Expanding Capabilities Vs. Replacing Our Functions in Other Technologies
‘Black Mirror’ is an example of a text that represents the extremes of the fears and anxieties of technological advancement. In the article ‘Bang the Keys Swiftly: Type Writers and Their Discontents’ the idea that the typewriter replaces handwriting, and thus the ability to scribe being lost is discussed. The impact of technology change on our everyday lives and our analogue practices is explored through the typewriter. A machine gun is used as a metaphor for the typewriter, not only because of its link to the creations origin, but due to the speed and noise that has been added to the act of writing: ‘Remington turned a rather staid and quiet activity-writing-into one dominated by force and noise and physical effort’.[4] Unlike the usual focus of the hand written versus word-processed debate, this quote focuses on the change to the actual activity of writing as opposed to merely the presentation of the end product. This is then furthered with the comment that ‘every tool shapes the hand’, ‘our writing tools are also working on our thoughts’[5]. This presents a situation that is similar to the one in ‘Black Mirror’ as it suggests a symbiotic relationship between technology and humanity, as technology has taken over the role of evolving for us, it is ‘working on our thoughts’, and in ‘Black Mirror’ it is literally inside our heads presenting a situation where humanity gets closer and closer to becoming cyborgs.
In much of science fiction cyborgs are presented negatively. But despite past fears of the typewriter, which was considered ‘too odd, too cumbersome and too disorienting for daily use’[6] is has since become and been replaced by computers as a primary object for written communication in daily usage. Many would be lost without their computers in our postmodern society where we rely on Google Calendars to tell us where to be, or facebook as a primary means of communication. This is a situation largely similar to ‘Black Mirror’, but exaggerated as it shows literal reliance. The influence of the typewriter is also discussed as it is suggested that the rigid formality of type removes the personality from the writing: ‘in cursive, one saw something of the writer revealed in his or her hand. Typing wiped all that out – killed it off. Immediately.’[7] Again we’re brought back to the machine gun metaphor as the typewriter kills the human element of cursive. Handwriting, which children spend years of school learning to do, is lost when it is not practiced due to the frequency with which people type as opposed to scribe. But here we must question if this is truly important or merely the desire to stick to tradition. As no major consequences have erupted from the switch from handwritten to type written works, is anything detrimental lost? Do we need neat handwriting if only ever type? Similarly, do we need to be able to form organic memory when a computer can store memories to be replayed at our convenience?
On the topic of what is lost, ‘Black Mirror’ also considers memory loss as people become reliant on the grain to remember information for them. For example, Liam doesn’t try to review his memories of the interview, he has no need to as he can simple replay them. Trust is no longer valued over cold hard truth that can be hunted down in digital format. Memory in its organic form is obsolete. Can the characters in the program, were their grains removed, have the ability to remember things at all? In Friedrich Kittler’s essay ‘Film, Typewriter’, he begins the argument that the typewriter has resulted in loss, but also talks in detail about the loss of memory due to film. Simply, Kittler states that ‘as soon as optical and acoustical data can be put into some kind of media storage, people no longer need their memory.’[8] ‘Black Mirror’ presents the physical manifestation of this concept as memories are stored directly, bypassing the need for the biological function of memory. As evolution has shown, when an organ, for example the appendix is no longer necessary, it withers and dies and can no longer be used, sometimes it even threatens the body.
However, even though this sounds disastrous, most appendixes don’t explode, them merely sit around shriveled and useless which although not ideal, is not detrimental. It is merely a necessary part of evolution as our diets and thus lives have improved. If this is considered in relation to memory, the grain technology is a far more efficient way to store memory that can also have many positive uses, such as the increased efficiency and security in airports, the usage as entertainment, the ability to aid genuine medical problems such as amnesia and dementia. The possibilities of this technology are endless. The loss of the brains capacity to remember is the trade off, but if this technology is successful what is the necessity of it? As it is stated in ‘Black Mirror’, the majority of organic memory is unreliable so why settle for an unreliable method simply because it is natural?
The very fact that we can evolve and replace old technologies with new ones shows that are not fully reliant on a single technology. Since the invention of the typewriter people still have the ability to write, whether it is for the purpose of stubbornly hanging onto tradition or an inability to forget it still prevails. Within ‘Black Mirror’ there exists a character who redeems the grain from its role as a technology that removes our ability to remember as she is happy to go ‘grainless’ after having her grain forcibly removed. As is the convention of science fiction, modern anxieties are exaggerated to their fullest with ‘Black Mirror’. Thus, ‘Black Mirror’ is not an accurate representation of modern dependence of technology. Although it touches upon key issues with its accurate presentation of the frequent use, and sometimes abuse of technology it does the very thing that its title claims. ‘Black Mirror’ itself is a black mirror; a darkened reflector that combines modern life with modern anxieties about the technology that surrounds us and darkens reality, reflecting a ‘truth’ far darker than reality.
