It is easier for people to observe the contents viewed on media and dignify they are true, which tends for us to lack creating our own judgement sometimes. As more people begin to indulge in technology, it is difficult to step away from the screen and uncover the events occurring in real life. This episode displayed this statement perfectly when the locals failed to recognize the princess being released, and only paid attention to the prime minister’s bizarre action at the end of the movie. Do you think there is hope for people to put their media away, and create judgements of their own? If so, how? This lifestyle has been so innate for people that many would find it difficult to go about their regular lives dissociating from various applications.
Hi Kaelen,
I’m glad that you also enjoyed that episode of Black Mirror. I too believe that people are so infatuated with social media, but in this episode, it is difficult to see whether the president is in the right or wrong. The risk of a princess’s life over another’s ruined life makes this choice difficult and makes us question our moral compass. We definitely do need to step back and look at the disastrous effects of social media.
Hello Derek,
I agree with your views about social media. There is an episode called “Nosedive”, where the hierarchy in society is based on likes. The woman in the episode goes crazy trying to get everyone’s approval. It depicts the negative outcomes of relying on other people’s opinions.
Hi, Kaelen,
I also watched Black Mirror for the first time last night even though many of my friends recommended it to me. I only watched the episode “The Entire History Of You” assigned to the class, but I felt the inner restraint after watching it, and I decided not to continue watching it because I feel that I am not inner strong enough to face the reality that reflected vividly in the series. We already live in a world without privacy, but it seems gonna be more serious and crazy in the future with the development of technology and I am worried if it is controllable. In this episode, people feel difficult to live without “grains,” but in the reality, people cannot live without their cellphones. People have fewer interactions in the real life compared to the previous time.
(This may contain spoilers)
Like many of my fellow classmates, the short clip of “The Entire History of You” shown in class was my first time watching “Black Mirror.” While having a device that records and plays back everything in one’s life is a good idea in theory (as it allows people to re-experience the highlights of their life, recall forgotten information, etc.), the episode showed how this technology can backfire. Liam, the main character, becomes preoccupied with rewatching a comment his boss made during an interview, leading himself to believe it went poorly. This obsession with going through footage only heightens when he starts to suspect his wife of having an affair. While he was able to eventually prove his suspicions, this behavior leads him to becoming depressed and deciding to abandon this technology altogether. This can be translated to a more general takeaway: being so reliant on technology can lead to negative consequences in our personal lives and on our mental health.
Telling me to choose only one of my favorite screen-based media is like telling the anime industry to stop pandering to fetishistic otaku — it’s difficult, but necessary (for the assignment and push towards compelling media content that doesn’t encourage escapist delusions of reality, respectively).
Out of my repertoire of favorites, a recent one is Devilman Crybaby. I have criticisms about the questionable handling of erotic themes, but its grotesque content is a mirror of humanity’s demon-like behaviors. A technological example is the anonymous bullying and hateful hive-mind on social media that is shown on the series’ version of Twitter and Instagram that causes the masses to not heed a character’s warnings because of her differing opinion from sensationalist mainstream media’s. Although the series boasts a long list of graphic content warnings and show potentially triggering content, the interactions between characters reflect the realities of the modern world and portray perverse behavior that would be normalized and accepted in recent anime series in a negative manner.
I recently saw and fell in love with this new movie “Nerve” that is about a nerdy Yearbook girl who becomes popular by getting sucked into playing this game: Nerve. It consists of Watchers and Players. Watchers assign dares/payment incentives to Players who have a limited amount of time to record & complete the dare that usually is pretty embarrassing, disgusting, dangerous, or illegal. This brings about the point of how nowadays the only way to become famous/popular is to do something outrageous because that’s what us humans think is entertainment. We even thrive off of people’s pain as displayed in many popular Youtubers who are constantly doing challenges incorporating punishments that include tasers, paintball guns, and eating nasty foods. Another thing touched upon in the movie is how phone games engulf people’s lives as once people started playing the game they couldn’t stop. They get dare after dare and are distracted away from their priorities. We also see it ruin friendships as the nerdy girl becomes more popular and even completes a dare that her once popular friend failed to complete.
Nerve reminds me so much of what goes on with the current business of livestreaming. Twitch has something similar where users donate money (and suggest the streamer to do something), although it’s not as sinister as what happened on Nerve. I can definitely see how Nerve was influenced by the current state of YouTubers and livestreamers doing ridiculous things for views.
An example of electronic culture and the challenges it imposes on today’s society is scattered throughout the TV show Black Mirror. In a specific episode, titled Nosedive, the detrimental effects of social media are explored. In the society, individuals are judged based on their “ratings” which ultimately determines their status in life. The episode focuses on a specific character who devotes all her energy to making others like her through fake and overbearing gestures. The conclusion of the episode satirizes social media and the false images of a perfect life that it creates. Some of the qualities that make it my favorite example of electronic culture is how relatable it is to today’s society, in which taking an “instagrammable” photo is more important than enjoying the moment. It was interesting how the producers overemphasized the idea of social media and its relevance. It provided insight as to how our society could potentially turn out in the future.
Hi Michelle! I agree with your comment. I watched all of the Black Mirror episodes and “Nosedive” is one of my all time favorites. It’s portraying social media in real life but taking it to a new level where the ratings of the individual concludes whether you are low, middle, or upper class. Due to this, you are forced to behave in certain ways to gain higher ratings from others. People in this episode are so fake to each other, and may seem “nice” but actually are pretty mean as well. If you think about it, you are being watched with every move you make and people’s ratings of you depends on how they see you in the moment. They don’t rate you based on your actual personality. They rate you based on how they’re judging you, on the impression in the moment. I think this accurately displays social media because you don’t really know someone based on social media, but what they portray out to everyone and how you view it. It’s crazy to think how relatable this is and how it can be our future.
Hi Michelle! I agree with your comment. I watched all of the Black Mirror episodes and “Nosedive” is one of my all time favorites. It’s portraying social media in real life but taking it to a new level where the ratings of the individual concludes whether you are low, middle, or upper class. Due to this, you are forced to behave in certain ways to gain higher ratings from others. People in this episode are so fake to each other, and may seem “nice” but actually are pretty mean as well. If you think about it, you are being watched with every move you make and people’s ratings of you depends on how they see you in the moment. They don’t rate you based on your actual personality. They rate you based on how they’re judging you, on the impression in the moment. I think this accurately displays social media because you don’t really know someone based on social media, but what they portray out to everyone and how you view it. It’s crazy to think how relatable this is and how it can be our future.
Hi Michelle, I saw that episode as well and also agree with your comment! When I saw that episode, it reminded me of Instagram and the consequences that we could face in the future. It really depicts how technology has the ability to manipulate our thoughts and actions. The main character goes out of her way just to gain higher ratings from higher rated people. This episode brings awareness about how technology can take over our life and correlates it to today’s society.
My favorite video/computer game that deals with an imagined high-tech world of the future is “Overwatch.” It’s an FPS, so there are many high-tech weapons, armor, and floating cars. There’s so much that could be said about the game, but the plot of Overwatch is that the Earth is in an age where humans have made AI robots called “omnics” to help humans with the economy, etc. However, there is an “Omnic Crisis” after lethal robots were created and turned against humans. This reminds me of how there is still a debate on if robots would take over the world one day. In the Overwatch world, the omnics are trying to gain rights and such, just like human rights. It makes me think that this could be a possibility of our future, especially since there is now “Sophia” the humanoid AI robot. Therefore, I love that although Overwatch seems to be just a fun game with cool characters, the story and ideas behind everything is actually very deep and close to what our future could be like.
I also agree that Blizzard made an interesting choice in creating the conflict between humans and omnics. However, a very different spin is put on it; instead of focusing on the fear that robots will rule the world and kill all humans, the robots are portrayed just as human as a real person. Literally, there are omnic characters that are in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment, something that an emotionless, inhuman robot could never do. Instead of creating a true divide between omnics and humans, it is very “human” traits that create the conflict. The prejudice humans have against omnics, calling them inhuman and mistreating them, or fearing that they will rise up and attack humans, parallels cultural prejudices of today’s society and is what fuels the war between the two sides, when in reality, there is nothing within them that would really separate them. This is similar to how today, people are prejudiced against others who come from different backgrounds or have a different skin color, when in reality, we are all human and deserved to be treated equally. I love this theme of Overwatch underneath the gameplay and interesting character designs!
It is crazy to think that there was a story line behind all of the epic gameplay. I too play overwatch and I had no idea it had all of these interesting lores and back stories. I simply thought it was a bunch of random characters fighting it out. You can tell Blizzard really put time and effort into making such a great game.
I believe an episode of Black Mirror that is very relevant now is the episode “Nosedive”. It is made evident early on in the episode that society revolves around “ratings”. The closer to five stars, the higher the person’s social standing. In the episode, the protagonist Lacie is seen obsessing over every little aspect of her life from practicing the perfect smile to ordering food that only photographs beautifully. That is because characters in this alternate world are rated based on their behavior and appearance (both in the real world and on social media). Everything has to be perfect because everyone is judging your every move at all times.
This episode echoes how social media impacts our lives today. Many people use social media platforms as sources for gratification, becoming attached to the virtual spaces in which individuals are offered validation through likes, views, etc. I have personally witnessed an acquaintance agonizing over the number of “likes” they received on their Instagram posts, comparing photos and asking why one has more likes than the other. “Nosedive” takes social media influence to an extreme. It shows us a fictional yet plausible future.
