In general, many of the fears we feel and insecurities we have in relation to technology in general, find their source and echo in cinema. From Metropolis, passing through The Matrix, 2001 A Space Odyssey or the Terminator franchise or even Tron, computers, machines, and Artificial Intelligence end up accelerating or deciding for the destruction of humans. But, Black Mirror hits the nerve once again with an episode that has caused a furor among friends and social networks, the excellent Joan is Awful.

In a bold and humorous critique of current times, Joan is Awful uses meta language and the participation of famous artists to highlight the ‘risks’ of using technology: algorithms and constant App updates, which we submit to for various reasons – from the laziness of reading the contracts or the immediate submission to the rules of the game to maintain belonging – but which mercilessly exposes us to the binary reality. A slip transforms one’s existence, drives the narrative, and leaves no room for subtext. The episode, starring Annie Murphy (unrecognizable at first) and Salma Hayek, is nervously funny and tragic, but ultra-realistic. In it, a woman named Joan (Annie Murphy) discovers that her life has turned into a TV show on a Netflix-style streaming service, with Salma Hayek playing her. In the struggle to stop the transmission, she discovers realities that feed her virtual existence.

The discussion around the entire season, led by this episode (the one starring Anthony Mackie is also baffling), confirms the anthological place of the dystopian series created six years ago by Charlie Brooker. A kind of updated Twilight Zone, Black Mirror generally reflects fears about the use of technology in its episodes, paradoxically feeding the engagement algorithm in the face of critical reactions (positive or negative) to what it presents.

And here’s the big thing the Joan Is Awful episode is so perfect. The criticism goes beyond the use of apps or computers but strikes at the very human heart of the millennial consumption issue. On a streaming platform, a person’s ordinary life is transformed into content and what engages are conflicts, where by highlighting their mistakes and defects, people feel superior and attack. There is no way to leave this universe where avatars and virtual realities are confused (the metaverse moment is to laugh and cry at the same time) and all thanks to belonging.

Black Mirror is ‘advanced’ in the themes it addresses, even more so, it is accurate in what it exhibits, but it is often pointed out as another ‘victim’ of an old and persistent formula: the fear of the advancement of science. Charlie Brooker claims that his intention is the opposite and does not seek to feed fears, but rather to highlight the contribution of our behavior in formatting a dystopian future. It’s the chicken or the egg again. Nine out of 10 future and science stories involve the issue of artificial intelligence taking over. Was it reality or an algorithm manipulating our engagement? A completely binary and… irresistible addiction, which Black Mirror uses with mastery, as we were able to see once again.

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