When two mirrors face each other the image that is reflected in one continues down a tunnel of multiple reflected mirrors and images. When you place two black mirrors in parallel the reflection stops. They lose their reflective ability. ‘Black Mirror’ loses its reflective ability when it presents the extreme negatives of technology abuse to a society well versed in the use of technology.
In much of science fiction cyborgs are presented negatively. But despite past fears of the typewriter, which was considered ‘too odd, too cumbersome and too disorienting for daily use’[6] is has since become and been replaced by computers as a primary object for written communication in daily usage. Many would be lost without their computers in our postmodern society where we rely on Google Calendars to tell us where to be, or facebook as a primary means of communication. This is a situation largely similar to ‘Black Mirror’, but exaggerated as it shows literal reliance. The influence of the typewriter is also discussed as it is suggested that the rigid formality of type removes the personality from the writing: ‘in cursive, one saw something of the writer revealed in his or her hand. Typing wiped all that out – killed it off. Immediately.’[7] Again we’re brought back to the machine gun metaphor as the typewriter kills the human element of cursive. Handwriting, which children spend years of school learning to do, is lost when it is not practiced due to the frequency with which people type as opposed to scribe. But here we must question if this is truly important or merely the desire to stick to tradition. As no major consequences have erupted from the switch from handwritten to type written works, is anything detrimental lost? Do we need neat handwriting if only ever type? Similarly, do we need to be able to form organic memory when a computer can store memories to be replayed at our convenience?
On the topic of what is lost, ‘Black Mirror’ also considers memory loss as people become reliant on the grain to remember information for them. For example, Liam doesn’t try to review his memories of the interview, he has no need to as he can simple replay them. Trust is no longer valued over cold hard truth that can be hunted down in digital format. Memory in its organic form is obsolete. Can the characters in the program, were their grains removed, have the ability to remember things at all? In Friedrich Kittler’s essay ‘Film, Typewriter’, he begins the argument that the typewriter has resulted in loss, but also talks in detail about the loss of memory due to film. Simply, Kittler states that ‘as soon as optical and acoustical data can be put into some kind of media storage, people no longer need their memory.’[8] ‘Black Mirror’ presents the physical manifestation of this concept as memories are stored directly, bypassing the need for the biological function of memory. As evolution has shown, when an organ, for example the appendix is no longer necessary, it withers and dies and can no longer be used, sometimes it even threatens the body.
However, even though this sounds disastrous, most appendixes don’t explode, them merely sit around shriveled and useless which although not ideal, is not detrimental. It is merely a necessary part of evolution as our diets and thus lives have improved. If this is considered in relation to memory, the grain technology is a far more efficient way to store memory that can also have many positive uses, such as the increased efficiency and security in airports, the usage as entertainment, the ability to aid genuine medical problems such as amnesia and dementia. The possibilities of this technology are endless. The loss of the brains capacity to remember is the trade off, but if this technology is successful what is the necessity of it? As it is stated in ‘Black Mirror’, the majority of organic memory is unreliable so why settle for an unreliable method simply because it is natural?
The very fact that we can evolve and replace old technologies with new ones shows that are not fully reliant on a single technology. Since the invention of the typewriter people still have the ability to write, whether it is for the purpose of stubbornly hanging onto tradition or an inability to forget it still prevails. Within ‘Black Mirror’ there exists a character who redeems the grain from its role as a technology that removes our ability to remember as she is happy to go ‘grainless’ after having her grain forcibly removed. As is the convention of science fiction, modern anxieties are exaggerated to their fullest with ‘Black Mirror’. Thus, ‘Black Mirror’ is not an accurate representation of modern dependence of technology. Although it touches upon key issues with its accurate presentation of the frequent use, and sometimes abuse of technology it does the very thing that its title claims. ‘Black Mirror’ itself is a black mirror; a darkened reflector that combines modern life with modern anxieties about the technology that surrounds us and darkens reality, reflecting a ‘truth’ far darker than reality.
When two mirrors face each other the image that is reflected in one continues down a tunnel of multiple reflected mirrors and images. When you place two black mirrors in parallel the reflection stops. They lose their reflective ability. ‘Black Mirror’ loses its reflective ability when it presents the extreme negatives of technology abuse to a society well versed in the use of technology.
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