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How does ‘Black Mirror’ represent contemporary aspects of surveillance and the dystopian outcomes it can produce? Jessica Hodgson
Nosedive is one of the many episodes of “Black experiencing in the contemporary world. The Mirror” (2016) that is most notable for desire for an Orwellian state of Big Brother depicting a twilight zone to look into the near surveillance, China’s communist government future; it also explores the dystopian is adopting a Social Credit System (SCS) outcomes in a world of new technologies of planned for 2020 that will rate its 1.4 billion surveillance, control and social stratification. citizens for their “trustworthiness” (Liang et al, The episode portrays a woman who lives in a 2018). Relying on technologies of surveillance society arranged by similar to those in technologies where, Nosedive, the use of through mobile devices mobile applications, and iris recognition, every the internet and CCTV citizen is rated on a scale of will track citizens to one-to-five according to generate a quantified their social interactions credit score based on they encounter in their their activities and everyday life. Visible to movements. As a result others, an average score is of this, tracking the generated through an most private aspects of accumulation of the everyday lives such as ratings, and this determines an individual’s their consumer habits, social interactions and socio-economic position. As for the lead their content on social media will become the character, she illustrates that self-censorship norm (Creemers, 2018). Accordingly, the also comes with unavoidable control from the information they provide classifies who is outcome of her social positioning from her rewarded or punished presented as feedback. score, such as where she can live or who she An individual’s score will determine success can have relations with. such as access and eligibility to have a car, get Accredited for tales of techno-paranoia, “Black a mortgage, apply for jobs and can even Mirror” is recognised for its features of govern children’s access to particular schools modern technological power that we are (Botsman, 2017). This suggests that the dystopian outcomes depicted in the “Black
Mirror” episode are coming into reality in the their consumer habits - personal information form of China’s Social Credit System (SCS). and ability to honour agreements (Creemers, It is possible to interpret China’s vision as a 2018: 22). To some extent, the system is social justice warrior of utopia that enhances appealing by the rewards whereby having a trust and builds a nation of sincerity through high score can lead to many social advantages, being able to take a watch and learn approach for instance a score of 650 allows you to hire a of their citizens through new technologies. car without a deposit, while the score of 666 Webster (2006) argues that the establishment grants you a monetary loan equivalent to of information and communication £5,700 (Botsman, 2017). technologies (ICTs) are ushering a new type of However, it must be acknowledged that the ‘Information Age’ that we have encountered ICTs that involve everyday dependence to since the evolution of a post-industrial shift. generate a score such as phones, cash Manuel Castells (2010: 71) theorises modern machines and emails are being used as an society as a technological revolution that is execution of social control. The National Credit “characterised by constant change and Information Sharing Platform (NCISP) which organisational fluidity” where the information involves China’s local governments, central infrastructure allows the opportunity for agencies and market actors, have been adaptability based on a feedback loop. collecting and sharing the data produced Therefore, technological developments of through the credit system to form a ‘blacklist’ China’s SCS reflect an information society that holds records of those who are where citizens are able to adapt their considered to be dishonest (Creemers, 2017). behaviour and activities according to their Failing to pay a bill or posting a controversial virtual score that will act as informational comment on social media can result in an feedback in order to encourage a more individual to be placed on the ‘blacklist’ and trustworthy nation. can restrict their most essential aspects of China is currently exercising a pilot run of the SCS through an array of everyday life. It has been private companies, most reported that since 2017, prominently by Ant Financial 6.15 million Chinese Group who accumulate big data citizens had been analysis on their consumers prohibited from taking through the distribution of Sesame flights over the duration Credit that mirrors the social of four years, while 1.65 consequences the SCS will million of those on the list produce (Creemers, 2018). This are banned from voluntary system scores travelling on trains individuals between 350 to 950 to (Botsman, 2017). The measure their credit history, social main reason of “Black relations on the platform, Mirror’s” popularity is for behavioural trends - including its successful social commentary that reflects
