Every college student knows as the semester winds down, more and more stress piles on. We need a way to breathe (or procrastinate on our various assignments) and relax to clear our cluttered minds. A majority of us, myself included, head to Netflix. A beautiful universal safe space where each and every one of us with different interests can find our little slice of heaven known as movies or television series. From comedy to crime there is something for everyone, but for those who have seen one too many of each, here’s something new.

I stumbled upon an interesting photo of a scene in what looked like a 1970s disco era. Curious as to where this came from, I decided to do some research. Low and behold, it was a television series known as Black Mirror. Black Mirror is a British science fiction television anthology series created by Charlie Brooker, centered around dark and satirical themes that examines and critiques modern society, particularly with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies. The show was first broadcasted on the British Channel 4, in 2011. As some a portion of college students with a ton of homework would do, I decided to watch the first episode. Three seasons later, I am absolutely shocked and mind blown at the effects this show presents on the human mind.

Anthologies are all the rage these days. The show looks inwards, at the darker aspects of humanity and society. It creates a self realization on the consequences society presents through various societal evolutions. This is done through the theme of technology, hence the second meaning. The black mirror is the screen that rules our lives, such as our phone, laptop, or television. Taking contemporary phenomena (ranging from the wild popularity of talent shows on TV to the impact of social media and smartphones on our lives) as a starting point and speculate how such phenomena could/would evolve in the future. Each episode tells a different story with different protagonists and focuses on a different theme. Essentially, you can skip around each season and episode if you want as there is no direct connection and flow within the show.