In a society where social media popularity is people’s lifeline in the real world, one woman’s life turns upside down when her ranking suddenly plummets in this thrilling episode of Black Mirror. Exploring the potential impacts of futuristic technology on people and society, Black Mirror is a science fiction series available on Netflix. “Nosedive,” the first episode of Black Mirror’s third season, launched to Netflix in 2016. Directed by Joe Wright and starring Bryce Dallas Howard, “Nosedive” shows what life could be like in a world powered by social media. Set in the not too distant future, this episode explores a dystopian society where individuals’ ranking on social media dictates their success in the real world. On the surface, “Nosedive” presents a well-run society where popularity and good behavior are swiftly rewarded. However, on a deeper, darker level, viewers witness how a highly technological society can deny citizens their basic rights.
“Nosedive” kept me on the edge of my seat! The episode’s restrictive digital world captivated my attention and made me feel like I was spiraling out of control alongside the protagonist.
In this society, citizens score each other in a zero to five-star rating system based on social interactions and social media posts. Much more than a popularity rating, people’s scores determine their access to resources, services, and select areas in society. Individuals must act courteously and remain active on social media to make it in the real world.
The episode begins with Howard’s character Lacie, the protagonist, searching for a new place to live. Currently, she is rooming with her brother Ryan (James Norton) but is interested in moving to Pelican Cove, an exclusive neighborhood for wealthy and highly-ranked citizens. To move into this neighborhood, she must increase her social score from 4.2 to 4.5. Lacie is contacted by childhood frenemy, Naomi (Alice Eve), to be the Maid of Honor at her wedding. Lacie readily accepts–hoping to increase her rating to Pelican Cove’s standard by giving a heartfelt speech to Naomi’s high-ranking guests. While traveling to the wedding, Lacie encounters a series of mishaps, and her emotional reactions send her score into a nosedive. Cold-shouldered by society, Lacie’s lowered score turns her weekend getaway into a nightmare.
Every episode of Black Mirror stands alone–separate plots, characters, and sci-fi elements. Therefore, creators must showcase how each episode is unique.
The style elements in “Nosedive” are brilliantly designed–quickly establishing Lacie’s digital dystopia.
Cinematography, lighting, editing, special effects, and visuals present a familiar yet technologically advanced society. Smooth camera movement, warm lighting, and bright colors create a picturesque suburban setting and cheerful mood in the opening scene. Similar to the film The Truman Show (1998), “Nosedive” is set in a world so perfect it appears unreal. Special effects make this perfect world more off-putting by displaying its technological components. White halos circle characters’ faces and highlight their social scores, an extreme close-up shot displays Lacie’s digital contacts, model homes and billboards utilize holograms, cars are embedded with smart technology, and social media profiles are projected off-screen with artificial reality. These visual elements make “Nosedive” even more intriguing.
Additionally, I appreciate how color and lighting change to represent different characters such as Naomi and her wedding guests framed in bright white light, cosplayers illuminated by neon colors, background characters lit by shallow pastels, and Lacie consumed by shadows and darkness in the closing scene. Overall, visual elements creatively display the episode’s environment and communicate its rapidly descending mood.
A moving music score composed by Max Richter accompanies this episode of Black Mirror. Richter’s score helps build the plot’s intensity and shape the episode’s ambiance. I like how different musical elements are utilized when Lacie interacts with society or technology. For instance, strings and piano create bright, harmonious sounds when she aspires to a higher social status. When Lacie engages with technology, electronic elements are added to the music. In her article for The Atlantic, “Max Richter’s Soundtrack to Dystopia,” Sophie Gilbert says,
“Throughout the episode, the score creates a sense of gorgeous disconnect: a signal for viewers that beneath the sunny perfection of the world of ‘Nosedive’ is something deeply troubling”
(Follow Sophie Gilbert on Twitter).
Richter’s score highlights the episode’s action–rising as the plot reaches its climax. His music makes the story more dynamic because it infuses energy and emotion into “Nosedive’s” artificial reality.