Hi Claire,
“Nosedive” is one of my favorite episodes from Black Mirror and I also agree that it highlights how we have almost become dependent on social media to the point that social media can dictate a person’s social standing. It only matters how people are portraying themselves (with facades or aesthetically), and is all about being judged about other people. It is an ironic twist because social media is for you to share amongst friends milestones in your life that you want them to see about you, and this is how they judge you.
One piece of media that really affected me recently has been the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive,” in which society is almost entirely ruled by a dystopian version of Instagram and how individuals, including friends, family, or even strangers, rate each other on a five-star scale. Nearly every aspect of an individual’s life seems to be determined by their ratings — i.e., the higher your number, the higher class you are and the more privileges you have available. Over the course of the episode, we follow Lacie, who is attempting to improve her rating by only three tenths of a point in order to qualify for a discount at a fancy apartment community. Although she appears to be on track to achieve this, as she is invited as maid of honor to a high-rated childhood friend’s wedding, several mishaps occur along the way, resulting in Lacie’s rating plummeting and her eventual arrest after crashing the reception. To me, this system felt entirely plausible, perhaps just on the horizon of our already screen-based social lives. This is the main reason for my choosing this episode for discussion, as the high-tech, futuristic social system of “Nosedive” no longer reads as technology of the distant tomorrow, but rather as something that could very well be introduced in our lifetime. This realization further accentuates the outcome of the episode, in that the system is so fragile that a few small mistakes can easily send one’s reputation down the drain into obscurity or, even worse, social exile.
One of my favorite television shows that address our infatuation with technology is actually a cartoon called The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. In various episodes, Billy is shown to be addicted to video games. He will often neglect his social and academic life in favor of his beloved games. At one point, his obsession causes him to be glued to the television screen for several hours, resulting in the deterioration of his vision. Afterwards, his friends, Mandy and Grim, are forced to separate him from his games against his will. This example is one of my favorites because it demonstrates the negative impact video games often have on our society. I think we can all relate to an instance where we have pushed aside important matters for something technology related, such as a video game or television show.
The first thing that came to my mind, since I watched it yesterday for the second time, is the episode “Arkangel” from Black Mirror’s most recent season. The episode is about a mom who has a chip implanted into her daughter to censor what she sees and hears as well as see what she is seeing and have her location. While this seems extreme, it really isn’t that far off from devices parents use nowadays. Locations can be tracked through phones, things can be censored from television and the internet. The episode just really takes it to the next level, allowing that censorship to come into real life situations, like conversations at school. The effects demonstrated in the show are not far off from those that occur in real life. My parents always talked about how it was safe for them to roam around outside as kids and just live their childhood, and even when I was a kid I remember doing that. But recently more kids are stuck inside on a tablet, not going outside as much as children from past generations because 1) there’s higher fears regarding children getting hurt/taken, etc. and 2) technology has provided more means of entertainment for kids. The fact that parents now have more control over these things is what is depriving children nowadays of going out and experiencing life the way we did when we were their age. We don’t realize how much of an impact this is having on the future generation; they are growing up in a completely different environment with way more censorship and control from parents and because of this, they don’t have the experiences we had as children that opened our eyes up to the real world whether it be conversations about sex or videos with violence in them. I think this plays a huge role in how ultra-sensitive the coming generation is nowadays, especially with controversial topics, like we have to avoid delving in to these issues, which in turn just results in more ignorance to real life circumstances. Also, as shown in the episode, once they are exposed and thrown into the real world, all this aggression is pent up and eventually released because it has been built up for so long. The censorship and control demonstrated in this episode may be extreme, but its consequences aren’t very far off from what is actually happening/can happen in real life.
“Arkangel” also came across mind mind when I first saw the prompt. The way the mom felt as if she had to implant the chip inside her daughter’s mind was her way of protecting her daughter, but censoring her daughter from any violence only makes her daughter naive to the types of thing that goes on around the world. It’s important to be aware of one’s surroundings but another to be naive about the dangers of the world. This episode especially stood out for me because it shows really how dangerous technology can lead people’s lives to be, to be vigilant of every single little details and augment it akin to what the mother did. At the same time, watching this episode made me feel uncomfortable, because in a sense, censoring someone’s perspective of the world and tracking them down to their everyday movement could somehow become a reality in the future. Find my friends application on iPhones already have the potential to track people down to the street they walk on, so who is to say that implanting chips will not happen in the near future as a result of social unrest and worldly chaos.
My favorite progression of the episode was when the daughter slowly turned into a sociopath because she was unable to learn and see “bad” things. I understand the mom’s point of view of wanting to keep her daughter safe, but it’s unnatural to keep children blocked from everything that could harm them. The slow buildup of the daughter becoming sociopathic was a great driving force of the episode’s message.
My favorite kind of screen-based media is film. I grew up watching Disney Channel and thus several movies like Smart House (1999), Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and Pixel Perfect (2004) come to mind since they all aired on that channel at some point. Smart House deals with a computerized come that generates a maid which basically takes place as the mother of the household since there is no real one present. The program cooks and cleans, but ultimately she becomes too controlling and must be shut down. This is similar to the episode “White Christmas” from Black Mirror in which a women gets herself a programmed replica of herself to control everything in her house, such as when to wake her up, how to cook her toast and to what temperature the floor should be heated. This is really interesting to me because having a programmed home is probably something people have thought about for decades and its fascinating to see what can be accomplished in the years to follow. Currently, we can do things like turning on home alarm systems by the push of a button on a smart phone, which twenty years ago no one would have thought this to be possible. In Spy Kids 3, kids get sucked into a video game and the similar idea occurs in Black Mirror’s episode “USS Callister”, so the idea of this being possible does not seem to be so unrealistic.
Hi Lourdes,
I am so glad you brought up ‘Smart House’ and ‘Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over’ — growing up with these movies and watching them as a child made me feel that the inventions and technological advancements created in the movies were impossible and merely fantasy; now, however with alarm systems, highly intelligent systems such as ‘Alexa’ and ‘Siri,’ virtual reality goggles, these advancements really aren’t so impossible. I agree with you that what had been created for film is not so unrealistic to imagine in our current times.
The board game “Scene It” is an example that is founded upon screen-based media. The game is a trivia competition, pulling questions from films, television shows, and popular culture. There were also many themed versions of the game released, such as a Star Wars edition and a Disney edition. The more films and television you have watched (and in some cases, the more times you have watched these medias) is advantageous for winning the game. I think that this is an interesting premise; the more movies you have watched the better. The game was originally designed as a DVD. This addresses a key part of the technological world – technology is constantly changing and evolving. We witnessed DVDs replace VHS tapes, and then streaming replace DVDs. The content of the “Scene It” board games is already becoming outdated, alongside its DVD medium. This leads me wonder what technology we have and use everyday that ten years from now will seem archaic.
My favourite movie which addresses the topic of our technological world is Gattaca. In this movie, society has learned how to modify humans to be genetically perfect creating two different classes of humans – those who are genetically manipulated (valids) and those who are conceived naturally (invalids). The movie focuses on growing real-life concerns over reproductive technologies. The theme of utopia and dystopia make this movie my favourite. On the outside, it appears as if the world of Gattaca is striving for perfection – however, in this society, the invalids are trapped to what society believes is their max potential. A scene which constantly repeated itself in this movie is the showing of skin, nails, and hair which is odd for a sci-fi movie which usually depicts technologically based elements more frequently. Ultimately, the movie ends tragically despite society’s attempt to create perfectly-gened humans.
I also really enjoyed this movie because genetic engineering is very interesting to me and it was exciting to see what the world would be like if humans used this technology more frequently. It brings to mind the pros and cons of the process of conceiving children through genetic manipulation.
I recently got into watching Black Mirror, however, while skipping around between seasons I came across an episode in Season 4 called “Hang the DJ.” I really liked this episode because it was more whole-hearted compared to some of the other episodes I have watched because it’s about the use of a technology called “The System” to match people to their life-long partner. In the show, we follow 2 characters, Frank and Amy, who are assigned by The System on a date with a short-lived expiration time. However, after their expiration, their “subsequent partners are not as emotionally satisfying” (Vulture). As time passes, Amy strongly believes that Frank and she were meant to be regardless of what the System tells them; they both finally work against their society to escape and watch their world disintegrate into pixels. The plot twist of the episode is that the scene is cut into a real-world scene of Frank and Amy who have a 99.8% compatibility with a dating app. This episode expresses how technology has influenced how we interact with others when finding a partner especially during this generation with the use of dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, Match, etc. to find and challenge the opinion of others for love.
http://www.vulture.com/2018/01/black-mirror-season-4-episode-4-ending-explained.html
Hey Lena,
I agree, I really enjoyed this episode of Black Mirror as well! Throughout the entire episode, I thought the episode would revolve around how The System would wreck the lives of the main characters. Or, that Frank would receive some type of deadly punishment for viewing his expiration date. However, this plot twist was rather satisfying and made me enjoy this episode even more! It really puts into perspective how apps really work and the brilliance of technology.
