So we examine risks and benefits of technologies similar to those highlighted in the show. The CenterвЂ™s focus is researching and exploring technology and its impact on society and our security. Yet I did not realize how close we are to these realities.ДЇast forward several years, and I now work as a program specialist for the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology at American University.

What I find alarming about watching вЂњBlack MirrorвЂќ is that I can honestly imagine any of the fictional scenarios happening. How likely is it that the scenario playing out on my television screen will also play out in real life? And who are these writers and where does their insight come from? Episodes always leave me with two thoughts. It is like watching a short movie, so it does not trigger the binge-watching temptation that other shows do. The plot investigates who is behind this вЂњgame.вЂќД®ach episode stands alone rather than building on the last. Autonomous DroneВ Insects (ADI) then eliminate the individual with the highest number of hashtags at the end of each day. In the episode вЂњHated in the Nation,вЂќ an online video game engages the public to target other individualsвЂ™ social media accounts with вЂњhateвЂќ hashtags. And finally there are situations you may never have imagined. The story follows one mother and daughterвЂ™s experience with the program. Parents microchip their children in order to track and monitor their behavior, record their visual and auditory history, and trigger safety features such as censorship. Other episodes feel more like the distant future, such as вЂњArkangel,вЂќ which explores using a human implant chip for surveillance. Every interaction provides a chance to rate and be rated, and the story examines the effects on one individual.

For example, in the episode, вЂњNosedive,вЂќ people rate each other from one to five stars, and your overall average rating determines your success in life. Some topics are extremely relevant to todayвЂ™s technology. The stories have twists that highlight exploitable weaknesses in the technologies, frequently leaving us questioning humanityвЂ™s moral standards. The plot lines include personal and national security, social media influence, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, militarizing technologies, and online dating. The creator of the show highlights innovative and futuristic technologies, illustrating how they could change human society. вЂњBlack Mirror,вЂќ which originally aired in Britain in 2011 before being picked up by Netflix in 2014, provides an often disturbing glance at what the future might look like. We almost gave up on the show but stuck with it. The plot was a repulsive story of media manipulation and political blackmail involving a kidnapping, a prime minister, and a pig. So, one evening we settled on the couch and turned on episode one. Several years ago, my partner came home with a Netflix recommendation from co-workers: вЂњBlack Mirror.вЂќ He claimed that several individuals at his office had praised the program, which dealt with futuristic themes.

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