Black Mirror and iBoy: If Only Tom Were There

Tom, I'm not sure if you've ever heard of the Netflix show Black Mirror, but I bet you'd be itching to jump through the screen and help. I watched the first episode because I thought it looked "techy" and relatable to you. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into, but while I was watching I tried to pay attention to one thing that I knew would be comparable to your film, iBoy, which was elements of technology and how they are portrayed compared to the iBoy universe from which you dwell. What I found out was quite interesting: technology is portrayed as a MEGA disadvantage and various elements help to heighten that disadvantage throughout the episode.

"Well, if there are hacks sniffing' around, shut them down. Bright red D NOTICE. Super-fucking Godzilla injunction with ten-inch Whitehall fangs" is what the Prime Minister is quoted in reply to one of his team members when he learns that the kidnapping video of Princess Suzana has gone virtually viral. Boom. Right away there's a sense of, in a very British accent, utter annoyance with the technology brutes. Furthermore, in the background of nearly every shot there are phones ringing and cell phone buttons being pressed to blanket the subconscious into thinking that the source of the anxiety is coming from the phones, i.e. technology. Additionally, the premise of the episode is set around media coverage, so naturally there are many shots of televisions all over the UK as well. The Prime Minister does NOT want the press or public to learn of the video, however, it is totally out of his hands and, thus, something that exasperates the hell out of him and his whole team.

Tom, I feel like you can sort of relate to this premature annoyance, as you did not ask to be shot in the head and have permanent phone fragments take over your life, however your take is quite different than that of Black Mirror. Any time the phone beeps, buzzes, or rings creates a certain unspoken tension. For example, at one point in the show the Prime Minister receives a phone call from the Queen. His immediate response is to have someone stall her while he frantically figures out his plan. Later, his wife calls as he is in route to... Meet the kidnapper's demands (I'm choosing not to state what the demands are; you'll have to watch and find out!) and after a brief handful of seconds he decides to send her to voicemail, most likely because he is ashamed of what he's about to do. Again, that evokes a sense of disappointment on both ends of the phone line.

This is the case for this show, but in iBoy you take advantage of your situation and make it an advantage rather than the opposite. By turning it into a sort of superpower, you use your tech-brain to help people and solve problems that seem impossible. They sure could've used you in Black Mirror, Tom.