One of my favorite anime, SAO (Sword Art Online), is about how the main character among other people got stuck in a video game. They used future technology to enter a virtue reality game where you have to fight bosses to progress onto the next level. But the designer of the game trapped everyone in the game, dying in the game or trying to leave the game would kill you in real life. This anime shows how media such as video games can let other people get control of your life.
Another movie that come to mind is “Nerve”. The main characters enters a series of dare challenges to earn money. The dares are often dangerous and illegal, for example someone was dared to hang from a crane machine but he fell and died. These are real life consequences and it can not be reversed. I think social media can be dangerous when the information is accessed by the wrong people
I also really enjoyed Nerve. The plot itself reminds me of the Black Mirror episode “Hated in the Nation”. Everyone who has access to technology can join in a game that can decide someone’s life. In Black Mirror, there was a trending hashtag on twitter and everyone could vote on who they wanted to die next. SPOILER ALERT – In the end, everyone who joined in on the game was eventually killed themselves, similar to how everyone who played Nerve was threatened to be an accessory in murder.
People have this naive mindset that they can say and do what they want online because the anonymity of the internet shields them but these medias combat this and warn the public of the potential dangers of their selfish actions
Hi Jiajing!
I love SAO! One thing I can’t ever forget is how Asuna and Kirito live their lives in the game when they’re just resting and mimicking daily tasks with skills they obtained in the game. I thought it was hilarious how Asuna had high level “cooking skills” so she just tapped the dead rabbit Kirito hunted and just tapped it with a knife to cook it. Then when they took a break from the game to be married in a cottage they just lived out their lives as if they were back in reality. Video games are a means of escape but because they were trapped in it, they tried to escape the other way. I think those of us who can play games for hours on end learned a lesson there.
A film that comes to mind is Jumanji (the film released 2017, not the old one). The main characters get sucked into the game (literally) and must complete the game; otherwise, they die. I found this interesting, as it is a metaphor to our lives and our addiction to our devices — I, for one, have played on my phone with games, social media, and just generally messing around for more hours than I’d like to admit. In the movie, one of the characters thought he was only in the game for a couple weeks, when in reality, it had been 20 years. While my phone experience did not become a life and death situation like it did for the characters in the movie, it does reveal how absorbed into the alluring, time-consuming ‘walled garden of Apple’ that I, along with many others, have certainly been afflicted with from time to time.
Hi Chris! I agree that that story line comments on our addiction to technology, but perhaps it delves a bit deeper into the problem our society faces today. As you said, the characters were stuck inside the game. Essentially, the characters became prisoners to the game and are forced to follow the game’s rules. They couldn’t opt out of the game, just like today it seems like we can’t stop using technology even if we want to. Perhaps this further comments on a view that we are not only addicted to technology, but we are essentially enslaved to it as we become further dependent on it with each passing day. It brings to question whether we are in control of technology or if it is in control of us. Thinking about this topic, it reminds me of the first day of class when the professor asked how many people never look at their phone when they wake up. Not surprisingly, no one was able to honestly raise their hand because today it seems like we need technology to continue to survive.
I really enjoyed your take on this film. Definitely a great movie to watch!
I think it’s interesting that you pointed out that we are so consumed by technology that we don’t realize how much time pass. When I watched Jumanji, I dismissed that part of the plot where the character thought only a few months has passed when it actually had been 20 years, but putting it into perspective of our own lives it does make me rethink of how much time I waste on media and how that time can be invested into something more meaningful. However, I think this aspect of technology can be used in a somewhat positive sense to pass time when time is already being wasted when there is nothing else to do such as waiting for a bus to arrive.
My favorite example of screen-based media that addresses the topic of our technological world is Instagram, which is a phone application that allows an individual to share their life to other people through photos, videos, and live stories. The maximum length of an Instagram video is 60 seconds, so it can be used to show highlights of highly publicized events, such as sports games. Many teenagers that are sports fans use Instagram during their study breaks to watch the mixtapes of the top high school football or basketball recruits or the thrilling ending of a NFL, MLB, or NBA game. Research has shown that people who are undergoing a period of deep sadness in their life tend to use social media more frequently to connect with the real world on an indirect basis. Young adolescents are still trying to determine their identity and sometimes struggle to fit in with society or their internal community. There are many instances that teenagers share something on Instagram that makes them feel happy; however, it can also make someone else feel jealous, unwanted, or “not good enough”. When spending time with friends or attending a sports game, there are many instances when someone will take out their phone and dedicate a long time to take a photo or video of something because they want to post it on Instagram. Instead of doing this, someone should just enjoy the moment and not let it pass too fast because it might not come again in their lifetime.
I agree with you that Instagram would be a good example of screen based media that address the topic of our technological world. Just like you said, this app is served as a great entertainment for people at different age. Many use this application to share their favorite moments with other people on social media. And with the ones with unique experiences, they would often seem to set the living standard (such as vacation, house, etc) for others which can lead to an illusion.
I wholeheartedly agree with you about Instagram and how adolescents, especially, are obsessed with social media and constantly are scrolling through pictures of their friends having fun. They would then end up feeling more lonely than they would if they didn’t involve themselves with Instagram and the like. Many people care about the “feed” and making their photos aesthetic as well and there are many attractive people, models, and famous celebrities using instagram and having a “beautiful” page. I do believe that this influences teenagers to focus on appearance and they may feel insecure. Also, they might end up caring more than they need to about others’ lives when they should be focusing on their own.
I agree with you about people caring a lot about their feed. Many internet-famous people and models using instagram tend to only post the good times in their lives which can be very deceiving. People behind their social media accounts may seem very different than their posts. I think instagram gives power to the user to be anything they want to be and with total control, they can affect the way people see them. In real life, they can be going through a hard time, but still try to post happy pictures. Moreover, I do agree with you that people may tend to ignore their own lives by comparing their own lives to these seemingly unattainable lives of famous instagram people which is very unfortunate. Nonetheless, I believe that Instagram is a great platform that allows people to share their talent and lives. Unlike in the past, it is easy for people to share their art and aesthetic.
Hey Chris, I agree with you on how people tend to gravitate towards social media to get a grasp on reality. I think these new technologies are making experiences so easy that we forget to do these stuff for our own enjoyment. Instagram and other brings the experience to us. People post pictures of working out, day at the beach , and such but many people who don’t do these things get the experience from insta but forget that these are within their grasp and just seeing a picture isn’t the same as doing.
Hey Chris, I agree with you on how people tend to gravitate towards social media to get a grasp on reality. I think these new technologies are making experiences so easy that we forget to do these stuff for our own enjoyment. Instagram and other brings the experience to us. People post pictures of working out, day at the beach , and such but many people who don’t do these things get the experience from insta but forget that these are within their grasp and just seeing a picture isn’t the same as doing.
Hey Chris, I agree with you on how people tend to gravitate towards social media to get a grasp on reality. I think these new technologies are making experiences so easy that we forget to do these stuff for our own enjoyment. Instagram and other brings the experience to us. People post pictures of working out, day at the beach , and such but many people who don’t do these things get the experience from insta but forget that these are within their grasp and just seeing a picture isn’t the same as doing.
My favorite example of screen-based media that addresses the topic of our technological world is Instagram, which is a phone application that allows an individual to share their life to other people through photos, videos, and live stories. The maximum length of an Instagram video is 60 seconds, so it can be used to show highlights of highly publicized events, such as sports games. Many teenagers and young adults that are sports fans use Instagram during their study breaks to watch the mixtapes of the top high school football or basketball recruits or the thrilling ending of a NFL, MLB, or NBA game. Research has shown that people who are undergoing a period of deep sadness in their life tend to use social media more frequently to connect with the real world on an indirect basis. Young adolescents are still trying to determine their identity and sometimes struggle to fit in with society or their internal community. There are many instances that teenagers share something on Instagram that makes them feel happy; however, it can also make someone else feel jealous, unwanted, or “not good enough”. When spending time with friends or attending a sports game, there are many instances when someone will take out their phone and dedicate a long time to take a photo or video of something because they want to post it on Instagram. Instead of doing this, someone should just enjoy the moment and not let it pass too fast because it might not come again in their lifetime.
My favorite example of screen-based media that addresses the topic of our technological world is Instagram, which is a phone application that allows an individual to share their life to other people through photos, videos, and live stories. The maximum length of an Instagram video is 60 seconds, so it can be used to show highlights of highly publicized events, such as sports games. Many teenagers and young adults that are sports fans use Instagram during their study breaks to watch the mixtapes of the top high school football or basketball recruits or the thrilling ending of a NFL, MLB, or NBA game. Research has shown that people who are undergoing a period of deep sadness in their life tend to use social media more frequently to connect with the real world on an indirect basis. Young adolescents are still trying to determine their identity and sometimes struggle to fit in with society or their internal community. There are many instances that teenagers share something on Instagram that makes them feel happy; however, it can also make someone else feel jealous, unwanted, or “not good enough”. When spending time with friends or attending a sports game, there are many instances when someone will take out their phone and dedicate a long time to take a photo or video of something because they want to post it on Instagram. Instead of doing this, someone should just enjoy the moment and not let it pass too fast because it might not come again in their lifetime.
