The television series, Black Mirror is set in a dystopian future where technology has meshed into our regular lives in a way, we can’t separate real from virtual. And frankly, that future isn’t too far. A lot of it is actually happening in our real world which certainly hints that the Black Mirror life might soon turn real!

Here are 9 episodes from the Black Mirror series that are not really fictitious.

1. Social credit system is becoming a reality

Season 3, Episode 1: Nosedive

This episode exists in a time where people are ranked on the basis of their behaviour. Their work, business loans, home and social standing is all based on the basis of other people ranking their activities.

Well, this has already started happening in China. 

A few local governments in China have already started compiling digital records of their citizens and plan to rate their credit score on that basis. This will affect their regular life when they apply for loans, want to get a house on rent or even want to get access to a luxury hotel. The citizens will get negative points if they fail to adhere to rules like paying installments on time, abide by the family planning policies etc. Their interaction with other people on the internet will also be taken into account.

Read the full story here.

2. Hackers are watching your activities through your webcam

Season 3, Episode 3: Shut Up and Dance

This episode has a young boy who is caught in a web by hackers who use his laptop’s webcam and record him while he’s masturbating. Then, they start blackmailing the boy and it goes way farther than you or I could ever imagine.

A few months ago, even the FBI director warned laptop users to cover their webcams while they use their systems. A lot of cases have been reported where hackers have blackmailed users for activities that they recorded while the users were unaware. 

Even Mark Zuckerberg covers his laptop’s camera using a tape! 

Read the full story here and here.

3. Donald Trump’s win in the Presidential election

Season 2, Episode 3: The Waldo Moment

This episode has a cartoon character who is an actual candidate in the election and surprisingly, he is more popular than an actual human candidate.

Donald Trump’s presidential nomination started out in a way when people failed to take him seriously. Popular media did not expect Trump to be the next POTUS and comparisons with Waldo became quite prominent. It’s also said that Charlie Brooker predicted Trump’s win in the presidential election.

Read the full story here.

4. British Prime Minister & a pig

Season 1, Episode 1:  The National Anthem

The first episode of the series had the kidnapping of a member of the royal family. He’d be released on one condition- the British PM had to fuck a pig on national television. This episode was aired in 2011.

Allegedly, David Cameron during his university years put a “private part” into a dead pig’s mouth as part of an initiation ceremony for the Piers Gaveston Society. The anecdote came to light in 2015 when it was published in an unauthorised biography of the British PM, Call Me Dave. The public instantly compared it with the Black Mirror episode. However, Cameron denied the incident.

Read the full story here and here.

5. Dehumanizing the enemy

Season 3, Episode 4: Men Against Fire

This episode had a military organisation fighting against “roaches” who are dehumanized for the soldiers so they can be killed without any remorse.

This has been a frequent practice in America since World War II. In 1940s, there were posters that showed the Japanese enemy as an animal so as to dehumanize them completely. Soldiers were accustomed to see their enemy as non-human entities so it becomes easier to beat them in the battlefield.

Read the full story here.

6. Revisiting your memories

Season 1, Episode 3:  The Entire History of You

This episode takes place in a time when every human has a grain implanted behind their ear that records everything they see and hear and the person can choose to play it back whenever they want.

This technology might sound scary to some but it is soon going to turn into a reality. Sony is on a mission to create contact lenses that can record and play back the events we witness. They plan to create lenses that can store all that we witness. We can play back the events we’ve lived and also zoom if we wish. The lenses aren’t out in the market yet but Google and Samsung are also working on similar projects, so these lenses aren’t a far fetched reality.

Read the full story here and here.

7. Robotic bees that can pollinate flowers

Season 3, Episode 6: Hated in the Nation

In this episode, individuals hated by the masses are killed by ADIs (Autonomous Drone Insects) that are being operated by an unknown man. The dwindling population of bees have led to the invention of these mechanical drones.

The robotic bees are now a reality. Japan has invented drone-like bees which can pollinate the flowers thereby ensuring that a drop in the bee population does not affect the eco system.

Read the full story here.

8. Real life morbid amusement parks

Season 2, Episode 2: White Bear

In this episode, a woman is made to feel tortured everyday in an interactive amusement park as a punishment for her actions in the past. Actors and visitors partake in her torture and she is made to feel the same way, every single day.

In real life, tourist attractions in Israel are doing something similar to this. The ‘fantasy terror camps’ give tourists a chance to play pretend-kill. Tourists dress up like soldiers and are given different scenarios to fight against make-believe terrorists. Tourists are actually given real guns and former soldiers train them in using the weapons. As morbid as it sounds, this is fast gaining popularity.

Read the full story here.

9. Automated Pizza Delivery Cars

Season 4, Episode 3: Crocodile

In this episode, an insurance claims investigator is looking into an accident with a device called a ‘Recaller’, which allows the viewer to see memories of a subject. In the course of her investigation, she stumbles upon a murder which leads to a whole lot of crazy shit happening (as is wont in a Black Mirror episode). The cause of the accident that led to this whole sequence of events? A self-driving pizza delivery truck.

In real life, Toyota recently unveiled a concept vehicle called the e-Palette, an automated vehicle that could act as a mobile store. Among the many companies Toyota is teaming up with, is Pizza Hut. You see where this is heading? Well, the folks at Black Mirror did.

You can read the full story here.

Black Mirror is coming for the rest of us!