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Another, more detailed blog I was keeping for a class while in Prague

Theme by Andrew Stichbury for Tumblr.

The final, absolutely excellent, episode of Black Mirror, written by Jesse Armstrong. Like Peep Show gone entirely wrong. (I really hope another series has been commissioned.)

heathkillen:

Willow Grain
The Technology of Black Mirror - Episode 3.

In this vision of a very probable, very near future, we have effectively outsourced our memories to a small device called the Willow Grain - a neurological implant found just behind your ear. It allows the user to capture every moment of their lives, and replay them on-demand, instantly, anywhere.

In this future, projection surfaces are everywhere. They are largely hidden or integrated. Computers and televisions are mostly absent - because now you can re-watch your life (or the lives of others) from the back seat of of taxis, on glass panels in your house, or back through your own mind.

The Willow Grain is driven by a simple thumb remote, featuring a single button that allows the user to scroll, track and select clips. The UI is similarly minimal - a circular design surrounded by a chronological carousel of clips - starting from the most recent and reaching as far back as when the device was installed. Clips are seemingly broken down into experiences - “scenes” from your life that are somehow tagged and categorized, allowing the user to narrow down searches based on criteria such as names and places.

We see glimpses of how this technology is integrated into society. There’s no longer a need to carry a passport, because airport security can scan your entire history in an instant. Your personal data and deeds that can be checked against “the system” as a point-of-view film reel with meta-tags.

We also see how this technology augments our paranoia and neuroses. The Willow Grain gives us the ability to replay every painful, embarrassing, regrettable moment - which of course we naturally gravitate towards. Yes, there is the equal opportunity to play back happier times, but the ability to endlessly re-examine what went wrong proves to be a maddening and irresistible temptation.

We no longer need to rely on the recollection of names, places, events and experiences. A simple button press fills in the gaps. We are auto-documentarians by proxy, impartial observers of ourselves. Our lives are case studies, permanently open for examination and reassessment. There are no edits. No do-overs. Just moments, and our ability to peer deeper and deeper into them.

Transparency, perpetual memory and the unalterable cold hard truth.

This is your downloadable life. 

Notes

  1. kiotsukatanna reblogged this from duckbats
  2. duckbats reblogged this from heathkillen
  3. klickhere reblogged this from heathkillen and added:
    final, absolutely excellent, episode...Jesse Armstrong. Like Peep Show gone entirely...
  4. heathkillen posted this