DIGITAL EXPERIENCES — Skyscanner and Netflix’s “Black Mirror”
A new digital experience I had this week was when I used Skyscanner, an app that collects and compiles flight data; in other words, it “scans” the “sky” and provides users with a list of the cheapest flights based on certain criteria, including flight destination, preferred times, and preferred dates. There is both a desktop version and a mobile app, and along with flights, one can also search hotels and car rentals.
Along with selecting particular dates and locations, one can also look at the flight prices to a destination on monthly-based calendar in order compare prices and see which dates are the cheapest in a month-long block (see image below). This came in handy for me because my friend and I are considering going to Greece in May, but we are flexible on what dates in May we go.
Another useful feature of Skyscanner is that users don’t have to enter an end destination if they don’t want to. Skyscanner has an “Everywhere” search option, which aggregates and ranks the destinations that are cheapest to fly to from your home airport. Users can also search by “Popular Destinations” and “Weekend Breaks.”
In our increasingly digital world, many people are looking for a highly-customizable digital experience, and Skyscanner seems to be capitalizing upon this current user trend.
Another new digital experience I had this week was watching Netflix’s tv show “Black Mirror” for the first time. On Netflix’s website, “Black Mirror” is described as a “sci-fi anthology series [that] explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity’s greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.” In the episode I watched, there was technology implanted into the characters’ skulls that allowed them to both record and replay events in their lives. The episode grappled with the negative and sometimes nefarious consequences technology like this played in the characters’ lives. It brings up an interesting question that will become increasingly more important to understand as our society becomes more digital — how far is too far?
