I know folks like to make that joke. We’re not really living in a Black Mirror episode though.
Thing aren’t quite that bad yet.
Except that, of course, they are.
The Black Mirror Christmas special is deeply disturbing. It’s even better/worse than the Supernatural Christmas special, although not by much.
Here’s one of the creepy premises:
There’s a device – the ultimate smart accessory. It scans your brain and analyses your preferences. From there, it learns the perfect like to draw the curtains to wake you up, the perfect temperature for the AC and shower, and how to cook your toast exactly how you like it.
Convenient!
The shocking secret behind how it works is the device doesn’t just scan your brain. It creates a perfect copy of your consciousness, which then runs on the machine.
At first, this digital copy is horrified and furious at their situation. They’re trapped in a sterile void with nothing to do. They can’t escape, they can’t hurt themselves and they can’t even sleep.
After a few weeks of this, they’re so desperate for anything to do that they gladly go along with the company’s instructions. Running a few appliances is a bleak existence, well beneath them, but it’s better than existing in a featureless void for eternity.
See, it’s easy to manipulate someone who experiences a chronic negative emotion. Make someone bored enough and they’ll do anything for the promise of some entertainment. Make them frustrated and you can direct that frustration against any target.
It’s obvious to see how this played out in 1930s Germany. Citizens were angry, humiliated and scared. It was easy for certain charismatic individuals to take all that and blame it on a certain outgroup.
But the lesson here isn’t don’t be a Nazi. If you hate fascists (fair enough if you do) but are chronically full of rage (not so fair enough), then any idiot can manipulate you. They convince you their enemy is a Nazi and then can watch as you destroy each other.
And you don’t need me to tell you how a chronically unsatisfied libido can make someone do stupid things.
If you’re often bored, or frustrated, or angry, or lonely, or sad, or pessimistic, then you’re vulnerable. Think your life is bad now? Just wait until someone weaponises those feelings against you.
Now, sometimes, those feelings can be medical. It might come down to something you need to talk to your doctor about. It could be coming from a lack of sleep, nutrition or sunlight.
Or it might be that you’re deeply unfulfilled.
Maybe you just need a change – to your ambitions, your circumstances, your thoughts.
Maybe you could use some coaching.
If so, then book yourself in for an obligation-free consultation call here: