Tech Connect

 
   

 
   This week in class, we watched another episode of Black Mirror. This episode was entitled "Be Right Back." In this episode, a woman and her boyfriend live together in a country English townhouse. One day, the boyfriend, while returning a rental van, suddenly dies and the woman is left alone and grieving. After learning she is pregnant, one of her friends hooks her onto a service that allows you to "communicate" with her deceased lover. Eventually, she orders a complete robotic replica of him, which she ends up regretting.

   This episode explored many technological ideas. The one that stood out most to me is the exposure of this society's underlying obsession with technology, social media, and our need to connect with other people. The episode first starts off by showing Ash, the boyfriend, in the car, eyes almost glued to his phone screen. He was so into his phone, that he didn't even see his girlfriend come to the car with drinks. Once they got home, he was still on his phone. He couldn't even hold a conversation or answer her simple questions. He was more focused on posting his old baby picture for a few laughs and likes. Although it is unclear how Ash died, the scene of him looking at his phone while pulling off in the van strongly suggests that his the strong attraction between his eyes and his screen was the cause of a car wreck.

  What was so ironic about this episode was that Ash's addiction to his phone led to his death, which led to Martha's addiction to her phone. After she started the reconnection service, she was never seen without her laptop or phone. She was constantly chatting, texting, and on the phone with him. It became so addictive that when she dropped, she dang near had a panic attack.

  The other idea that stood out was the implied idea that artificial connection through technology is not the same and is not as wholesome as real human interaction. When Martha first started emailing Ash, she was content. But, then, she yearned for more. She started to call him. But, yet again, she earned for a more real connection, so she orders robot Ash. When Martha activated robot Ash, she, at first, was so glad to be reconnected with her boyfriend. But then, eventually, even that connection got distant and played out. Robot Ash, even though eerily identical to real Ash, just wasn't the REAL Ash and it wasn't enough for Martha. This shows the yearn for real human connection in a society that mostly connects through a screen. Martha even says, when Messaging techno Ash, "I wish I could speak to you." Computer Ash replies "What are doing now then? Duh," but Martha replies with, "I mean REALLY speak."

  Overall, this idea exposes technological addiction and how it plays a major role in our daily lives.