Social Media Takeover

Nosedive

The Black Mirror episode Nosedive was an unexpectedly enlightening film that gave viewers a glimpse of how social media has the ability to take over in the future. The episode goes in depth about the true evils of social media and how it can turn a whole society upside down. Nosedive is centered around a social media app where people can rate each other based on interactions and social media presence. Ratings can vary from 0.0 to 5.0, with anyone above a 4.2 rating having a more “elite” status. With this high rating, you are looked at as superior in society and can even receive special perks that those with lower ratings don’t have the benefits of getting. Additionally, each person has a lens in their eyes with the app programs into it. This allows for easier access to the app and enables each person to see other ratings and posts just by glancing at them. It is essentially a society of fake people, some of which trying to keep their “elite” status while others simply don’t care. Members of this society are constantly monitoring others behaviors, along with their own. All it takes is one bad instance for someone to rate you with one star and your rating to go down drastically. The episode is centered around the main character, Lacy, who gets caught up in the app. She starts off by practicing her laugh in the mirror, thinking that the more natural she sounds, the higher rating she will receive. Lacy becomes obsessed with getting a high rating and takes extreme measures throughout the episode. Towards the end of the episode, Lacy’s rating starts to take a downfall due to her poor behavior. In reality, Lacy was acting out as any normal person would but this was simply just not acceptable behavior in this type of “perfect” society. Eventually Lacy gets arrested and ends up in jail, where they strip her of the app along with taking the lenses out of her eyes that enabled her to see posts and ratings. Although prison is supposed to be an unhappy place, Lacy was almost relieved to be there. She realized how much the app consumed her and was finally able to be her true self.

Meaning Behind the Episode

The intent of the episode Nosedive is to give viewers a glimpse of the future. Although that level of social media usage seems unattainable, it is starting to happen in front of our eyes. Our social media presence is slowly starting to be based off of ratings, directly relating to what is happening in Nosedive but on a lower level. A great representation of this is ridesharing apps such as Uber and Lyft. On this app, after every ride, drivers will give you a rating and you will be asked to rate the driver. Personally, I give the driver 5 stars just out of convenience. On the other hand, if you are a bad rider by being rude or disruptive, the driver can give you a low rating. If you have a low overall rating, drivers are likely to not accept your ride request because they don’t want to have to deal with that. Just like what was taking place in Nosedive, once you have a low score, it is very hard to get it back up. The is one of the many instances ratings allow people to make premature judgements. Instead of people knowing you for you, you are just a number. This whole concept could become much worse as social media continues to take over our world and the minds of individuals.

Bad Social Media Consumption

It is evident that social media can have its perks, but one bad move on a social media platform can lead to very negative things. Personally, I think social media can be used for a lot of good and enables there to be a lot more conversation and voices to be heard than in the past. But when these conversations become controversial and people start bringing in their own bias opinions, it can become toxic. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook constantly show the bad side of social media and how things can really get nasty. One controversial opinion can lead to millions of negative feedback. In a recent article by Forbes, it states the following: “One of the reasons many of us avoid showing up on social media is the fear of public shame and judgment” [1]. Judgement is very prevalent in the social media world but is something that goes hand in hand with posting something controversial to the general public. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and that is some that should be realized when posting something controversial to the Internet that is likely to receive backlash.

Social Credit Systems

Social credit systems are an upcoming reality. The idea of social credit systems was developed in China and is essentially a system that gives each individual a score, something very similar to what was happening in the Black Mirror episode Nosedive. The score follows that individual and has an effect on all of the decisions they are allowed to make. The Chinese created this system in 2014 and it has now become a current reality for them. A Business Insider article explains the following: “Like private credit scores, a person’s social score can move up and down depending on their behavior. The exact methodology is a secret — but examples of infractions include bad driving, smoking in non-smoking zones, buying too many video games and posting fake news online” [2]. The idea of giving individuals a score to enable or limit them in personal decisions almost seems unreal. After watching Nosedive, I thought to myself how crazy and unimaginable that society was but then soon came to the realization of how this could potentially be our future. I think the whole concept of ratings are ridiculous and has the ability to bring out the absolute worst in people.

Citations

Citation 1: Burns, Stephanie. “How To Survive A Social Media Backlash.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 Dec. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/stephanieburns/2019/12/10/how-to-survive-a-social-media-backlash/#2e2bf09a461d.

Citation 2: Ma, Alexandra. “China Has Started Ranking Citizens with a Creepy ‘Social Credit’ System – Here’s What You Can Do Wrong, and the Embarrassing, Demeaning Ways They Can Punish You.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 29 Oct. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4.