For Episode 7, I am joined by Dr. C. Thi Nguyen to talk about “Playtest” (Season 3, Episode 2), which premiered in 2013 and is the only Black Mirror episode that follows a straightforwardly “horror” format. Before getting to the Episode 7 notes, I want to announce that BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS now tweets! Please follow…
Read MoreFor Episode 9, I am joined by Dr. Richard A. Lee to talk about aruveillance, trolling, forgiveness/absolution, and “Shut Up and Dance,” (Season 3, Episode 3 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2013. “Shut Up and Dance” is one of only a handful of Black Mirror episodes that does not include any futuristic technology, so…
Read MoreFor Episode 8 of the BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast, I am joined by Dr. Jason Read to talk about “The Waldo Moment” (Season 2, Episode 3 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2013 and has been, in retrospect, one of the most unfortunately prescient episodes of the series so far. This was my first…
Read MoreFor Episode 6 of BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, I am joined by filmmaker John Cerrito to talk about Season 1, Episode 2 of Black Mirror entitled “The Entire History of You,” which originally premiered in 2011. Before we get to the episode notes, though, I have some exciting Black Mirror news to share! Charlie Brooker has apparently…
Read MoreFor Episode 20, I am joined by Dr. Eric Steinhart to talk about navigating compossible worlds and timelines, tech gods (and monsters), mental illness, books that (maybe) shouldn’t be read, and “Bandersnatch” (the stand-alone, interactive Black Mirror episode), which first premiered in 2018. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast Before jumping…
Read MoreFor Episode 12, our first episode of 2021, I am joined by Dr. Zandria F. Robinson to talk about whose bodies get sacrificed in the name of scientific advancement, the contours of consciousness, suffering as spectacle, ancestral ghosts, and “Black Museum” (Season 4, Episode 6 of Black Mirror), which first aired in 2017. Listen/Download BLACK…
Read MoreFor Episode 18, I am joined by cultural critic and superstar podcaster Karen Tongson to talk about teenage angst, celebrity, what makes pop music “popular,” and “Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too” (Episode 2, Season 5 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2019. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast I have…
Read MoreFor Episode 11– our first Christmas episode!– I am joined by Dr. David Gunkel to talk about the possibility of virtual moral agents, the seriousness of online games, science fiction’s bad politics, and “USS Callister” (Episode 1, Season 4 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2017. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes Subscribe to BLACK…
Read MoreI’m sooooo excited to announce the release of our first episode of BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast! As you may have heard– from my endless self-promoting on FB and Twitter– this podcast will be structured as a series of conversations between myself and some very smart people as we talk/think through the technology, philosophy, morality,…
Read MoreI’m in the process of recording the first few episodes of a (limited series) podcast entitled Black Mirror Reflections, which will be released next week. I’ve written a lot about Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror on this blog over the years, I regularly teach a course entitled “Technology and Human Values,” and I incorporate Black Mirror episodes in several…
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