After watching about ten different “Black Mirror” episodes in total from different seasons on Netflix, the idea that technology will eventually change us all seems disturbing and undesirable. If you haven’t heard of “Black Mirror”, it is a British science fiction television series; the storylines explore society and the effects that modern technology has on them. Some episodes are dark and sometimes seem incredibly farfetched for human beings to ever allow and accept, but further close examination also shows that in reality in more than one way, we are already heavily influenced by technology and to some extent the feeling of co-dependence that we experience is just the beginning.
It is almost as if our brains have adjusted to a new pattern of thinking and prioritizing. Who would have imagined 20 years ago that we would have been walking around video recording everything, no matter how meaningless, to share with the world?
This week, H&M made headlines for using a black child model to advertise a hoodie with the words, ‘Coolest Monkey in the Jungle’. While I was deeply disappointed with the poor choice that has racial undertones, I automatically knew that in the end H&M would suffer very little if at all.
We live in a world where daily controversial news has become such a norm that it has altered the way we process it. While some forget because of the outpouring of content up for consumption, some view protesting in any form against these big international brands pointless because of the way capitalism works.
Think about it, will we really be bothered with this when the next idiotic tweet from US President Donald Trump surfaces? Or the next sexual assault scandal rocks Hollywood or a high school for that matter? On the other hand, what about the cash-strapped graduate fresh out of university trying to find his/her best gear for a job interview? Do you think he or she will be guided by price or conscience when it comes to buying from H&M?
The truth is that we live in a world where ‘mistakes’ like this are usually just publicity stunts to rack up mileage. Unfortunately, it proves the saying: ‘good publicity, bad publicity, it’s all just publicity’. While it has become difficult for us to stop investing in fast fashion, I also think consumers are influenced into thinking that situations like this or similar to this aren’t half as bad if endorsed by celebrities they truly admire.
While Diddy and The Weeknd, both pop culture stars, have called out H&M on its poor judgement choice, the outrage isn’t as strong as from Nicki Minaj and Naomi Campbell both of whom have been involved in recent marketing campaigns for the brand and are avid supporters of diversity and equality in the fashion industry.
We live in a world where we have become so dependent on big corporations and companies, whether for employment or cheap goods and services, that it sometimes affects how we look at situations. This is why big companies like H&M can afford to make such ‘mistakes’. They operate knowing that they truly are in control in every sense.
Where does this leave society though? The mother of the young model spoke out in favour of H&M. It seems that given the correct spin, offending someone with racial undertones is among the kind of behaviour that can be excused, resulting in it being okay for a hit and miss as such. Bear in mind too that all information we have read is likely from some sort of smart device; just another swipe of our fingers and we are ready to be consumed with the next hot topic.
I guess this one leaves our reaction to be inspiration for a next “Black Mirror” episode. It is a recurring cycle of accepted chaos, because we have become addicted to controversial consumption.
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