Black Mirror is a show that had such an interesting premise when it first aired that it immediately caught the attention of the public. It's an anthology series about the dangers of technology going too far or falling into the wrong hands, with a sci-fi lean despite the premise of every episode still feeling at least slightly grounded in reality in some way. Part of the initial fun of the show was the horror element, of seeing how far technological advances could get pushed before they were just bad for humanity. While this is still part of the appeal, the way that the real world itself has changed over the course of the show's run has led to it feeling a little less fun to watch.
The real-life technological advances in recent years have felt more dystopian than ever, which makes Black Mirror feel a little too real, and a little less like a fantasy. That speculative fiction element that made the show such an interesting thought experiment now just feels too possible, and this is something that could put people off of the show. It doesn't feel as much like an escapist piece of entertainment anymore, but rather like something that reflects the real world a little too much. Of course, this could also make it that much more poignant to some viewers, as it's growing ever-relevant to the world as it is.
How Has The World Changed Since Black Mirror Started?
While technology is always changing, the past couple of decades have seen a huge increase in technological advancements in a relatively short amount of time. People born in the late 90s saw the switch from flip phones to smartphones - and every advancement that those smartphones have made - and were around in the time of VHS tapes and cassettes while also having CDs and DVDs and even iPods as a part of their childhoods. The world is changing all the time, but it seems like the direction technology has been going in the years since Black Mirror started airing (the first season aired on the UK network Channel 4 in 2011) is turning into something that is scarier for a lot of people.
Recently, the focus on the Metaverse and the rise of AI technology, especially, feels like something out of a Black Mirror episode, but this time it's actually real life. The concern around the use of AI has especially been contentious, being a part of the current writer's strike in Hollywood as well as a discussion point on the internet as people try to work out what the ethics of AI are. Using AI to hear what a singer would sound like singing a song that isn't theirs, for example, or trying to pass off AI-generated art as something that was worked on by an actual artist are all things that are actually becoming problems, even though they sound like the beginnings of Black Mirror episodes.
Does Black Mirror Feel More Realistic Now?
The show was always supposed to have an edge of realism about it, as that was what made it feel so dystopian - it felt like it could be possible for things to go in these darker directions if the wrong thing happened with technology. Because of the way the world is approaching tech right now, that speculation is starting to feel more like just an observation of the current climate. In Season 6, for example, the episode "Joan Is Awful" follows a woman who has her whole life turned into a TV show because she gave the streaming network the rights to do so when agreeing to the terms and conditions that she didn't read (because no one ever reads them). It also discusses the use of AI to create the show and recreate the likenesses of the people on it, which feels like a very real conversation any streaming platform could be having. While it's a meta look at Netflix itself, it still feels like something that is almost too akin to the actual problems that technology has been causing on the world recently.
Is Black Mirror's Realism Actually A Good Thing?
The newfound sense of realism within Black Mirror can certainly be off-putting, especially for those who are already concerned with the direction that certain tech companies are headed in. However, as the world changes, the show might need to change as well, and adopting a slightly more realistic approach to certain topics or episodes might just be their way of connecting with an audience who is witnessing a lot of rapid developments. Some people might want something more escapist, but a lot of people watch Black Mirror for how plausible it felt in the first place. The situations were taken to extremes, sure, but the basic premise of each episode was at least somewhat based in something that feels like it could happen one day. That's the sweet spot of a lot of science fiction anyway - to present something that seems fantastical on the surface but is actually based in something very real.
With that in mind, the way that Black Mirror is starting to, well, mirror real life events is pretty fitting for a show that prides itself on walking that very thin line between the real and the imagined. If anything, it just makes the show that much scarier when it feels like it's somewhat relatable to the audience. Rather than just being a "what if" situation that feels far removed from reality, it might have the viewer actually questioning what could happen if they faced this technology in their own life, as they very well might. It all comes down to personal preference, in the end, but it certainly makes the experience of viewing Black Mirror feel entirely different than it was before.