I agree with you that one of good examples screen-based media that address the topic of our technological world would be Instagram. Like other people, especially younger generations, I personally use Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Youtube, etc. However, I have noticed that Instagram sometimes bring negative impact to its users. For example, it draws young women to compare themselves against unrealistic, filtered and Photoshopped versions of themselves. Because Instagram present celebrities we know and the world around us. It is easy for our perspective of reality to become distorted.
I recently watched the Black Mirror episode called “Hated in the Nation”. I really liked this episode because it was very imaginable and realistic. In the episode, you see that society now has insect drones which replicate the duties of a bee. At first, I didn’t know these bee drones would play a big part in the episode. I thought they were a very good idea considering the ongoing problem of bees dying and their importance for the environment. However, the show took a shocking turn when the system to control the bees were taken over and used to kill people who terrorize others over the internet. While trying to stop the bees, it was also revealed that the bees had cameras to spy on society for the government. This episode really showed how technology can be very useful but also dangerous. I really enjoyed this episode as it makes you think about how a novel invention can be harmful, and how you should be careful with what you say and do online.
My favorite film that highlights our ever-growing technological culture is “Her”. The main character, Theodore Twobly, is recently divorced and struggles to form lasting relationships with women because of his introverted personality and depressive state. Theodore looks to fill the void left by his failed marriage by purchasing a newly developed computer operating system. The OS helps him keep his life organized, complete projects not finished at work, and polish up his social skills. As the film progresses, he becomes attached to his OS, begins addressing it as “Samantha”, and eventually develops a romantic relationship with it/her. The human-like banter that Samantha exchanges with Theodore is reminiscent to the witty responses of Apple’s “Siri” and Samantha’s emotional desires are eerily familiar to that of Sophia, the humanoid robot. Although the plot might seem a bit absurd, the possibility of humans forming some sort of relationship with inorganic devices doesn’t seem too unlikely considering the technological advances of the last few years.
This is actually a great example that I totally forgot about. When I first heard about the movie I thought it sounded completely strange and over-exaggerated. Once I saw the movie and thought about it a little more, it seemed to become more of a realistic possibility than I wanted it to. Isn’t the point of inventions and improvements is to make things easier and fascinating? Then why wouldn’t the iphone or other devices over the years become more human-like/interactive. Don’t we predict that the future will be filled with super robots? Then it is completely plausible (and sad) that we might in the future actually start to begin to develop strong feelings for these electronic devices as we spend so much time with them and depend on them.
Her was a fantastic movie with great color choices, and an even better message. It felt like a very modern romance movie, with a very meaningful message. Theodore’s love for Samantha felt very real, and when (spoiler) he “lost” her, you really felt his sadness. I agree that the plot seemed absurd at first, but the film was really well done in such a way that you could relate to what he was feeling.
My favorite example of screen-based media that addresses the topic of our technological world is Instagram, which is a phone application that allows an individual to share their life to other people through photos, videos, and live stories. The maximum length of an Instagram video is 60 seconds, so it can be used to show highlights of highly publicized events, such as sports games. Many teenagers and young adults that are sports fans use Instagram during their study breaks to watch the mixtapes of the top high school football or basketball recruits or the thrilling ending of a NFL, MLB, or NBA game. Research has shown that people who are undergoing a period of deep sadness in their life tend to use social media more frequently to connect with the real world on an indirect basis. Young adolescents are still trying to determine their identity and sometimes struggle to fit in with society or their internal community. There are many instances that teenagers share something on Instagram that makes them feel happy; however, it can also make someone else feel jealous, unwanted, or “not good enough”. When spending time with friends or attending a sports game, there are many instances when someone will take out their phone and dedicate a long time to take a photo or video of something because they want to post it on Instagram. Instead of doing this, someone should just enjoy the moment and not let it pass too fast because it might not come again in their lifetime.
One of my favorite applications on my phone has to be Snapchat; however, I hate it as much as I love it. The narrative around these social media platforms has been negative since most users filter their lives and only post happy fun experiences. So what happens is, one would lay in bed, scroll, open stories and end up comparing their life to the lives of their friends. It is fairly common knowledge these days that there is a link between social media and depression. Despite the negative aspects of social platforms, I have to appreciate the same things that make it so bad. Friends naturally become distant when school and work eventually become a bigger priority, yet Snapchat makes me feel like I still have some sort of connection to these friends. I appreciate that I am able to see a few seconds of their day or week that allow. Of course Snapchat doesn’t maintain the same close relationship but it keeps me at least a bit updated on the lives of my friends.
I agree that social media can be an avenue for depression because people begin to idolize false realities portrayed through multiple different platforms and become to feel like they cannot meet certain expectations enforced by societal standards. I also have a lot of friends on Snapchat that I talked to in high school, but it has been years since I have seen their face in person. It is cool to view their content and be updated on their life, but in reality we are not as close as we used to be. It becomes clear to me that the only connection I have with certain people is through social media platforms – something that didn’t exist a few decades ago.
I have to agree. I have developed an unhealthy dependence on Snapchat and I just can’t let go. I went through a love hate relationship with this application by going back and forth between installing and uninstalling it on my phone. At last, I lost the battle and surrendered to it. I think one of the driving factors behind my addiction is the fact that I moved to the United States for college and this application has played a significant role in helping me catch up with friends back home. It has alleviated my disconnect with friends and family thousands of miles away. But only recently have I realized its negative implications. I will go out of my way to customize who sees my stories if I don’t want everyone to see them rather than not posting to begin with… In addition, I feel the need to document everything going on rather than living the moment in person. I feel the need to show off to people about all the “cool” things I’m up to. While I am aware of these implications, they don’t seem significant enough to stop using Snapchat yet.
One of my favorite TV shows is Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is comedy TV series about the struggles of an engineering team . Many people in computer science (including myself) love this show because the problems that the characters have as a result of being in the tech industry are humorous, yet relatable. All of the problems the gang face are because of backlashes of technology they engineered. I would say it’s one of the best comedy TV series currently airing. The situations the group get into are not only hilarious, but also very believable. I’d recommend this show to anyone with an interest in the tech industry.
Hey Isabelle,
I agree that Silicon Valley is a great show! It does a great job of showing people who are not as in tune with the tech world, like me, how the industry works. The best part is it does this is a comedic way so viewers are laughing while learning. While the main purpose of television is to entertain, I think it is important for people to be able to learn something while they watch and this show accomplishes exactly that!
I also loved Silicon Valley. Despite its brilliant jokes, its opening scene/title sequence is also a lot of fun. In just 10-seconds, the opening scene changes every season and illustrates what was changing in the tech industry. For example, Facebook’s building is expanding each season with the addition of its acquisitions such as WhatsApp and Oculus, and Amazon started to use drones to deliver champagnes in Season 3. The attention of details here not only fun but also reflects the rapid change in technology.
An example of screen-based media that portrays aspects of our technological world is the episodic video game “Life is Strange”. The game focuses on a photographer named Maxine “Max” Caulfield who moves back to her hometown in Oregon to attend Blackwell Academy. In one of the episodes, Kate Marsh, one of Max’s classmates, is bullied for her religious beliefs which include sexual abstinence. A viral video of her kissing people after being drugged gets uploaded online and is shared rapidly across social media. As a result, Kate becomes even more depressed and questions her faith. This particular scene caught my attention because similar situations can occur in the real world. Social media can influence a person’s life as people can dwell on what is being posted online.
My favorite piece of media relating to the technological world would definitely have to be the film “Ex Machina”. The film is an intense piece of work that revolves around the concept of robots exhibiting real human qualities in full effect. I love the film because it has excellent actors, great cinematography, and a perfect score that matches the moods that occur throughout. The main reason it is my choice of media for this excerpt is due to the fact the movie bates you just as the main character is baited. It has you think you know who is evil and who is good. However a epic twist at the end quickly blows away all the character’s and audience’s assumptions.
One of my favorite anime series is called Psycho Pass, which takes place in a dystopia from the future. In the anime, there are public sensors placed everywhere in the world to constantly scan the mental states of each citizen. If the sensors detect any sign of aggression or instability, it assumes that the citizen is very likely to commit a crime and alerts authorities to arrest or even eliminate the individual, depending on how serious their threat level. I really like this anime for its amazing artwork and music and also the dark psychological themes that it explores. With technology rapidly advancing, our devices are commanding most of our life decisions, and this is evident in Pyscho Pass as people rely on machines and not their own morals to determine whether someone is a threat to society. It makes the dystopian world in Psycho Pass not too unrealistic and also raises the question on mankind’s extreme dependence on technology.
One example of screen-based media that focuses on our technological world is the anime series Sword Art Online and its movie, Ordinal Scale. It focuses on the the rising popularity of virtual reality online gaming with the focus on the MMORPG game, Sword Art Online with the assistance of the full dive Nerve Gear. The Nerve Gear is a technological helmet that stimulates the virtual reality game in the minds of the player. The franchise also depict the rapid improvement of the Nerve Gear as time goes by and technology improves. The AmuSphere is the successor to the Nerve Gear and improves its safety along with other various areas. The movie also introduces the latest advancement in this technology named the Augma, which works to combine reality with the game while the players are conscious to create an augmented reality. The Augma proved to be a very useful multipurpose device that can assist people in there daily lives such as watching tv, communications, weather reports, providing information, gaming and much more.
