The episode explores issues of control by social media in a future setting where people rate each other and those ratings determine social class and opportunities. Those with high ratings have many advantages while those below a threshold struggle. The protagonist's ratings fall and she faces oppression by the system without a chance for redemption. The episode uses stylistic elements like pastel colors and mobile devices to draw parallels to current social media platforms and behaviors and provoke thoughts about increasing inequality linked to such systems.

1. Black Mirror, S3 E1 issues with media
500 word essay
The first episode of season 1 was an eye opening take on the control by social media set in
the future. Black mirror is a Netflix series also on Channel 4 that explores sharp, suspenseful,
satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia. The episode provokes human stupidity in the
form of slaves of social media as the main protagonist, Lacie Pound and her surrounding
characters minus her brother, conclude their interaction by rating one another. These
ratings determine the person’s overall social class, personality, lifestyle and role in society.
The ratings in the plot are almost parallel to our Conservative system’s social class’s where if
you’re above 4.5 rating, you can get anything you want whereas fall below 3.5, you are
unable to rent cars, or enter certain buildings. The systemfavours those who are higher in
ratings and the people are blinded by it, wearing the futuristic contacts that allow them to
view each other’s social media feed. While watching the episode, I found many aspects of it
familiar to almost all capitals and democracies around the world where they have an
economic hourglass effect where the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. Inequality is
distinctively represented in the scene when Lacie ignores her co-worker who is below a 3.5.
The antiseptic, pastel-coloured theme gives an almost Barbie-like atmosphere to the text.
Subconsciously due to Barbie’s ‘perfect’ representation, we as an audience get the
impression that the systemis perfect, or is supposed to be. People live in fear of getting
negatively rated by others and are constantly nice, with teeth filled smiles as fake as a
Barbie doll. The rose gold mobile devices they have are in similar shape and colour to the
current trend of iPhones, provoking this current generation’s unsociable behaviour with
constant usage of mobiles rather than pure human interaction.
A plot twist adds a powerful note to Lacie’s transition from an obsessed social climber to a
profanity spewing criminal in the down end. Her mistakes were unforgivable to the system
and it shows how the people on the down end were not given a second chance whatsoever.
The ending shows Lacie’s bottled up frustration from oppression by the system’s
expectations of perfection with her throwing insults and raising her voice at the same time,
her rebelling is the most refreshing thing to see as a result to her downfall.
Most people were able to find it upsetting due to many signifiers that remind us of familiar
things like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram which are all popular social media on the app
store, users of either social medias were able to relate to the episode.