Black Mirror's pessimism porn won't lead us to a better future

Black Mirror’s Tone and Purpose

• Many see Black Mirror as modern Twilight Zone–style horror: “near future cautionary tales” meant to frighten, not to propose solutions or “save the world.”
• Others argue its unrelenting pessimism becomes shallow “pessimism porn”: always picking the cruelest scenario for a new technology, often without believable social adaptation.
• Several commenters think the article misclassifies the show: it’s horror/satire about tech’s dark side, not a balanced essay on dual-use technology.

Hopeful Episodes and “San Junipero”

• “San Junipero” is repeatedly cited as a hopeful outlier that still works because its light is set against a dark backdrop.
• Some note other episodes with glimmers of hope or humanity, but many feel the later Netflix seasons lost nuance and leaned into simpler, grimmer twists.

Brain Uploading and Personal Identity

• Long subthread over whether a digital copy “is you”:
  • One side: continuity of memory and thought patterns is enough; replacing cells, sleep, or teleportation already break strict continuity without destroying identity.
  • Other side: uploading is a hard discontinuity; the original consciousness dies and a new one merely believes it’s you. No “wire” can carry subjective awareness.
• Some emphasize that within the fiction, simulated people are clearly conscious, so the afterlife premise stands on its own terms.

Pessimism, Optimism, and Tech Ethics

• Several argue dystopian fiction can be socially useful (e.g., 1984, The Jungle): pessimistic visions can motivate people to avoid bad futures.
• Others counter that today’s culture is oversaturated with doomer tech narratives; we lack big, inspiring, utopian visions like early Star Trek, The Culture, or classic Verne.
• There’s skepticism that “hopeful solutionism” is realistic given real-world incentives: companies move fast, externalize harms, and the public becomes guinea pigs (driverless cars, AI, surveillance, biotech).
• A recurring view: technology is a neutral lever; the real lag is ethical and political progress.

Quality, Nuance, and Comparisons to Other Shows

• Critics say many episodes hinge on societies populated by implausibly awful people, which weakens the critique of technology itself.
• Comparisons to Community, The Orville, Twilight Zone, and utopian/solarpunk works suggest other shows explore similar themes with more balanced characters or optimism.
• Some are simply burned out on dystopian sci‑fi and want more “white mirror” / solarpunk-style futures, even while acknowledging that paranoia and pessimism also function as cultural “circuit breakers.”