I find this advance technological world to be very fascinating with its improvement not only to gaming but to the daily lives of people as well. The multipurpose Augma is a very interesting device that might be a reality in our near future with how technology is rapidly advancing in real life. Examples recently introduced include the Google Glass and Hololens so we’re definitely making progress. Overall, the whole franchise is pretty intriguing, especially its setting and the depiction of rapidly developing technology in gaming and multipurpose devices like the Augma.
By far my most recent and favorite film that depicted many aspects of our technological world was Blade Runner 2049. In this movie, the main storyline is based on the idea of how technology in LA has evolved and developed to be what it is in 2049. In this world, there is not a clear difference between who is human and who is not human as The Wallace Company has devoeloped more up to date and advanced technology creating Nexus 6 replicants, new generation of artificial humans with modified behavior to make them more obedient than the older models as seen in the previous Blade Runner movie. These Replicants have implanted memories and open-ended lifespans, and are still used for slave labor on the off-world colonies, but some are also used as Blade Runners, hunting down and ‘retiring’ the few remaining older models that are still at large. A problem that arises later in the film is the idea of the public opinion going wary as technological advances, it’s not longer clear who is real and who is not. The reason why this movie is my favorite is because it addresses world issues such as famine and slave labor through through this film as this new technology is said to solve the world problems. I also really enjoyed the background idea as to how technology has in some way taken over the world as we see throughout the film that there ar screens and holograms everywhere.
Hi Brianna,
I agree with your opinions. I feel like 2049 paints a perfect future scene where technology plays an important role (or roles) in our lives, as it is already doing now, and leaves us questioning what is it to be alive, really. If machines reach to the level of being capable of duplicating themselves (which some of them are already able to do) then what’s the point of ‘being alive’ (as human beings live, breathe, reproduce naturally).
An example of screen-based media that I enjoyed that highlighted the themes of technology’s effects on society is Minority Report. The film is about a future where a police department arrests and apprehends criminals based on assessing the mental state of would be criminals – basically being able to read into people’s minds and stop murders before they happen.
The system presented in the film is an example of where technology is extensively implemented into everything in the world, going as far as relying on it to assume criminal intent of people before any crime is committed – it’s intended to be able to reduce murder rates, but raises the questions of whether such a system is ethically valid. It’s an intriguing film that examines the intertwining of technology with crime, and is especially relevant in the present day as we continue to see new devices and tech that mix and match in people’s lives, often advocated to be beneficial yet at the cost of potentially ethics and privacy.
My favorite example of screen-based media that address the topic of our technological world is “Westworld Season”. It is an imagined world in which there is an adult playground composed of robots. This place satisfies people’s sexual pleasure and desire to kill others. At the beginning, those robots have no consciousness that they are robots, but when they gradually realize that they are just the tools for humans to satisfy their desires, they become out of control and kill the people in the playground. The reason why I love this series is that although it is imagined, it has a close connection with our real world. As the development of technology, people have paid increasing attention to AI and some robots like Sophia appeared. Even though most of us may not act as cruelly as those in the drama, the fundamental purpose of produce those robot is same—-satisfying people’s own need. There is no denying that our robots today are far to think as human beings, but nobody can predict what will happen in the future if we cannot control our desire and never bother to think what should be the upper limit of the development of technology.
One of my favorite screen-based media that engages with the electronic culture is a show called”Person of Interest”. This show has an artificial intelligence, called “The Machine” that identifies people who are planning terrorist acts. Along with these national threats, The Machine identifies perpetrators and victims of deadly intensions. These threats are considered as irrelevant threats, so they are thrown out by The Machine. The creator of The Machine designs a backdoor, so he is able to access the irrelevant threats. Using that information, he sets up a team that has to identify if the person associated to each irrelevant threat is a perpetrator or a victim. Then the team has to attempts to prevent the deadly event from occurring. This is one of my favorite TV shows because the artificial intelligence was able to gain human like abilities as the creator was building it. Clips of the process of how The Machine came to be was shown throughout the show. In some of these clips, it is shows how that The Machine grew to be smarter than the creator himself and how The Machine was able to communicate in various unique ways, such as through a telephone call. The Machines capabilities grew to be extraordinary and beyond what the creator programed it to have.
I started watching “Person of Interest” recently and really enjoyed watching it even though I had nightmares from watching this show. Vrunda has explained well what the show is about. It not only involves action, which I like, but also shows how powerful and useful technology can be to humans. I’m not sure if “The Machine” has been created, but I believe one day people can create technology similar to it and use that to help people’s lives just like the show. It’s also scary to think that technology may be more powerful and smarter than human beings one day and the possible things they can do in the future.
My favorite example of screen-based media is a game called “Black Desert Online”. Black Desert Online is a massively multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG) with a vast open world for the player to discover. Like other games in this genre, the player chooses a class to play as and levels their character through quests and monsters. One aspect that makes this game my favorite screen-based media is that unlike other games of this genre, Black Desert Online has a system of gear equipment that does not require a certain level to obtain. Furthermore, as someone who takes into account the graphics and design of the game, I am amazed by the details that were put into the makings of this game. The character creation allows for a vast amount of customization, each unique to the class and gender, allowing for the player to create a character based of his or her imagination. In addition, I enjoy the ability to connect with other players from around the world. Through this game, I was able to meet many people whom I have been able to become close with. This had made me realize that even through games, technology has allowed people from around the world to connect with each other.
My favorite example of screen-based media that address the topic of our technological world is the film ‘Ex-Machina’. The plot line has one man, Caleb, visit a CEO of a company, Nathan. When Caleb goes to Nathan’s house he encounters this robot who has a robotic type body, but a very human face. Caleb is asked to test how well the robot is able to process things similar to a human in terms of emotion, thought processes, etc. The film’s underlying question throughout the whole movie is, if we make roots to mimic humans, should we treat them as such? Or how do we go about treating them once they are at that point? It is a very thought provoking movie as we become closer and closer to living a life where having robots similar to this one are within grasp. The qualities that make it my favorite is how it displays the entire movie as something that isn’t too far off from what humans have created or have the capability to create. I love how thought provoking this movie was as well as the ways in which it went about addressing these issues. My favorite part is when Caleb questions whether or not he himself is a robot because of the entire situation he is in, so he ends up cutting himself open to make sure. I don’t want to give too much of the movie away, but I highly recommend this movie.
“Ex Machina” has also made its way into my list of favorite movies for the way it portrays artificial intelligence. Media often portrays the idea of artificial intelligence with a touch of fear and warning of a future where robots overpower humans. In reality, artificial intelligence of that caliber is a long way off, but the increase in human reliance on technology keeps a future like that within conversation. I really enjoyed “Ex Machina” because of the different context in which it portrays artificial intelligence. Instead of focusing on physical superiority or mere cold, robotic will, this movie questions what it means to be truly sentient, not only in terms of pure intelligence, but also human emotion and self awareness. Ava, the android created by Nathan, pushes the limits of where Caleb draws the line between artificial intelligence and human intelligence, to the point of emotional manipulation and empathy, a side of the artificial intelligence story not often delved into. I not only enjoyed the plot of “Ex Machina” but was very impressed by the contrasting feelings the cinematography evoked by juxtaposing lush scenes of nature outside and the sleek, modern but lonely home of Nathan, where Ava resided. Additionally, I was impressed by the relationships and deep thoughts the dialogue created with only about three speaking characters.
As someone whose main intake of screen-based media comes from gaming, my favorite would have to be “Remember Me”. Set in the theoretical future, the game follows the protagonist, Nilin, as she attempts to topple a powerful “Big Brother” company and rediscover who she is by using technology to alter the memories of those around her. The main character does not remember who she is because she has also been a subject of this memory rewriting tech. Nilin is hunted at the start of the game without any knowledge outside of her need for revenge against those responsible for the economy built on the suppression, altering, surveillance, and trade of memories. It is an interesting evaluation of where the rise of social media may take us in the coming decades. The game is quite an emotional journey with unexpected twists and realistic representations of mental illness and trauma.
An example of screen-based media that address the topic of our technological world, real or imagined, is the Korean drama “I Am Not A Robot.” This drama depicts media’s influence on interactions and communication with another. The main character had been diagnosed with a sickness that causes rashes to erupt whenever he comes into contact with another human being; however, a team of scientists created a human-like robot to befriend the main character in order to help him take away this sickness. To not give anything away, this drama observes how some humans may appear to be better off alone with technology, than being surrounded by the natural world filled with actual people and happenings. Our world today is becoming very technologically advanced, and it would not be surprising that this would happen several years down the line.
The K-drama “I am Not a Robot” is also one of my favorites because it depicts of the idea that even though technology is able to advance so far as to create technological androids for companionship, it will never surpass the human touch. The main character supposively claims to have an allergy that prevents him from being close to a human being, thus he has never had a girlfriend before. Thus he orders an android, however, due to issues the person that the android was designed after was sent over to him instead. Overtime, the main character falls in love to what he thinks is an android when in reality it isn’t. Finding a partner in life is a long and large commitment and within the K-drama there are androids that are built to hopefully fill someone’s gap. We always think that technological advances are always positive and able to enhance our lives like the huge impact phones has had on us. However, in this case, human relationship is the one that still prevails, able to do and possibly even more than what the android was designed for.
