The Numbers Game
This post is in relation to all the Black Mirror episodes that we’ve watched in class, but specifically to “Nosedive”. I don’t think blaming social media as the source for our social issues. It is only the tool that we use to create the kind of world and kind of people we are — the same way guns don’t make people more violent, it’s just the tool. The resolution for both scenarios is to change the mindset of the users. People are responsible for how these tools are used and so the consequences are based on the decisions people make.
In terms of “Nosedive”, it’s the mindset of people that have formed this culture based on numbers and status. Which is not a new notion, or a futuristic ideal, it is a social ideal that our race has had for centuries. Status, measurable status through numbers — because numbers are tangible. I think “Nosedive” isn’t a look into the future per se, but a satirical representation of where we already are. The episode is eccentric and blows up our obsession with social media to the highest degree… yet its relatable. I know what it’s like to post something online and holding my breath as I wait for my followers to respond — or not respond. The prestige that comes with social media status is alluring and it drives people crazy. Even though majority of us know its superficial, we are still envious and driven to be popular/famous.
There was a scene in “Nosedive” when Lacie is explaining to the truck driver that she just wants to be content and to reach that content, she needs to play the numbers game. This mindset is in all of us, whether we like it or not, it’s a social construct embedded within our society and in turn, within us. The numbers game will never lead to content, the numbers game, just like numbers itself, is a never-ending continuum. The truck driver was at the top, she worked her way to a 4.6 and realized that the whole thing was bullshit. It did not give her what mattered, it actually betrayed her instead.
I don’t think we will reach that breaking point that Lacie went through, I do think we’re better than that. And just from seeing the conversations and blog posts in this class, we are more conscious of the numbers game and refuse to fall into its trap. I don’t really have an action plan to prevent the “Nosedive” craze from happening. It is the mindset that one has when it comes to these tools, its when one becomes attached to the tools and mould it into their identity that the tool becomes more than just a tool. When one attaches themselves to a tool, the tool controls them, and because the tool cannot provide true content — that comes from within — the individual will never stop craving for more. All I can say is rebel, be a dissenter and don’t fall into the pressure of group thinking. Group thinking is the core problem that factor into these Black Mirror episodes. Don’t mask yourself and your opinions simply to get a “5-star” from everyone you meet. The society and people within “Nosedive” was all show business, all a performance for fake smiles. So when you feel like you’re performing or catering to the people around you, step back and ask why. Why do you care so much to change yourself for their approval? Is it really worth it?
To end this post, I’m going to leave you with this insert again from The Little Prince… Find your rose, find what’s real to you, what you love, and invest your time into that. When you have that, the numbers game becomes what it really is: meaningless.
“Goodbye,” he said.
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “Here is my secret. It’s quite simple: “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”
“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, in order to remember.
“It is the time you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“It is the time I spent on my rose…, “ the little prince, in order to remember.
“People have forgotten this truth,” the fox said. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . .”
“I am responsible for my rose,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
— The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
