4 days Ago By Shomik Sen Bhattacharjee
In Black Mirror ‘s season 7 premiere, "Common People," creators Charlie Brooker and Bisha K. Ali deliver a harrowing narrative that mirrors our escalating entanglement with subscription-based living. What To Know: The episode (spoilers ahead) follows Mike (Chris O’Dowd) and Amanda (Rashida Jones), a couple whose modest existence is upended when Amanda is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor.
Enter Rivermind, a tech firm offering a lifeline: replace the tumor with synthetic brain tissue that streams her consciousness back into her body, for a monthly fee. Initially, the subscription fee seems manageable. But as Rivermind introduces higher-priced tiers, Amanda begins involuntarily spouting advertisements, and the couple’s financial strain intensifies.
Mike resorts to degrading acts on a livestreaming platform, DumDummies, to afford temporary “Lux” passes that grant Amanda brief moments of normalcy. See also: Netflix Wants To Be The Next $1 Trillion Company, Analyst Highlights Growth Path Ultimately, Amanda, desiring an end to her fragmented existence, asks Mike to euthanize her during one of her ad-induced blackouts. The episode concludes with Mike preparing for a final, desperate act, underlining the devastating toll of commodified survival.
Why It Matters: Brooker describes the ending to Entertainment Weekly as "particularly chilling," highlighting the inescapable grip of profit-driven systems on personal lives. The episode’s critique extends beyond fictional tech, reflecting real-world trends: Netflix NFLX recently raised its standard ad-free plan to $17.99, and Apple AAPL increased its monthly AppleCare+ fees for iPhones.
These incremental hikes exemplify how popular services are increasingly gated behind paywalls, turning basic needs into premium commodities. "Common People" serves as a reminder of the human cost embedded in our subscription-saturated society, where the line between necessity and luxury blurs, and the price of survival continues to climb. Read next: Bearish Analyst Regrets Not Upgrading Netflix To Buy In 2023 Photo courtesy: Shutterstock Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock – anytime.
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