Acid Horizon 'Black Mirror', Henri Bergson, and the Death of Creative Time with Emily Herring
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Jun 10, 2025 Emily Herring, a writer and philosopher known for 'Herald of a Restless World,' delves into the thought-provoking themes from 'Black Mirror.' She questions whether the series still serves as speculative fiction or merely mirrors our reality. Herring discusses platform capitalism, cognitive exploitation, and the enigmatic concept of enshittification. Drawing on Henri Bergson's insights, she explores how technology impacts our autonomy, creativity, and memory, arguing that qualitative aspects of consciousness struggle to survive in a tech-driven world.
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Inshittification Warps Consciousness
- Inshittification degrades user experience by prioritizing profit and control over users.
- Bergson's philosophy reveals how capitalism mechanizes consciousness, robbing spontaneity and creativity.
Black Mirror's Brain Implant Hellscape
- The Black Mirror episode depicts brain implants forcing ads, leading to mental and emotional exploitation.
- The character's experience reflects harsh realities of platform capitalism and medical costs in the US.
Hopelessness in Platform Economy
- The episode lacks any depiction of resistance, highlighting hopelessness under the platform economy.
- This absence may serve as a cynical warning that inshittification is inevitable and inescapable.