We all are familiar with Netflix’s popular sci-fi dystopian tv show ‘Black Mirror’ that satirized the popularity of technology. So, what made a show, that went off-air in 2019, become one of the latest trends for Twitteratis?
The episode, aired back in 2011, titled ‘The entire history of you’ is currently trending on Twitter. The relevance is, Musk’s latest advent on developing a brain implant for humans he formerly said may have the potential to “save and replay memories.”
Black Mirror (Season 1, Episode 3)
This particular episode bears a sheer resemblance to a device featured in the dystopian sci-fi drama. Black Mirror became a comparative element for Twitter users as they began comparing Musk’s Neuralink brain implant chip to a similar device which was seen in a 2011 episode of the show.
The comments came after Musk, Neuralink’s CEO and co-founder, announced earlier this week that he is hiring a clinical trial director, signaling the company is one step closer to testing the chips in humans. Twitter users began to weigh in on the technology after pop culture media site Pop Crave shared a tweet that referenced remarks made by Musk in a 2020 company presentation.
How are Neuralinks and Black Mirror related?
A Neuralink implant will enable people to record their memories and re-watch them whenever they want. Besides, it will also help people to edit, censor, or delete any memories recorded with it. The claims came after Elon Musk presented the demo of the technology working on a pig, where he claimed his tech will enable people to save and play memories.
He further stated that Neuralink will enable people to download these memories into a new body or a robot body—almost sounding like a play at making yourself immortal. A similar device was featured in the particular episode of Black Mirror. “This is increasingly sounding like a ‘Black Mirror,’ episode. Ultimately you could download them into a new body or a robot body,” stated Musk.
Did we learn anything from Black Mirror?
The dystopian science-fiction anthology clearly satirized the popularity of technology within people. Although it depicted a clear vision of how technology is being leveraged on a regular-basis to proper mankind towards the future, it also revealed its hazardous impacts that is imprinted behind.
With respect to that, several people on Twitter are currently claiming that we learned nothing from the tv series. Moreover, some users stated that the show went off-air as it will now premiere in real-life. “The real life Black Mirror episode is the fact we all watched Black Mirror and learned nothing,” commented a user.
Black Mirror at its best moments embraces the potential offered by technology, while warily nudging us away from the point of no return before we blindly stagger over it while checking our emails. Technology indeed is a boon, only the people harvesting it have cursed it. Musk’s Neuralink implants are a promising advent to the future of humankind, however, it won’t be long when our own discoveries will backfire us.
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