Compared to other Black Mirror episodes, “Nosedive’s” plot is relatively straightforward. Take away all the flashy effects and the plot is somewhat clichéd–socially awkward girl craving attention is invited into an exclusive social circle by the popular high school mean queen and loses herself in the process. I wish the plot contained more shocking revelations like other episodes of Black Mirror. “Nosedive” focuses on the ugly aspects of human nature rather than the downsides of advanced technology. The technological features do not cause Lacie’s downfall and become less of a focus throughout the episode.
The chilling factor in this episode is not the technology but the people who live by it.
Lacie, Naomi, and other characters exploit the technology for personal gain, to justify their actions, and to manipulate other characters. Although it is central to the storyline, the technological factor does not drive the plot or justify the characters’ selfish behavior.
Since the characters are a major force driving the episode, I would have liked more variety in the supporting characters’ personality types and context for the protagonist’s past. Although the supporting characters are consistent, their actions are predictable. Social outcasts like truck driver Susan (Cherry Jones) reject society, and influencers like Naomi manipulate their followers. I would have liked to see more variety in the supporting characters instead of typical tropes like the angry black man, the gamer, and the rich blonde elites. Regarding the protagonist, I wish there was more context about Lacie’s past so that I could decide if her actions are justified. Clearly, she is emotionally scarred by her high school experience and history with Naomi. Nevertheless, does that warrant her desperation to reach Naomi’s wedding, the speech she planned versus the one she delivered, or her obsessive behavior? I’m not sure.
Characterization is employed effectively throughout the episode. Dialogue, appearance/attire, and behavior provide useful insights about the cast of characters. Immediately, viewers gain a sense of Lacie’s personality. She is ambitiously obsessed with her social mobility—doing whatever it takes to raise her score. In the episode’s first few minutes, she updates her social media multiple times, practices her laugh in the mirror, and warmly socializes with every high-ranked person she passes.
The supporting characters’ introductions vary depending on their standing in society. Naomi is introduced through her social media profile (literally living her best life). She and other high rated characters act artificially cheerful in real life. In comparison, Ryan and Susan are not preoccupied with becoming influential members of society. Both characters are introduced in isolated environments and offer Lacie a reality check. Besides Ryan’s video games, neither he nor Susan engage with their society’s technology. Background characters are shallow, unforgiving, and phony. Like the pastel attire they wear, these characters lack vibrancy. They strictly adhere to their social system and are ready to reprimand citizens for minor inconveniences.
Overall, I liked a few of the characters. I sympathized with Susan’s situation, appreciated Ryan’s skepticism, and understood different characters’ decisions about whether to obey the system. I did not like characters that acted manipulative and/or artificially nice for the sake of improving their scores including Naomi, Lacie, and background characters. People that strive to be famous on social media may relate to Lacie’s shameless pursuit of success or Naomi’s influencer status. Audience members that reject social media will probably dislike these characters and instead identify with Ryan and Susan. In all, Black Mirror’s creative team effectively brought these characters to life through characterization and acting performance.
The actors found a good balance between selfishness, friendliness, and austerity. For instance, several actors express calculated happiness when interacting with lower status characters like Daisy Haggard’s and Eve’s characters (Bets and Naomi) talking to Howard’s character (Lacie). Some of the background actors took on robotic speaking voices and mannerisms–further emphasizing their characters’ detached state. Howard transitioned back and forth between openness and closedness throughout the episode such as when she speaks to coworkers of different ranks. As a viewer, I could recognize when the actors turned that switch on and off, and when those transitions were genuine or forced. I rate all the actors five out of five for their convincing performances and commitment to the storyline.
I rate “Nosedive” 4.5 out of 5 and highly recommend people watch it because this episode is a thought-provoking piece about social media. This is one of my favorite episodes of Black Mirror because it takes a form of technology the public is familiar with and transforms it into an extreme system of control. In the episode, reality is morphed into an enhanced social media state where people must be “on” 24/7 to be well received by their peers. Society compels people to act inhuman, whether that means unfeeling or robotic. In my opinion, this is also a good introductory episode to the series because it’s not as disturbing as other episodes. Especially living in the 21st century, I encourage audiences to see “Nosedive” and the rest of this series because it works through scenarios of what our digital reality could become. As aspects of “Nosedive” become more fact than fiction like virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and social media-based rating systems, we must weigh the ethicality of technological integration in society, so that our world does not come to reflect the darker side of Black Mirror.
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