I think the internet is really the only thing that scares me, also wasps. But that’s beside the point, the internet and its endless possibilities is something I really can’t comprehend. I think most people are like me however and do not realize how much utilizing the internet can impact you and others. In class we briefly mentioned the TV show Black Mirror and I wish we talked about it more, especially while on the topic of being online! I am proud to say it is my favorite show of all time (which is funny that I forgot to mention it in my blog on TV) since it shows a very possible, dystopian future. We mentioned the episode Hated in the Nation which touches on our dying bee population and the internet. The episode takes place in a timeline where bees are extinct, so scientists made synthetic robot bees to take their place and do their job of pollenating the earth. Though because they are robots, someone hacked into them and started using them to murder people who were “hated in the nation”/left a negative impact via internet. The killer would host a poll via social media, asking his followers which hated public figure/person he should kill next. The followers would then vote to watch politicians, public figures and celebrities die as result of their bad internet choices. However, the twist of the episode is that whoever voted on killing these figures ended up being murdered by the bees too. The killer ended up mass murdering over 300,000 people (about half the population of Wyoming) as “punishment” since voting on people dying is inhumane. The whole hour-thirty episode is an ethics mind-fuck, since really no one in the show is really “the good guy” besides one main character. The themes of ethics and modern-day technology are shown throughout each episode, and it is really terrifying since all these tragic plot lines could be possibilities in the near future. I mean we already see a micro-version of Hated In The Nation, we have so many idiotic politicians/internet influencers who spew hateful messages (or are just hateful in general) but receive death threats. Are the people who are wishing death on these hateful people just as bad as who they are attacking? I think everyone should have the chance to watch black mirror, let alone this episode. Digital footprints are overlooked, until you are the ones having your actions being criticized. This show also opens the conversation of having stricter monitoring of the internet, since people really have a lot of freedom.
Do you think the internet should have more monitoring? Also, if you have seen Black Mirror, what is your favorite episode?
Overall I would say this class has been one of my favorites! I am interested in the media in general, let alone more modern-day media. I think my favorite topic we touched on was music and how it was shared in the past. Especially Napster, it makes me so privileged to live in a world with fast music streaming services. But anyways, it is important to learn about modern-day media in general and I wish people take this class if they can!