Social ranking: Black Mirror predicting the future again!
Black Mirror continues it’s eery trend of predicting the future. This time with the terrifying episode of ‘Nosedive’ With Social ranking.
For those who haven’t seen Black Mirror or Nosedive, the episode explores how we’re all obsessed with ‘likes’ The episode delves into the way that we use social media in our daily lives and how what we do is determined by how many ‘likes’ we get. Including how upset we get when our online popularity takes a ‘nosedive’
The episode’s plot revolves around how people are rated out of five after every interaction that they have with one another. Thus each person has a real social ranking, that we can all see. Furthermore, ratings of a ‘person’ are affected by where you live, who your friends are and how you travel. So kinda like we all do now, but with a tangible element to it. Whether you like it or not, do it consciously or not, we all make prejudgements based on the above.
In the episode we see Lacie a young woman who is looking to climb to the top of her social ladder. We won’t spoil the episode too much. However, she does a lot to impress others and make her rating better. Until, you guessed it, things go from bad to worse and her social ranking takes a ‘nosedive’ If you have instagram mixed with an Uber rating, this is how your ratings are shown to others in this world.
Social Ranking: Real Life
This nightmare of all prejudging others may become a reality in China. Soon. 2020. Soon.
According to the Telegraph, it’s citizens will be given a ‘score’ the lowest of these scores being 350, highest being 950. To get a higher score, citizens can give blood, do charity work or by sending positive messages about China on social media. Cancelling a reservation for something having friends with unsavory people. Boom. Ratings nosedive.
Being a good member of society gets you bonuses! Cheaper public transport, free gym membership. Plus you may even get a fast pass for waiting times in hospitals. (My words not theirs, I just thought it sounded funny, really call it fast pass) All you lowly people at the bottom of the totem pole. SLOWER INTERNET SPEEDS! So if one day you realise your internet is super slow. Blame you. Not the ISP. Go out an give blood and maybe, just maybe, your internet will get faster.
To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!
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