Black Mirror: Critical Analysis

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Television show, Black Mirror focuses on the effects that technology have on individuals and society itself. Nosedive, an episode of Black Mirror, displays how society dedicates itself to maintaining a good image through extreme social media use. The story follows Lacie Pound, an individual who obsesses over her social media rating and does whatever it takes to increase her score. People living in this technological society rely on their online score to appear in their best light to others. The highest rating one can get is up to five stars. Usually, society views those who have a score of four and higher to be successful and adored by many. Therefore, an individual with a low score can cause society to view them negatively. As Lacie strives to maintain a positive impression on others, she depicts a performer of her own theatrical performance. By using a Symbolic Interactionist perspective, Nosedive is explained through Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis which includes the aspects of front stage, back stage, and embarrassment. Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis depicts life in the form of a theatrical performance where everyday life represents a stage and each individual is a performer (Brym et al. 2015, 129). Each performer acquires roles which contain expected behaviours that are appropriate to the performance of that role (Willmott, 2018). When we perform our roles to other actors and to our audience, we view them as theatrical productions. Our performance displays