Nosedive from Black Mirror and Technopoly from Neil
Nosedive from Black Mirror and Technopoly from Neil show the impact of technology on American culture and the implications of that impact. The film Nosedive depicts a society in which people's interactions are assessed on a scale of one to five. Excellent behavior and etiquette in encounters result in positive and raised evaluations, whereas the contrary results in negative and decreased ratings. Furthermore, one's ratings determine their social standing. That is, the higher the ratings, the greater the likelihood of gaining access to the greatest services, such as opulent lodging. Members of this civilization have eye implants linked to technology devices that record their interactions in order for ratings to be effective. Also, mobile devices become effective in sharing activities with people online. Therefore, these individuals are under constant surveillance throughout their lives. A majority of the mistakes leading to zero ratings, cause persons’ imprisonment.
Technopoly: A Surrender to Technology
In the book Technopoly, Neil addresses such a culture that surrenders to technology. According to Neil’s book, the kind of society in Nosedive is a Technopoly. The society’s culture involves using technology as a source of authorization on how to treat and differentiate people. Also, looking at the difference in the societal status of highly and poorly rated individuals concludes that this society takes orders from and finds satisfaction in the applied technology.
American Culture: From Humanity to Technologically Controlled Systems
Postman’s description of the American culture is similar to Nosedive’s culture. Americans tend to use technologically controlled systems to judge and determine the majority of the human person. They forget that humanity also includes unmeasurable virtues such as empathy, humor, and love. Therefore, it changes our thinking about what humanity is about, by changing the value of quality to quantity. Our relation to others becomes more of perception than reality, which involves being genuine as humans. Our culture changes to condemning those that seem different according to machines, rather than accepting the differences and learning to cope with one another. Moral authority changes from understanding issues and solving them, to analyzing and condemning the little mistakes made due to human nature. In Nosedive, social media diminishes society and the human person intellectually, spiritually and morally. People lack the freedom of free speech, lack rights to services as crucial as medical care and live in constant fear of having low rates. While relating with one another, technological judgments seem to be more important than morals and virtues. Friendships become based on what social media indicates about people, instead of personality and character basis. Therefore, involvement with technologically highly ranked individuals becomes more important than people with good and genuine morals, characters, and virtues.
The Decline of American Culture through Technology
The involvement of technology in shaping people’s lives through the influence of social media and the information glut is causing the decline and decadent of the American culture. A majority of those using such technology to display their lives only want fame and attention. Many hardly have half of the life they post. The American culture is becoming more of perception, which comes with lies, half-truths, misunderstandings, and misconceptions. Social media especially may make communications easy. However, it creates distance between people and diminishes the value of friendships, family bonds, and relationships since people tend to be less truthful. Technology’s provision of direction and purpose for the American cultures through social media and the information gut is misleading. So far the changes in attitudes towards morals, humanity, and the spirituality of persons is causing negativity in our view of others and ourselves.
