Whether you like it or not, you have to agree with the fact that Black Mirror’s portrayal of our unhealthy obsession with technology is absolutely true. And the fact that we are probably heading to a doomed society where technology would entirely take over isn’t exactly the best thing.
However, some of us are living in a hypothetical world where all these ‘Black Mirror’-influenced developments are going to take place in a far-fetched world. We might not even live when they’d occur, right?
WRONG.
We hate to break it to you guys, but some of the show’s predictions are already in motion as you read this article. And if they aren’t 100% ready yet, they are in the works and will become a reality very soon.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
1. Season 1, Episode 3: The Entire History Of You
This episode is set in a world where people can record every aspect of their lives and can choose to play it back whenever they want.
It isn’t exactly a reality yet but a few firms might soon make it one.
Contact lenses that can record and play back the events we witness are in the works. We can play back the events we’ve lived and also zoom if we wish. Sony, Google and Samsung are all working on projects along these lines.
2. Season 1, Episode 2: 15 Million Merits
It talks about a world where people spend their lives riding bikes to generate energy and in turn, gain credits in order to lead a better life.
This is already happening in Brazil. In prisons, to be precise.
Inmates in Brazil’s Santa Rita do Sapucai prison can shorten their time behind bars by riding stationary bikes that helps in generating energy. Prisoners can knock a day off their sentences for every 16 hours they pedal. The energy they produce by riding the bikes charges batteries that are later taken to the city center in southern Minas, where they are used to power light bulbs.
Although this is nowhere close to the consequences we witnessed in the episode, it is wildly similar to the concept but in a good way.
3. Season 2, Episode 1: Be Right Back
‘Be Right Back’ sees a woman replacing her late boyfriend with a synthetic substitute, using his online history, photos and videos.
In 2010, Hanson Robotics created a social robot BINA48 (Breakthrough Intelligence via Neural Architecture 48). The robot was modeled after Bina Aspen, the wife of Dr. Martine Rothblatt, the transgender futurist CEO of United Therapeutics and used Bina’s memories and feelings.
4. Season 3, Episode 1: Nosedive
This one is probably one of the most interesting ‘Black Mirror’ episodes so far. It showcases a world where people are ranked on the basis of their personality and behaviour. And that rating determines everything that you can or cannot do in your life.
From buying homes to getting flight tickets, everything is based on your rating.
The Chinese government has already started working on this. They are compiling digital records of their citizens and use all that information to assign them their ratings. You can read more about this here.
5. Season 3, Episode 3: Shut Up And Dance
You probably SHOULD know this already. But in case you have been living in a bubble where you think all your online activity is safe, we have bad news guys.
This episode has a fairly simple but intense storyline. A young boy is caught masturbating by hackers who got access to his laptop’s webcam through a random software. They blackmail him using the same and it obviously turns REALLY ugly in the end.
Here is a fan made video of the same:
Getting access to someone’s laptop and recording everything using their laptop or computer’s webcam has become extremely easy now. Even your mobile isn’t safe anymore. Time and again, leading authorities including the FBI director and Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg have warned people to cover their webcams while they use their systems.
6. Season 3, Episode 6: Hated In The Nation
If you ever thought bees cannot be scary, think again.
The gist of this episode is that mechanical bee prototypes are developed to combat the effects of bees dying. (They are in reality dying because of climatic changes). The government tells the citizens that these bees are mainly developed to pollinate flowers, but that isn’t true. They are also used for mass public surveillance and become the reason behind a number of mysterious deaths. We won’t give away all the details.
But guess what? These bees are now a reality. Well, sort of.
Japan has invented bee-like drones which can pollinate the flowers, thereby ensuring that a drop in the bee population does not affect the eco system. Hmmm, we wonder what further use it can have.
7. Season 4, Episode 3: Crocodile
An investigator uses a device called a ‘Recaller’, which allows the viewer to see memories of a person and is extremely helpful to investigate accidents. Now the ‘recaller’ might not become a reality anytime soon but another major aspect of this episode is already in the works. A self-driving pizza delivery truck is what causes an accident in this episode.
In reality, Pizza Hut and Toyota are collaborating on a self-driving pizza delivery truck. In fact, Toyota would also collaborate with other firms for these cars or trucks that might also function as a mobile store.
Introducing the first Pizza Hut fully autonomous delivery concept vehicle. Excited for our future with @Toyota #CES2018 pic.twitter.com/YGNQUgijha
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) January 8, 2018
All of this just proves that ‘Black Mirror’ isn’t that fictititious after all. We are now scared. Very, very scared.
Twitter
Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
© Bandcamp