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there is one route to your destination

do you accept?

An analysis on Black Mirror: Smithereens and the world of social media

Hannah Malugen HPU Fall 2020

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Black Mirror: Smithereens

Narrative Perspective

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Thesis Statement

Through the narrative perspective, Black Mirror: Smithereens conveys the effects of social media, looking at the decline of mental health, society’s ”need” for online networks, and the overarching dichotomy of social media.

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What is Black Mirror?

  • TV show from 2011 - Present Day
  • “A sci-fi series that explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.” (Netflix 2020)
  • Each episode offers a different plotline and a different take on technology and society.

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Black Mirror: Smithereens

  • Season 5 Episode 2
  • “A London rideshare driver ignites an international crisis when he kidnaps a worker from a social media company.” (Netflix 2019)
  • Follows Chris (played by Andrew Scott) and his odd obsession with the social media company Smithereen and its creator Billy Bauer (played by Topher Grace).

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Why this episode?

  • Smithereens offers an element of realism.
  • Overall common denominator of Black mirror is futuristic technology.
    • Ex. Fifteen Million Merits or Nosedive
  • Smithereens takes a stance on issues with modern technology, hitting closer to home.

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Narrative Perspective

  • “a rhetorical method for understanding the underlying moral of the story, argued in a text. (Selnow 92)
  • This fits for Smithereens because of the underlying moral of society developing a ”social media dichotomy”

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The Decline of Mental Health

  • Academic Journal on how people with serious mental illnesses interact with social media.
  • Chris: haunted by trauma, causing his obsession with social media and how detrimental it is
  • Obsessed with speaking to Billy about how his app is “addictive”

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Society’s “need” for Online Networks

  • “People as Commodity”
  • Billy: CEO and creator of Smithereen
  • Jaden: intern at Smithereen who is the representative of the general public
  • Hayley: a mom who lost her daughter and seeking answers within her daughter’s socials.

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The Dichotomy of Social Media

  • Refers to how social media can save lives, while also harming them.
  • This is representative in Chris’ trauma with his wife and Hayley’s realization with her daughter.
  • Charlie Brooker created this episode for people to recognize the dichotomy that is embedded within our “society of socials”

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The Ending

  • The ending of the episode is left up to interpretation, not explicitly telling the fate of Chris.
  • After the episode premiered on Netflix, #smithereensending trended on Twitter.
  • This ironic situation proved that we do need social media, even for small things like figuring out the ending to a show.

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Conclusion

  • Thesis Statement

Through the Narrative Perspective, Black Mirror: Smithereens conveys the affects of social media, looking at the decline of mental health, society’s “need” for online networks, and the overarching dichotomy of social media.

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References

  • Brooker, Charlie (Writer) & James Hawes, F.M. (Director). (2019) Smithereens [Black Mirror Season 5 Episode 2]
  • Guadagno. (2019, August 28). People as Commodity: Black Mirror's "Smithereens". http://www.scienceandfilm.org/articles/3246/people-as-commodity-black-mirrors-smithereens
  • Naslund, J. A., Aschbrenner, K. A., & Bartels, S. J. (2016). How people with serious mental illness use smartphones, mobile apps, and social media. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 39(4), 364–367. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000207
  • Netflix. (2019, June 6). Behind Black Mirror Season 5: Smithereens [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/bO7FQsCcbD8

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