Black Mirror’s pessimism porn won’t lead us to a better future | Louis Anslow

A new progressivism embracing construction over obstruction must find new allegories for technology and the future

Black Mirror is more than science fiction - its stories about modernity have become akin to science folklore, shaping our collective view of technology and the future.

Each new innovation gets an allegory: smartphones as tools for a new age caste system, robot dogs as overzealous human hunters, drones as a murderous swarm, artificial intelligence as new age necromancy, virtual reality and brain chips as seizure-inducing nightmares, to name a few. Episodes most often channel our collective anxieties about the future - or foment new ones through masterly writing, directing, casting and acting. It is a must-watch, but must we take it so seriously?