Black Mirror’s “Hang the DJ” episode is one of the few episodes on the science fiction show that addresses romance. Like all other episodes on this show, human existence is peppered with tech that can either define or kill us. For Black Mirror, no topic or theme is sacred and as we have more people attempting to find love on dating apps, the show creating an episode that features the amalgamation of technology and dating is not unexpected but rather a great commentary on how technology can facilitate finding love.
“Hang the DJ” features a high-powered dating tech which pairs the characters togethers; and with the help of AI, they know how long they have together. Times range from 12 hours to days, creating a sense of doom over the end of a relationship even when things seem to be going great. This episode manages to shed light on the uncertainty that can come with dating, while also highlighting just how much technology and data are increasingly becoming a part of our romantic lives.
Is Black Mirror’s Take On Online Dating Accurate?
This episode does fail to accurately portray online dating by integrating technology that can predict the success of your relationship to numbers as high as 98%. Online dating as it is currently practiced is enshrined in the technology that puts all the decisions in the hands of users. Swipe right for yes, swipe left for no and every decision made after that is dependent on those who use this technology. “Hang the DJ” has technology that takes several data points of both participants long before they even meet and in seconds runs scenarios that test the required qualities in each person to see how compatible they are before they make the decision to actually date.
What Black Mirror gets right with this episode in regard to online dating is the fear and anxiety that come with meeting someone new. Wondering if your best foot is actually the foot you should be putting forward. Fearing that you might not like them and worse, they might not like you. “Hang the DJ” is a commentary on what dating in the modern age looks like with the proliferation of dating apps and the jadedness that comes with serial dating. The complex issues that accompany forming relationships, even over the internet, while still battling issues of love are ageless and have existed for as long as we have known the subject.
How Plausible Is Black Mirror’s Dating Tech In Real Life?
Black Mirror’s dating tech is very plausible in real life. It is important to note that the technology in the “Hang the DJ” episode, like in many of the other episodes in Black Mirror, is very speculative and does not currently exist. However, there has been an uptick in AI solutions, with pictures, videos, text and speech. Also, data on individual behaviours are already used for things like targeted ads. Creating the dating tech that is used in “Hang the DJ” is only a few steps from combining AI, machine learning and ad curation to determine romantic compatibility.
Black Mirror might be futuristic with the technology it puts in its stories, but it gets the fundamental elements of human behaviour right. At the core of it all, human beings need affection and if this show can envision a future where people with the help of technology are able to make the best possible decision when it comes to choosing a life partner, then Black Mirror fully understands online dating and its woes.
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