no spoilers
Joan is Awful might be the most horrifying analysis of the willful ignorance of a hedonistic tech driven society that wants a frictionless world. Yesterday I downloaded an app to complete an interview for a news station. I accepted each prompt without carefully considering the questions. The app made the interview easier.
We watched the first episode of Black Mirror last night and most of us talked through the first few minutes overlooking the rise in action because it felt familiar. I understood how Black Mirror lulls you into a comfortable setting and slowly places heat under your seat gradually cooking you without warning you of the impending danger. Unlike everyone else, I listened purposefully. By the moment the first conflict arises, an extremely familiar conflict as I see peers being laid off their jobs, I felt the heat. Some of those watching laughed. I felt sad because I’m actively living through the shows initial conflict in real time seeing journalists who do incredible work being let go. The way the show was framed created the awkward laughter some of us watching had… I saw nothing comedic. I only saw fear.The thing about Black Mirror is how subtle it is in the use of technology to create an almost meta immersive experience. The episode ramped up the familiarity with those of us watching the Netflix show, watching others watch a Netflix styled streaming service Streamberry. The Joan is Awful on Streamberry series becomes an uncomfortable trip into a multiverse created by our willful ignorance. The series we are watching, as a series being watched, finally landing on the acknowledgement that we’ve all potentially signed our lives away for convenience and entertainment. Episode 1 of season six accomplishes what we’ve come to expect from the series and it’s unsettling and horrifying.