on issues with existing technology. While according to the content among our social Nosedive tells a fictitious tale on people been media platforms. turned away from flights due to their low Often, surveillance societies are compared to score, this dystopian outcome is the reality for the Foucauldian approach of a panoptic China. This surveillance facilitates a much society that relies on continuous surveillance greater and more systematic analysis of who with the illusion we are being watched as a constitutes as a trustworthy citizen, yet here mechanism of control (Caluya, 2010). This we can see the system been used as a form of perspective is developed by Jeremey control (Liang et al, 2018). Bentham’s panopticon model of a circular Anthony Giddens (1985) contends that a key tower designed to ensure that no one is aware feature of modernity is to know the of it being occupied as a system to observe information about the people in governs others continuously (Caluya, 2010). In many whereby the state must employ surveillance ways, China’s SCS of government control is strategies to organise efficient services comparable to a panoptic society by the use of effectively. The rise of the urban world and a ineluctable technologies that offer real-time shift into more complex societies has resulted surveillance where citizens are watched, yet in increased individualisation they cannot where it is more difficult to see their manage society as a whole. observers. Therefore, it is possible to Recently, it interpret China’s “Black has been Mirror” scoring system as a reported that rational outcome of in Western modernity as surveillance is China, the key for the organisation of government society to determine who is has forced eligible for the access to services and activities individuals to download a mobile application based on their trustworthiness. Nevertheless, that scans the content on their phone and cultures of control in the contemporary world deletes files that are dangerous (Ma, 2018). are not exclusive to the state as surveillance is Michel Foucault suggests that the an ordinary aspect of people’s everyday lives consequence of the illusion of constant instead “it is a set of processes in which we are surveillance leads to self-discipline for fear of all involved, both as watched and as watchers” punishment (Caluya, 2010). Similarly, the (Lyon, 2007: 13). While China’s SCS plan may invasive technologies used as surveillance in seem divergent to modern day, similar China’s SCS bring the uncomfortable and features of surveillance are occurring in the manufactured practice of self-censorship by Western world in similar aspects, such as citizens being forced to control their activities rating potential partners on the dating such as consumer habits or not posting application “Tinder”, our “Uber” driver for controversial content on social media. their service, and we are rated by others Professor Luciano Floridi asserts that the
surveillance through the SCS causes non-state agencies have developed a scoring individual’s identities to become blurred as the system which both involve forms of physical and virtual experiences or our lives surveillance through technological and will essentially become blended to form an informational innovations and have ‘onlife’ personality shaped differently to who implications of control and social stratification. we would naturally be in reality (Botsman, Although Nosedive was created to portray the 2017). Arguably, China is contradicting their futuristic outcomes of our reliance on digital vision of a trustworthy and sincere nation, as technology, this world of techno-paranoia is a in reality their society would be based on reality for China that controls citizens by a deception for fear of reprisals. virtual score based on their activities and Also, Didier Bigo (2006) coined the term ‘ban- behaviour. It may be considered that the SCS is opticon’ to explain how profiling techniques in a positive development for disciplining citizens the contemporary world are used to to build a nation of trust, however this creates specifically target certain groups under unequal social hierarchies by individuals being surveillance. It is arguable that China’s SCS is grouped according to their personal information that for the lower-class will be using a ‘ban-opticon’ surveillance strategy to specifically target those who are showing signs disadvantaged as financial aspects are to be of dishonest behaviour. Consequently, those considered in the scoring process. Therefore, it is possible to interpret that the system itself is identified will be publicly reprimanded with a lower score and this has serious effects on contradicting their values of trustworthiness one’s socio-economic position, reflecting the by unequally distributing scores that will role surveillance has on the establishment of control the citizens life chances. social inequalities (Haggerty, 2006: 29). Tracking technologies used by government agencies for the SCS is beneficial for identifying suspicious behaviour, such as criminal activities of online fraud to allocate individuals on the blacklist. However, the assemblage of private information such as financial stability and details of occupations of individuals is Bibliography: unequally creating a social stratification of Bigo, Diego (2006). ‘Security, exception, ban scores. Ultimately, those of a higher-class will and surveillance’. In: Lyon, D. ed. Theorizing be at an advantage of gaining a higher SCS Surveillance: The Panopticon and Beyond. score than those of a lower-class, and this Cullompton: Willan Publishing, pp. 46-68. classifies socio-economic groups to affect their Botsman, Rachel (2017). Big data meets Big life-chances by the access they have to the Brother as China moves to rate its citizens activities in society. [Online]. Wired. Available This reflection identifies the similarities from:
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