“Tron: Legacy” is a perfect example of this topic as it happens in a video game. The 2010 sequel to the 1982 “Tron” describes a story that after Flynn has disappeared for many years, his son Sam received a message and was teleported to a virtual reality game created by Flynn. After being forced to fight in the game, he was discovered to be a “user” and was taken to the ruler who looks like young Flynn. Sam realized that the ruler is his father’s assistant Clu. As Flynn worked on creating a perfect computer system, Clu betrayed him and he was trapped in this virtual world. The story continues by describing their journey to escape this magnificent universe. The game represents Flynn’s desire for a utopian, perfect world, yet that desire has led to the totalitarian regime by Clu who wanted to prevent their escape at any cost. The story is very interesting as it shows how human are engaging with games by actually digitalize themselves in it. The movie is also a great art piece with its design and visual effects since Director Kosinski wanted “to make it feel real” so that the audiences can feel like the story actually occurred in the game and immerse themselves in the digital world of Tron.
One of my favorite examples of screen-based media that addresses the topic of technology is a film called “Elysium”. The story takes place on Earth in 2154 where most people are sick and poor due to overpopulation as well as undeveloped technology and medical care. On the contrary, there is this enormous space habitat that is rich, powerful, and technologically advanced called Elysium. With lots of terrible pain and suffering, Earth’s citizens are finding ways to enter Elysium to use the medical machines that can cure all kinds of diseases.
I really like this movie because it portrays what could possibly happen in the future and the chaos that might result from this type of incidents. This, as a result, allows us to think about and be aware of our technological world. Even though it is said that people rely too much on their electronic devices nowadays, we cannot disregard the power and impact that technology brings us now or in the future.
My favorite on-screen based media engaging with the challenges of electronic culture is the Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House. The film revolves around a family who lives in an automatic home, which is fully controlled by a computer system named Pat. Initially, the Pat relieved the family of many burdens as it did all the cleaning, cooking, and other house chores. As Pat gained more and more power, however, it started to ‘take over’ the entire house. The main conflict of the film centers on the family’s fight against Pat to regain control of their home. This is my favorite screen-based media because I thought the film did a great job exploring the advantages and disadvantages of technology. As I was a child when I first saw Smart House, I did not realize the dangers of excessively relying on technology. I also found it fascinating how even though the film aired in 1999, its technological elements show some parallels to those of today (e.g., Siri) as well as those planned for the future (e.g., automatic houses, cars, etc.)
My favorite TV show is The Simpsons. There are multiple episode that like to predict what the future will hold for humans in the upcoming years. One specific episode that comes to mind after reading this prompt is the episode ” Ultrahouse 3000″. The Simpsons buy a new home where the house is fully automated by a computer with the sole function to serve its inhabitants. However after some time, it begins to learn control itself and chooses to . The home can be seen to be similar to what we called AI, Artificial intelligence. All of the problems the family endure are because of growth of technology. The reason why this is my favorite show is because they really depict what life would be like if technology enhance and continues to grow at the rate it does now.
Recently, I came across the t.v. show the x-files. It was mentioned to us by the professor in lecture and it kind of peaked my interest. There was an episode that focused on the wonders of AI. There was a building that was running on a computer software that happened to surpass what it was programmed for and began to control itself. Unfortunately, in order to protect itself from being shut down, the computer software that ran and controlled the building began to eliminate and murder those who attempted to control it. The reason why this is my favorite is because it is a fear people still have today, although the episode was aired more than 20 years ago. Its interesting to know that there are still fears about this type of technology to this day.
“Tron: Legacy”(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiUmrX7CxGA) is a perfect example of this topic as it happens in a video game. The 2010 sequel to the 1982 “Tron” describes a story that after Flynn has disappeared for many years, his son Sam received a message and was teleported to a virtual reality game created by Flynn. After being forced to fight in the game, he was discovered to be a “user” and was taken to the ruler who looks like young Flynn. Sam realized that the ruler is his father’s assistant Clu. As Flynn worked on creating a perfect computer system, Clu betrayed him and he was trapped in this virtual world. The story continues by describing their journey to escape this magnificent universe. The game represents Flynn’s desire for a utopian, perfect world, yet that desire has led to the totalitarian regime by Clu who wanted to prevent their escape at any cost. The story is very interesting as it shows how human are engaging with games by actually digitalize themselves in it. The movie is also a great art piece with its design and visual effects since Director Kosinski wanted “to make it feel real” so that the audiences can feel like the story actually occurred in the game and immerse themselves in the digital world of Tron.
One of my favorite screen-based media that addresses the topic of our technological world is “Deus Ex: Human Revolution”. This role-playing game by Square Enix immerses the player in a world where human augmentation has become a standard in everyday life. The overall theme of “Human Revolution” argues that although technology is a significant part of everyday life, it is still a mystery to what extent technology can be merged with humanity and what its effects on society will be. Throughout the game, there is this underlying tension between those who support human augmentation and those who are against it, creating a more realistic world for the player and furthering the narration. Because the main character becomes heavily augmented due to a fatal incident, players get to experience what amazing features technology can bring to humanity but also the consequences of becoming so intertwined with technology. In addition to the fun game-play and story of the game, players get to be exposed to the concept of transhumanism and to what extent human’s reliance on technology will become “too much”.
One game that caught my attention when it first came out was “Watch Dogs” by Ubisoft becasue it was able to tell a interesting story while presenting the player with a message. The game does this by allowing the player to take control Aiden Pearce a vigilante hacker, who is able to easily access individuals’ bank accounts, security camera. and even the city infrastructure. with just the click of a button on his phone. As long as the device is connected to the internet, he can hack it. Although the game may seem like science fiction, many of the things players can do in the game can be done in real life. Society’s vulnerability to hackers like Aiden has been increasing because many devices in the past few years have been developed in a way that makes them “smart”, by allowing them access to the internet. While it is true allowing devices to connect to the Internet to make the lives of the users easier, it has also increases the user’s dangers. While in the game the player plays a grey hat hacker, who does not hack with malicious intent, black hat hackers who hack for personal benefit do exist in the real world. It are these individuals who prey on devices that are connected to the Internet. It seems that as technology has improved to make our lives easier, it has also make our privacy harder to maintain.
Given that the game “Watch Dogs” has already been fantastically explained above, I will go about explaining why it has intrigued me so much. The game itself has reached quite a large following to the point where there has been an accompanying, somewhat spin-off, of the game on smartphones. It isn’t just the game’s premise that the player/Pearce has the ability to control nearly the entire world around him using a phone but that I believe it shows somewhat of a desire amongst modern humans. For example, most media storylines show people hacking into things using very futuristic tools, control centers, or just computers/laptops. So why a phone? The phone that Pearce uses in the game is still quite far-fetched in real life, but I believe it shows our connectivity to such a small device in our life. Many people see phones as almost of a necessity and how one probably wouldn’t be able to function properly in their daily lives, school, work, etc. without these handheld devices. It has almost become a part of us like a superpower, in which our world is almost entirely in our hands. There’s still so much more to talk about the ever increasing and intrusion of technology in our lives, but I also would like to agree with the point mentioned in the original comment that one of the risks we have of such a technologically-connected world is privacy. Is there really such a thing as privacy anymore, if highly-skilled professionals could listen in on your conversation using your TV, one example which has actually been feasible for quite some time now. Or how, fraud has become more sophisticated if someone could steal your online identity or hack into large corporations that manage your bank accounts, mail, work projects, private photos/videos, etc. Watch Dogs is a fun game when you’re the one hacking the world around you, but what if it was the other way around?
A screen-based media that I recently experienced was a video game called “VRChat.” Today’s world is a world with tasks that can be done entirely online and in the comfort of your own home. Chances to go outside and interact with others are becoming fewer. However, this game attempts to solve these issues by creating an online environment, where random players on the Internet can interact freely through virtual reality. My favorite aspect of “VRChat” is the fact that every player can choose and customize their own avatar, changing how they appear to the rest of the world. It is a surreal experience seeing your favorite characters from different movies, TV shows, cartoons, anime, and games coexisting at the same time. It reminds me of some of the things that I saw growing up but have since forgotten in favor of more recent media. The technological world that we live in today is just so vast that it is almost impossible to ascertain what is actually going on. The game clearly captures this idea, despite bringing some chaos along with it. If you would like to try it out, the game is available for free on Steam.
One of my favorite examples of screen-based media not already mentioned is “Ghost in the Shell”, both the anime version and live-action. The main character is basically half woman and half machine. She has no memory of her past, making her a perfect soldier. It’s set in a time where most of the population is trying to enhance themselves in some sort of way with mechanical parts. This can be both good and bad. In the film, there is a hacker hacking people’s computerized minds to perform terrorist attacks, which she tries to stop. In the process of doing this, she starts questioning her past and her identity. I enjoyed this because it gives us a look into what could happen in the future, with people always wanting to improve themselves, and the potential problems that could arise from it.
I also think Ghost in the Shell is a good example. The detailed dystopia design make audience question whether technology advancement is always positive — while the cyber brain can provide convenience, it is also exposed to the Internet and allowed hackers and criminals to use it.
Oh I agree and I see tons of similarities between the movie” Blade Runner” and that fantastic anime’s settings as well as context.
