Riff
By JENNA WORTHAM
One of the most disturbing moments in the British TV series “Black Mirror” is what appears to be a passionate love scene. The episode takes place in a version of the future where most people have had small devices, called “grains,” surgically implanted in their heads that can record and replay their memories on demand. As the encounter progresses, it is revealed that the couple are actually having dull and mechanical sex, their eyes grayed out as they both tune into their grains to watch memories of their previous trysts, from an earlier, steamier time in their relationship.
–
But those futures, or ones like it, loom on our own horizon. Real-world events like the Snowden leaks and even the Sony email hacks may give us the chills, but they weren’t enough to persuade us to change our behavior or demand more from the companies we rely on to send risqué photos and store our personal communications. And perhaps that’s the true appeal of the series: It does more than blame technology for our woes. It deals with the reality that, no matter what gadgetry we may possess, our problems remain human. It reminds us that technology probably won’t enslave us, but it definitely will change us.
Jenna Wortham is a staff writer for the magazine.
A version of this article appears in print on February 1, 2015, on page MM17 of the Sunday Magazine with the headline: The Stranger in the Mirror. Today’s Paper|Subscribe
