Black Mirror, Fifteen Million Merits Analysis
Why do people spend countless hours on their cell phones, laptops, tablets, televisions, and computers? The use of technology and consumption is progressing and becoming more and more prevalent in our society. People are repetitively consuming and using technology to do things for us, make us happy, and our lives easier. New inventions are being brought forward to improve our lives on a daily basis, but technology isn’t necessarily improving the way we live our lives; only keeping people distracted from the importance of their own wellbeing and true happiness. People are preoccupied with “false needs,” and they are continuously, “having,” and never purely, “being.”
The culture industry has us imprisoned and brainwashed into believing we …show more content…
The characters in the episode are slaves to the culture industry. They are forced to mindlessly pedal on stationary bikes for merits to purchase false things. Marcuse states, “False needs are those that are superimposed upon the individual by social interests in his repression: the needs which perpetuate toil, aggressiveness, misery and injustice” (Marcuse p. 110). We see a vicious cycle of obtaining false needs in the episode such as virtual clothing, watches, hairstyles and other unnecessary items. This portrays an advanced level of false needs as in the show one cannot even possess the items physically, only virtually. The only items accessible physically are basic necessities such as food, water, toothpaste and clothing which are actually our only real true needs.
Throughout the episode people are thoughtlessly consuming as they pedal away on stationary bikes purchasing new hair styles and clothes for their avatar, consuming pornographic videos, and watching pointless shows. “The customer is not king, as the culture industry would have us to believe, not its subject, but its object.” (Adorno 103). The things they are consuming they don’t truly need, but instead something they think they need. They are there for the system and undertaking what the system wants them to do such as buy the newest things and watch worthless shows to keep them
The culture industry has us imprisoned and brainwashed into believing we …show more content…
The characters in the episode are slaves to the culture industry. They are forced to mindlessly pedal on stationary bikes for merits to purchase false things. Marcuse states, “False needs are those that are superimposed upon the individual by social interests in his repression: the needs which perpetuate toil, aggressiveness, misery and injustice” (Marcuse p. 110). We see a vicious cycle of obtaining false needs in the episode such as virtual clothing, watches, hairstyles and other unnecessary items. This portrays an advanced level of false needs as in the show one cannot even possess the items physically, only virtually. The only items accessible physically are basic necessities such as food, water, toothpaste and clothing which are actually our only real true needs.
Throughout the episode people are thoughtlessly consuming as they pedal away on stationary bikes purchasing new hair styles and clothes for their avatar, consuming pornographic videos, and watching pointless shows. “The customer is not king, as the culture industry would have us to believe, not its subject, but its object.” (Adorno 103). The things they are consuming they don’t truly need, but instead something they think they need. They are there for the system and undertaking what the system wants them to do such as buy the newest things and watch worthless shows to keep them