THE PROPHECY

I have been binge-watching a British show called “Black Mirror”. Like other Britishly odd British show, the series has introduced some weird ideas, featuring an imaginary futuristic tech-dystopian world, where the highly tech-advanced people end up destroying their lives, and giving their nature up to the tech they used to own.

The name of the show itself tells it all. Look at the black mirror covering the screens – mobile, tablet, PC, even TV – you will see who you really are.


Mirror mirror on the phone

Am I human or a clone?


DIGITAL ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

The show captured different angles of the world where people are barely humans: heartless, lifeless, hungry, and savage. It is actually pretty much like a zombie apocalypse.

But why zombie apocalypse is so scary anyway? It surely wouldn’t be a problem if zombies don’t turn people to more zombies. One rises and we put it down. The end.

The fact that zombies are friggin’ scary is because they are aggressive, contagious, heartless, and always come in large scale. A wave of zombies.

Now just replace the word “zombies” with “netizens”, you still have a meaningful sentence. If ordinary zombies are so hungry for flesh, what feed digital zombies are drama, horror, scandals… It could be anything, as long as it gives them the reason to talk ill of, to judge, to shame, to execute in groups.

It could be the girl who excels in her study and work, but fails to answer what kind of veggies are cooked with crab soup.

"Canh cua thường nấu với rau gì?"

And the best part is, the crowd is anonymous. After the public execution, everyone gets back to their “real life”. Everyone walks away not guilty of anything.


WE BREAK SOME. AND WE MAKE SOME.

The show began in 2011 and has been highly acclaimed. But only recent has it been seriously and openly discussed. The series 2 episode 3, aired years ago, featured a cartoon bear, who was originally created as a comic relief, now running for a political campaign. What looked absurd and sci-fi-ish then in 2013, now turns out to be prophetic since Trump’s presidency.

Someone told me that “It is Trump haters who have put him there on the throne.” If you think about it, this is where Trump earns his presidency. It has to be the ultra-connected digital-enabled world. It must not be any other world.

Statistics suggest something similar. While Hillary poured her budget on traditional media, Trump put efforts on social media. And somehow, he won. Even what he said was tailored to make sure it will go viral on social media.

In Vietnam we also have Bà Tưng, and Kenny Sang, and Tùng Sơn, and God knows who else is in the making. Those who leveraged the power of hatred that is best nurtured on social media, will go viral.

That is the era we are living in. Values are turned upside down. The world where lunatics make more money than we - decent beings - can never dream of. The world where a misogynist, racist, xenophobe, homophobe individual represents the most powerful nation.


And we can only blame ourselves. We made them.