Nosedive: The Terrifying Future of Social Media
Social media has very quickly become an integral aspect of my daily life. Not necessarily because I want it to be, but rather because I have no choice but to use it. It is being enforced in my school curriculum and those without it are deemed outdated. This idea is taken to new heights in the “Nosedive” episode of Black Mirror. In this dystopian reality your options and choices, whether that be the car you’d like to buy, or the restaurant you’d like to eat at, is dictated by how well liked you are by your peers. Your rating scale can fluctuate slowly upwards, and very rapidly downwards, depending on your interactions with others. In order to get that five star rating you must work hard on your socials, gain “influence” by getting strangers to like you, and improve the “quality” of people liking your profile.
There is no social platform that exemplifies these ideas more than Instagram. Whether we want to admit it or not the more likes we receive on a photo we post, the more accepted we feel — a false sense of accomplishment that has nothing to do with the person we are but how others chose to perceive us. Although I personally do not have a large social following because I do not dedicate a significant amount of time to social media, I have friends that are somewhat obsessed with reaching and maintaining “public figure” status. I’ve personally known people that go out of their way to befriend people who have large social followings with the hopes of being featured on their account to boost their own followings. There are also those that spend hours liking as many photos as possible in the hopes of receiving the same courtesy when they chose to post their next photo. They may not actually like the photo, or even know the person, but will do so for the false satisfaction of appearing more well liked by the public.
In this episode the main character acknowledges positive ratings, but obsesses over negative ratings. When she stumbles upon an old friends account with an extremely high rating she immediately becomes envious obsessing over how to gain this persons attention and be more like them. This is extremely apparent today, and is a large source of unhappiness for many people. When faced with hundreds of images per second even the most self-aware individual can become self-conscious and question their worth. I know I’m certainly guilty of this, insecurity is only human. However, social media has amplified these feelings of self-doubt tremendously. Everyone is battling in a popularity competition of who is living the better life, who is more attractive, and who is more liked. You’re also encouraged not to try too hard which is shown in the episode because people see through this inauthenticity. Be original, but not so original that it’s too far from the status quo because that’s weird and you’ll be judged for it.
In my opinion, this dystopian reality is already in full effect. It is a terrifying realization, and one of particular concern to me. To prevent such a reality from happening I suggest we limit the amount of time spent on social media. This is something I have been practicing lately and has had a great effect on my mental health. I find I am most happy when I am busy interacting with others and creating experiences for myself. That being said I also suggest taking up extra hobbies and trying to occupy your time to limit social media usage. Lastly, I recommend practicing self-love and openly expressing appreciation for those around you. Even the smallest compliment can make someone’s day.
