Black Mirror: A window into the future?

Niamh Cherrett analyses the risks of technology’s interference with love

IN a world fuelled by developing technology, it seems inevitable that we use it to bypass the difficulties of modern life. Whether it’s delivering products to our doors at the touch of a button, or accessing any information within seconds, we have become accustomed to getting whatever we want as soon as we want it. This immediacy, however, has warped our understanding of time. We can immediately see the 10 best options of something, removing any risk of wasting time on the wrong item. Yet when it comes to love and dating, this is not as simple. We can’t demand the perfect pre-packaged soulmate to be delivered, instead we have to experience the terrible relationships in order to find the right one. But with the increasing reliance on algorithm-determined dating, this seems to be becoming an inevitable reality. The need to search for the love of our life in real social scenarios is gradually declining, as we can simply see the supposedly 95 per cent compatible person on any number of easily accessible dating apps.

Charlie Brooker’s ‘Hang the DJ’ displays this scenario perfectly. Two perfectly normal, awkward, and innately ‘human’ people, Frank and Amy, experience ‘the system’. They spend varying amounts of time with different partners determined by ‘Coach’, their AI life guide, with the eventuality of being paired with their ultimate soulmate. This system could seem perfectly desirable. It eliminates the chance of human error we all fear in the dating pool, as there is no chance of spending worthless time with the wrong partner. Despite an increasing number of seemingly incompatible dating experiences, Coach continually drives the message, ‘Everything happens for a reason’. Yet as the episode progresses, Frank and Amy learn they only want one another, and ultimately strive to escape the system. We are then taken to the space they experience beyond the system, with hundreds of Amy and Frank doppelgängers who have each rebelled, bypassing their supposedly perfect match. We learn that of 1000 runs in this world, in 998 they have made this choice. The optimistic feeling we get from learning that true love has come to surpass the system, however, is countered as we are taken to the real world. Frank and Amy are, in reality, meeting in a bar using a dating app which has given them 99.8 per cent compatibility. All we have learned about them is stripped away as a simulation, with this entire plotline simply one line of code in their dating app algorithm.

THIS ENTIRE PLOTLINE [IS] SIMPLY ONE LINE OF CODE IN THEIR DATING APP ALGORITHM

So, is this the future of dating apps? For those that see the current algorithm as too superficial, maybe this seems an ideal scenario. Importing copies of ourselves into this simulation would allow us to truly experience compatibility with someone, as Frank and Amy demonstrate. Without even knowing it this could be found out away from the real world, and the percentage Tinder gives you of liking someone could finally be accurate. But this does seem contradictory. All that we have learnt throughout the episode of ignoring technology and algorithms in the face of true human feeling is subverted, and we are told simply that this ‘new algorithm’ will be more effective.

The progress of technology and our increasing reliance upon it seems inevitable. We can now afford the luxury of choosing the best item in the least amount of time, and will continue to do so. But the debate

Valentine’s viewing

Screen writers discuss their favourite romance films

Bridget Jones’s Diary

AS far as opening lines go, “It all began on New Year’s Day and my 32nd year of being single” is definitely up there. This is the opening line to my favourite rom-com: Bridget Jones’s Diary, arguably my favourite Richard Curtis film despite Notting Hill coming in at a close second. Bridget Jones, played by the marvellous Renée Zellweger, works for a publishing company, and declares herself as a hopelessly single woman in her thirties. However, throughout the film Bridget enters a love triangle involving Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy (played by Hugh Grant and Colin Firth) who just so happen to be extremely successful and extremely good-looking men. If you look around the Forum you will see many haircuts reminiscent of Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones…

The film is a masterpiece. The opening of Bridget sat alone belting out Jamie O’Neal’s ‘All By Myself’ whilst listening to ‘Sad FM, easy listening for the over 30s’ is iconic to say the least. I’m sure many of us, though we dare not admit, have all sat alone in our rooms belting out a bit of ‘All By Myself’ — there is no shame in it and Bridget embraces this. What I love most is that it’s a realistic account of the ups and downs of trying to fall in love. It’s also hilarious and often Bridget uses humour to deflect the pressure placed upon men and women in their thirties when it comes to finding a relationship. I think everyone can relate to Bridget. It has it all: brilliantly pathetic fight scenes all the way to blue soup. You can’t help but love it. Therefore, I leave you with advice of Bridget’s. If you are looking to find someone this Valentine’s, ensure to avoid: “Alcoholics, workaholics, commitment-phobics, peeping toms, megalomaniacs, emotional f**kwits or perverts”. You can’t go wrong…

Niall O’Mara

this episode of Black Mirror drives is to what extent we should still value subjective human choice. I believe that the ability to call someone your ‘soulmate’ based purely on your own experience should be protected. Why should we be looking for technology and algorithms to reaffirm our compatibility with someone? Why can’t we simply feel connected to another human being?

The positive impact this algorithm has on Frank and Amy is admirable, but the message I took from ‘Hang the DJ’ lies more with Coach’s ‘Everything happens for a reason’. Instead of their real-life counterparts, it is the simulated Frank and Amy that shows us true connection can only be determined by us. Instead of searching for the immediate ‘perfect’ algorithm created partner, perhaps we should trust our own instincts.

Letters to Juliet

WHEN I need an easy, heartwarming rom-com, Letters to Juliet never fails to deliver in comfort. The story follows Sophie, an aspiring US journalist who goes on holiday to Verona with her fiancée. Although love may be lacking between the two, she soon finds an old, hidden love letter from 1957, buried within a Veronese courtyard, seeking Juliet’s advice. She quickly replies to the letter’s author, Claire, which sets off a journey in which Sophie discovers what a love like Juliet’s really feels like. With the movie being centred around romance, one cannot ignore the much-loved ‘enemies to lovers’ trope which shapes the narrative, as Sophie comes to fall in love with ‘British Charlie’, the grandson of Claire. Yet, what makes this movie truly special to me is its focus on reuniting Claire with her childhood love Lorenzo. Although 50 years have passed, and she is not the same girl she used to be, the movie shows that grand love stories are not exclusive for the young, and that it is never too late to find someone to share your life with. This differs from typical rom-coms, which neglect to explore love found later in life, securing this movie as a hidden gem. To top it off, it is set in Verona: the birthplace of Juliet Capulet. This beautiful and romantic scenery is the perfect backdrop for a story seeking to bring star-crossed lovers back together. It makes anyone believe in fate, even amidst some cheesy dialogue. Alongside providing an easy escape to the hot country of Italy, it is perfect for a Valentine’s winter watch. Although it has an arguably unrealistic plot, its references to Shakespeare’s play ensure that anytime I watch it, I walk away believing in true love.

Emma Kennedy

IN an age where your mobile phone is your closest companion and technology is the ruling dictator of society, it would only be logical that we would find our future partner on our devices. Whether you’re swiping for the sheer hilarity or actually hoping to connect with someone, there is an abundance of discussion over the use of dating apps and whether they’re matchmakers or timewasters.

Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are some of the most popular dating apps available to us. They display hundreds of (supposedly) single people, and we are at liberty to discard or approve of whoever we want. A majority of this selection is, undoubtedly, based on first looks, with some refusing to delve deeper into a profile if the first picture doesn’t ‘scratch their itch’. This is just one of the toxic attributes of dating apps: the superficiality. And even if you do match with someone, there is the awkward moment of starting a conversation with someone you have never met before. Sure, it’s just like going to a bar and walking up to a stranger, but, with texting, there