One of my favorite examples of screen based media that discusses technology is the 2006 film, Paprika. In this film, a device named the “DC Mini” allows people to see other people’s dream. I find this aspect of the film interesting and pertinent because we live in an age where our privacy is constantly in jeopardy. The idea of “privacy” is being turned upside down as the boundary between private and public information and spaces is being broken. For example, large companies like Google and Facebook implement targeted ads by analyzing search history of users. I think the film serves as a great allegory representing the challenge and dangers that emerge from a heavily technology oriented society.
One of my most enjoyable films is “I, Robot” , which demonstrates humanity’s reliance on technology and their incredulity that leads to their demise. Dr. Lanning, co-founder of U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men (USR), created robots with enhanced human capabilities to serve society. Overtime, these robots garnered much favorable reputation after saving countless humans from potential life-threatening crises. One day, Lanning falls several stories to his death from his office, and the public perceives it as suicide since no other human was in the room. The main protagonist, Spooner, is skeptical and suspects that a robot caused this accident. Not long after, Spooner is ambushed by several robots in which he narrowly escapes. He tries to prove to others that these robots are harmful, but is met with only disbelief. After extensive investigation, he finds that Lanning created special robots with emotion, and that these robots are controlled by USR’s central supercomputer, named Viki which aims to capture and strip humans of their own will. After taking down Viki, the specially built robots are decommissioned.
This film displays human dependence on technology, and even though it is not yet trying to kill us and throw us off buildings, we should recognize the negative effects of current technology such as attachment to social media or excessive attention to others’ perception of them. Growing technology strays us from focusing on priorities. “I, Robot” is one of my favorite films, and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys an amazing plot and action-packed scenes.
I couldn’t agree with you more Derek. The reason why this movie resonated with me so much is because while it might be fiction, it is a very big possibility in the future. While I believe technology has many advantages, it can actually be very dangerous if not being used properly. Through this movie, this controversy of whether technology will be strength of our world or the demise of our world was truly explored through as Derek said emotional robots and super computers. The most amazing part of this is that this movie came out in 2004, the beginning enhanced technology, before our world really even began to depend on it. Now it’s 2018, 14 years later and humans are becoming to depend on technology as foreshadowed in the movie. While I am a true advocate of technology, I believe that people really need to be aware of the negative effects of current technology like Derek said. We’ve become so distracted by the virtual world that people are starting to forget what life is like without technology and that there is still a whole real world out there right now. Overall, I think this film did a great job showing what our future could be if we aren’t careful with our use of technology.
Hey Derek,
I also agree that the movie discusses how attached to technology we are. “I, Robot” also brings up the topic of building robots using A.I. (artificial intelligence). Pursuing research into artificial intelligence is a controversial issue as even Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have warned us about the possible issues. Perhaps “I, Robot” is a prediction of our future if we look further into A.I. It is amazing how they could have predicted this even though the movie was only developed in 2004. We will definitely have to create more nanites in case this issue occurs. Or maybe, we can learn how to write the rules for our robots from this movie.
The “Hunger Games” trilogy is an example of imagination used to comment on the use of social media and technology. As we become more in tune with social media, our confidence levels are more based on what others perceive of us. The book and movie series explores how outer beauty and the perception of others might slowly take away the humanity of events and blur the big picture of current times. In the story, the “Capitol” or ruling institution, conducts a fight-until-death show that takes real people and puts them behind screens, for the public to watch. While the audience are given emotional attachments to the characters, the story is based on how screens and outer perspectives take us away from emotions and force everything to be entertainment. The murders of children is used to show that people might become so focused on entertainment that they might forget to look at the big picture and emotional aspects of life. One can relate this series of books and movies with reality TV shows. Shows like “Keeping up with the Kardashians” displays how other people’s pain and happiness, emotions that are personal to them, are considered entertainment to viewers. People are laughing at other’s pain because they are hidden behind their screens and not held accountable. The “Hunger Games” series is one of my favorites because at first glance, it is just another dytopian series. However, it has many aspects that can directly correlate to our lives right now. In essence, the audience of the series are watching the fictional audience of the Hunger Games; the series might be our own screen, something to entertain us and distract us from the emotions in our own lives.
I enjoy this film as well and agree with you Rini. As a society we have become so wrapped up in television shows and social media, we often forget that the people on the other side of the screen are real. We have lost emotion to these medias because it is made for our entertainment but I think we all need to step back and realize that these people in reality television shows are rel and they too have emotion and are greatly effected by the shows they star in. So many of the television stars from our generation have lost touch with reality and have been seen to have a lot of issues later in life due to the effect of these shows. We need to understand the effects that the media has on people.
Hello Rini,
I, too, agree with you and Kaelen opinions. I am also a fan of the “Hunger Games” trilogy. As much as I enjoy reading and watching the “Hunger Games” trilogy, I think that the society in which Suzanne Collins is portraying of the Capitol is wrong and in a way that’s quite inhumane. Like you mentioned, the people of the Capitol feed on the entertainment of the hunger games so much that they have forgotten about the fact that the contestants are basically forced to participate and, eventually, almost everyone die at the end of each game. We live in a society where new development of entertainment is quite significant. It is unfortunate that because of these new developments, sometime people seem to forget the true meaning of humanity and recognize all the wrongs in the entertainment industry. To them, it is just pure entertainment.
One of my most favorite films is “V for Vendetta” because it highlights how media censorship can be detrimental to society as a whole. It focuses on a dystopian world in which the government is in total control of society and its citizens. Mass surveillance cameras are set up and government agents would go undercover as spies in order to detect threats to those in power. People who do not agree with the fascist government are spotted and ultimately killed because the government wants to keep the “peace”. Using technology to control what is and what isn’t broadcasted on television, the corrupted government only sends out selective information. This kind of censorship is also evident in China, where individuals do not have access to the internet and many popular media sites such as, YouTube, are banned. I think that in a similar sense, there are dangers through blocking out too much information from the people because this makes them less aware and less informed about the truths. Since China’s government is communist, the country also does not tolerate opposition from citizens and manipulates the flow of information and which websites people can have access to.
I definitely love watching this film time and time again because the scenes get me to think about the way in which authority can alter the information they put up on social media. We are also in control of what we put on our social media and sometimes, there is the ulterior motive to have others think a certain way about us.
An example of screen based media that associates with the topic of our technological world is the Amazon application for mobile devices. Amazon has allowed consumers to browse and purchase items from home or anywhere with wireless connection. In other words, it has contributed heavily to the technological world by making shopping easy and convenient. I personally, enjoy using the Amazon application not only for its accessibility but also for its cheaper pricing. However, with increased users, other corporations such as Sports Authority, Walmart, Kmart, and Sears have either gone out of business or closed down several locations.
Hi Vincent, do you think that society would be better off with more power to the specialty stores but potentially higher prices or do lower prices from giants like Amazon help us progress as a society? I personally think it helps society a lot to have this kind of competition so that the strongest survive. I really like the idea of online consumerism as a form of art!
Hi Vincent,
I completely agree with you when you say that mobile applications, such as Amazon, have greatly facilitated the act of being a consumer. The convenience of being a tap away from purchasing anything you want from the internet has caused the demand for these types of applications (apps) to grow. I think that phone applications in general have increased the demand for technology and decreased the demand for in person shopping. I believe the advancement of technology in this world has had both positive and negative impacts. It has been positive because it has facilitated every aspect of human life, from the google maps application to cooking apps, however, technology has also driven people away from physical human interaction. This is made very obvious by just going on one of UCI’s shuttle buses. Everyone has their head down looking at their phones.
I also enjoy shopping on Amazon and online shopping in general. I didn’t own a car until recently so shopping online was extremely helpful. You can see everything that the store has in stock and which places have the best deals. However, my mother always tells me to shop at physical locations so that businesses don’t close down those locations. She said if businesses close down their locations and just keep their online shops, we would not have anything to do at the malls, and eventually, malls would close down too. Although online shopping is extremely convenient, there are some cons to it like waiting for shipping, worrying if the size is right, or if someone is going to steal your package. These are some reasons why I try to just find the best deals online and then buy it at a physical location.
Hi Vincent! Amazon is a great example! I definitely think that Amazon has made our lives much easier and products much more affordable. However, as we have mentioned in class, advancement in technology often results in displacement of a traditional establishment, and also people who are behind it. It is great to see how we benefit from the business, but it is also unfortunate to see that many traditional brick-and-mortar businesses are forced to shut down.
I agree with you. The Amazon application for mobile devices is extremely convenient because individuals can easily purchase items that they want. Because modern American life has been obsessed with smartphone use, people are now more lazier than ever and do not want to physically go to a store to purchase things. I think it is vital for parents to teach their children the way that business is run so that they can make healthy decisions in the near future. Buying things online can involve fraud that can be detrimental, and it is easier to avoid this by having large corporations not go out of business.
As a huge fan of Pixar, the first film that came to my mind that has to do with a possible future for our technological world is WALL-E. This one is definitely a classic, and centers around a robot called WALL-E, the last of his kind of trash collecting robots on a now abandoned Earth. Every day he has the same routine of collecting trash and forming cubes, which is an impossible task for a single robot that has to clean up the Earth which is now devoid of almost all life. Things continue as normal until one day he meets a mysterious robot named EVE. Just as he is getting to know her, EVE has to leave because of something she found. WALL-E follows her back to where she came from and discovers not only the current state of humanity but also puts himself in a lot of danger as he disrupts an entire society.
