Nosedive

Black Mirror- Nosedive

The state of the privileged community in Ding Village is very comparable to “Black Mirror”. While the entire show is centered around the future of humanity in its advanced technological state, the episode Nosedive is almost a perfect parallel to the events that take place in Ding Village. The premise of the episode is that each individual is ranked in social class based on the opinions of the people around them. People are categorized from 1 to 5 stars while each number comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. The higher the number, the more accepted by society that they are. Similarly, in the paragraph that describes the homes of the people who have donated blood to the community, the house that has donated the most blood has a plaque with 5 stars on it in front of their house.  These stars represent how accepted they are by their government. In both cases, these physical forms of recognition come with a sense of comfort and many benefits. While the people in the episode get to live in more expensive houses, drive more luxurious cars and travel anywhere they’d like to. The people in the book get to live in a beautiful neighborhood with household appliances and furnishings. The correspondence between the episode and the book reveal how easily we can be manipulated into participating in something, despite its benefits or disadvantages to us. This depiction of an alternate reality, as well as a historical event stand as a reflection of our current state. We most likely are going through the same experience right now without being aware of it. 

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  1. Thanks for reminding me to watch this episode! I haven’t seen much beyond the first two seasons. You also reminded me that I’ve wanted to share a link to the film for Dr. Seuss’s story The Sneetches, which also pairs well with Ding Village.

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