One of the first and last things you see every day is the very object you’re gazing into right now. You’ve probably been staring at it for at least five minutes, and by the time you’re through reading this article it will have been about ten minutes. A daunting realization, I know, but it’s vital for us to be aware of facts like this so that we can understand how much of a problem these damned screens are. When you lock the screen or turn off your computer, you’ll see your reflection looking back at you- almost like a black mirror. This is where British writer Charlie Brooker coined the title of his mesmeric sci-fi series, Black Mirror.

I’ve only started watching this show over the last two days, but I’ve instantly become hooked. I’m almost finished, too. Much like The Twilight Zone accomplished in the sixties, Black Mirror is a show that tackles contemporary concerns in an off-kilter future. Each episode’s setting and characters vary distinctively from one another, which allows for the show to embrace contrasting themes in an unconventionally eerie fashion. While themes of love, grief, prejudice, and war are creatively depicted in alternate futures- the relationship between humans and technology remains generally the same in each episode. This raises many questions over whether or not we are already becoming too attached to these devices that fit in the palms of our hands. (We are)

Brooker does an amazing job maintaining a realistic air for each episode. However, it is this exact trait that makes the show so frightening. It hits close to home in a way that most of us haven’t considered possible. The gadgets and ideas portrayed in Black Mirror are admittedly creepy, but at the same time appealing. The show undertakes the way we love and embrace these new technologies the same way we blame them for our own distress.

While each episode’s conflict revolves around some sort of technological restraint (or lack thereof), the villain is never technology itself. The antagonist is instead always human, and deals with the toll that technology has on us. I’m eager to know how these new technological implements will affect our society’s collective way of thinking, as it’s a topic I’ve become particularly fascinated with over the last year. Black Mirror is an incredibly well done show worth checking out if you’re in need of food for thought. It’s lesson tells us that no matter what new devices and gadgets we may hold, our problems will still be human. The technology may or may not control us, but it can change us.

Although this show is almost depressingly realistic, the message behind it is rather important as it sheds light on how we can avoid becoming intertwined between a digital world and a concrete one. After each episode, I’m more inclined to drop my phone and go outside to embrace everything for what it is, rather than scroll around aimlessly. So if you’re in need for a rude awakening, check out Black Mirror.