This movie has been one of my favorites since childhood, and I chose it because it has a lot of meaningful messages that can apply to the present day, as well as some interesting themes. We see that humans in space suffer from loneliness despite being in a very crowded ship because they are almost literally attached to their screens and don’t take the time to interact with others. This teaches us that stepping away from technology can be beneficial in multiple ways. People become so addicted to always being online that they can forget that there is a life beyond that. In addition, we see that humanity had completely forgotten about the Earth after having completely destroyed it with pollution. By learning about the past, they are once again able to cultivate life on this planet they thought was dead. This movie showed that it took a funny little robot to make humans remember the importance of taking care of where you live, and that technology is not the solution to all your problems. I definitely recommend this movie, as it is great for all ages and is a beautiful looking film.
I also really enjoy the movie Wall-E and think it does a great job of addressing the possible future of a world in which people are fully dependent on technology. The movie depicts people that are obese because they don’t exercise and are on their electronic devices 24/7. In a way, the electronic devices become more lively than the humans and do the thinking for the humans while the people just mindlessly watch their devices without really taking into account their surroundings. In a fun and appealing one hour movie, Pixar almost warns the public that if technology continues to progress and be relied on as heavily as it is now, then we may lose touch with reality and human interaction will substantially worsen.
I think that in this day and age, people forget how to live life without their cell phones and electronics and Wall-E masterfully shows us what the world could turn in to if we rely on technology too much.
Hello Hailey, I totally agree with you that WALL-E is definitely one of the classics and is beautifully animated. It is one of my favorite examples of screen-based media as well because it addresses the problem where reliance on technology can be destructive and unhealthy. The movie shows how the humans rely on technology so much on the spaceship that they are mentally “chained” to a chair for years ever since leaving Earth! They rely on the comfy chair to navigate to different places and communicate to one another using a computer-like screen from their chair, instead of talking to each other in person. Life has gotten very mechanical and dull, where the humans do everyday activities such as eat, drink, and change into different clothes by just sitting in the chair the entire time. Henceforth, they all were depicted as overweight and helpless with taking care of themselves without a robot or chair present. One scene showed that a guy could not get back up into his chair, but needed a robot to push him back up onto it.
This movie is my favorite because it incorporates a little mixture of comedy, romance, and drama. I was very sad when I watched the movie, yet I enjoyed a lot of the cute, funny moments as well. One scene in particular was when WALL-E finds a diamond ring, but keeps the box instead and threw away the ring. Overall, this film really opened my eyes to the extent of how we, as human beings, can destroy the entire planet by pollution yet still be stuck in a bubble, unaware of our surroundings. It was a great big lesson that the movie portrayed and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
I agree with Hailey as well. WALL-E shows us that technology can be convenient for us, however it also emphasizes that we rely on it too much to the extent that we are forgetting (or being too lazy) to do the simplest tasks. WALL-E serves as a great example of screen based media because although it is a cartoon it shows us that we expect too much from technology. The movie itself was released in 2008, before the smart phone craze really kicked in. What makes it so interesting to me is how close we are getting to becoming the blob like human characters in the movie. For example, virtual reality goggles have been recently built and like in the movie, soon there won’t be any need to go outside and interact with other people. Their transportation system is also becoming reality due to the invention of self maneuvering cars! Looking back at he concept of WALL-E’s message (as an adult) I can see how much this affecting us currently, where children as well as adults pay more attention to their mobile devices rather than their surrounding environment.
I completely agree that WALL-E is a great representation of what could possibly happen in a technology-oriented future. Although it is a drastic example, it is a somewhat-accurate depiction of how people have become too reliant on technology. Nowadays, we rely on our technology to wake us up, to communicate with others, to entertain us, etc. But it’s funny because while Pixar created WALL-E to show the “bad” effect of technology, they also showed the “beneficial” side in Meet the Robinsons. Instead of being dominated by technology the people in this movie have used science to advance the world into a better place thus creating a brighter future. While it is evident that people today seem to be glued to their screens, it is also clear that science has helped us tremendously. From life-saving medical technology to face-recognizing phones, science and technology has definitely made an impact in the way we live our lives on a daily basis. It seems that the role technology will play in the future is simultaneously beneficial (as portrayed in Meet the Robinsons) and destructive (showed in WALL-E).
I also think WALL-E is a great screen-based media that addresses a possible technological world that may become our future. I like that this film not only addresses the problem of pollution (as I always had interpreted it to be), but also the problem of relying too much on technology. When I think about the reliance on technology, I think about how children in this time now use smartphones and tablets for entertainment instead of running outside like most of us have done when we were their age. I can see how the creators of WALL-E came up with the film and really liked how they depicted it. As a Disney/Pixar film aimed towards children, I think it really teaches them to live life and to also protect the Earth.
Wall-E is a great example of how technology can take over one’s life. Human beings become so immersed in what they are consuming and technology that they forget to actually interact with other human beings. They rely so heavily on their devices and do everything mindlessly while forgetting to appreciate the real things in life. Even now, people are so invested in the newest piece of technology and capturing everything on social media that they do not truly enjoy what is happening around them. People rely so heavily on their phones and freak out when they don’t have it or are constantly on them. Technology is used for everything now, to watch shows, for navigation, and to translate languages which is beneficial when you are trying to communicate with others. It’s nice to be able to use technology when it can help you but not when it completely consumes your life as seen in Wall-E. Wall-E is a cute, entertaining film that shows you to appreciate life without technology and take time to enjoy other things which is why this is one of my favorite examples.
I also really enjoyed watching Wall-E when it first came out. I think that the movie does a great job at showing a universe in which people become too dependent on technology in the future. Showing a future where people do not do anything because they have their technology to do it for them. I feel that it is unfortunate that this movie came out almost a decade ago and yet it seems like such a plausible future that is waiting for people of Earth. What makes Wall-E my favorite is that it is an enjoyable and fun movie to watch when there is nothing to do while it is also a wake up call that technology can be a dangerous thing if it is abused and may have serious consequences later on in life, even if they are not as severe as what is depicted in Wall-E.
A recent example of screen-based media that addresses the topic of our technological world, that I enjoyed, was an anime called ” Recovery of an MMO Junkie.” It’s an anime that follows the life a neet and her dependency on a video game and her male persona. Even though the show is comedic and romantic it touches on the topic of why people become dependent and obsessed with technology, since its a means of escaping reality and has aspects that entice people to continue using them.
I personly loved the show since it shows why people, me included, tend to be more open in virtual worlds and why they devote so much of our time to it. The show also shows aspects of video games/ technology that make them so addictive, such as being able to adjust/ design the characters/ settings in numerous ways ( hairstyle, size, height, age, facial expressions, color, environment, etc), and being able to purchase “upgrades”, whether it be in the characters design/ clothing or even in parts of computers/ tech to make them easier to use, faster, or to create better graphics.
A film that I feel is relevant to the challenges of electronic culture would be “The Matrix” that presents a dystopian world in which the events that follow a catastrophic war between man and machine resulted in a new world where human beings are grown, farmed, and harvested for their energy. Humans are kept in a simulation oblivious to the fact that every aspect of their lives and being are governed and monitored by the very machines they have created. Compare that to the contemporary real world and one can make parallels in the way our phones, and other forms of media have a huge influence on the way we think, the choices we make, and who or what we may become. The reason I chose this film as my favorite is that I am fascinated with the cyberpunk genre, where themes of the cyborg, corporate, resistance, and the oppressively pervasive presence of computer technology paint a picture of what society could potentially become in the future. It’s cool and fun to think about. If you’re interested about the backstory of “The Matrix” and want to understand it better, I definitely recommend checking out “The Animatrix”, particularly the sequence titled “The Second Renaissance”. It’s two parts and can be found on Youtube. Graphic, but it’s a good watch,
I have experienced the video game “Halo” series that deals with the cyber enhancement of children which are then tested on further to yield physically and mentally superior humans that are developed for mainly warfare with intergalactic beings. The theme of government experimentation isn’t as apparent as it is in the fourth game. Then game tends to poke at the possibility that this could be our near future in that we have rapidly growing in technological advancements which in turn might advance us evolutionarily. The game is very immersive and action packed as well as having an alright story to follow with a good amount of lore to it.
Halo is definitely one my video games of all time. I mainly enjoyed Halo: Reach because of the Forge mode that was added in that game. It allowed my friends and I to have a ‘free mode’ in a sense to create and design fun games and maps together. In addition it showed different kinds of technological weapons that were race specific; brutes, elites, and humans that showed a unique fighting style for each different race in the game.
A video game that I experienced very recently is “Doki Doki Literature Club!” designed by Team Salvato. The game is a visual novel that breaks the fourth wall to highlight themes of medias influence in one’s personal communications with others. To avoid spoilers, the theme of medias influence in societal communication is not the most apparent aspect at first but upon observation of the game files, the design and mechanics of the game itself unfold as an art form that builds itself upon online influence and sources. If you do attempt to play through this game or watch it, it’s not for the faint of heart.
Hi Edward,
It’s surprising to find someone who also enjoyed the game.
I think the interesting part about “Doki Doki Literature Club!” is that it kind of makes the player at first become the influence (as you mentioned) who affects the flow and the direction of the game, then later it turns out to be the opposite way. In my opinion it does reveal the effect of false information that we might believe in and how it controls/navigates the way we think or act.