Mirror of the dark future

Black Mirror is often lauded for its prescience in seeing the sinister implications of technology

Black Mirror season 5 stars Pom Klementieff and Ludi Lin as video-game avatars.
Black Mirror season 5 stars Pom Klementieff and Ludi Lin as video-game avatars. PHOTO: NETFLIX
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When the subject of China's social credit system comes up in the news, Western observers like to point out how it is a nightmare scenario foretold in Nosedive, a much-discussed episode in the Netflix satirical anthology series Black Mirror.

In the story, which is set in the near future, a person's worth is based on points he receives, based on how well he interacted with others. A woman played by Bryce Dallas Howard finds her life unravelling after her ratings plummet. She becomes a pariah, shunned by businesses and friends alike.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 06, 2019, with the headline Mirror of the dark future. Subscribe