If you have not seen any of Netflix' episodes of Black Mirror, stop right there and most definitely consider watching at least one episode of the series.
A fair warning: SPOILERS AHEAD
Black Mirror is a science fiction anthology television series which showcases the advancement of technology in the modern world. Each episode focuses on an aspect of the present or the near future which typically depicts the consequences of the advancing technological world and human dependency on AI, smartphones, and computers. Each episode is a standalone plotline, focusing on a specific philosophical and satirical aspect of man in relation to technological advancement.
As of writing, the series already has 4 full seasons which were released in a single day. I have been an avid fan of their work simply because it speaks to. One episode which was really worth mentioning was Black Mirror Season 4 Episode 2: Arkangel.
By definition, Arkangel, which alludes a literary homograph of the word Archangel, refers to a most powerful celestial being who is as a patron of protection and safety
This episode is about a mother and her daughter who consents to an experimental program which allows access to a person's visual fields and projected into a mobile device. It also comes with it an added security feature giving the device control over what a person can see or hear. With the advent of technology improving surveillance and security features, the episode invites us to a convoluted thought of being able to see through a person's perspective with the use of a specialized device. It brings us to an imminent possible reality of immense censorship and disregard of individual privacy.
Being a member of the healthcare profession, versed with experience in clinical practice, bio-ethical principles and maternal-parental concepts, which were depicted in the episode, I was filled with much enthusiasm to make remarks about the technicalities of the episode. It has some very familiar aspects which I have personal and academic encounters with.
As such, I would like to assert my personal standpoint, medical commentary, as well as literary, artistic and ethical analysis of Black Mirror Season 4 Episode 2: Arkangel
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The Prelude
The scene opens with a woman lying on the operating table, and in labor. As I was viewing this scene for the first time and knowing the caliber of literary clues Black Mirror often showcases, I immediately returned to the title - Arkangel. "What could this scene have anything to do with the title?", I thought to myself.
In this frame, we can see the basics of the operating room. The woman seems to be under epidural anesthesia, with the members of the operating team doing their jobs. The circulating nurse is beside the patient, offering emotional support as the sterile team performs their respective tasks.
Next scene cuts to a successful C-section delivery. Initially, the newborn doesn't make a loud cry. This would merit an immediate emergency response or risk the life of the child. The doctors head on to perform gentle back rubs on the baby to initiate respiration. The woman, who we later come to know as Marie, appears a bit anxious about her child's condition. Who wouldn't be? Given her inability to have a normal spontaneous delivery, it is expected of her to be flustered of the outcome of the delivery. This perfectly supports how maternal anxiety was related to her perceived self-efficacy to have normal childbirth (Humphreys, 2006).
Luckily for her, the newborn appeared to be in good condition. The child was then brought closer to Marie as she gives a sigh of relief. If I were to see this scene in the eyes of medical practice, the child should have been placed on top of her upper abdomen. In a clinical perspective, it is a recommended practice that the child has immediate skin to skin contact with the mother after delivery (Decker, 2017). This is usually done by placing a child on top of the mother's upper abdominal area. It has been evidenced to promote early breastfeeding reflex and allows transfer of good bacteria from the mother's skin to the child.
We cut to the next scene where Marie takes her already 3-year-old child to the playground. We soon find out that her child is named Sara. The frame shows a suburban street where Marie strolls along. If you look closely, you can see a dog at the back of the metal fence. As both Marie and Sara move closer, the dog angrily barks at them as if ready to attack.
The dog is integral in the storyline to relay an important theme of the episode. As the dog barks continuously, Marie is quick to shift the trolley's wheels to the sides. While it may seem like a normal thing to do, I believe this specifically conveys the concept of protection, as in the case of an angel looking after someone. Marie hastily turns her child away from a seemingly perceived harm. I say perceived, as the dog does not pose an immediate threat to both of them, seeing as how it is securely fenced. Yet Marie sees this as a threat and immediately takes action.
I would say that the first few minutes of the episode are trying to relay the protective nature of a Marie. These ages are vital development stages for her and her child and her maternal instincts are quite evident. Context clues tell us that Marie is a single mother, having no preview of a paternal figure in the episode. It is was not explored as to why this was the case but it does back up the entire idea: "Marie is a single mother in her mid 30's and is given the responsibility of raising a child alone". A study suggests that there is a greater psychosocial stress involved with single mothers (Sperlich, 2013). This level of stress greatly affects the mother's childrearing practices as well as her maternal behaviors. She appears to be doing a good job at ensuring the safety of her child.
It is apparent that Marie is very much attached to Sara. The next scene points out Marie looking intently while Sara plays around, supporting this claim of over-attachment. Her focus is disturbed when a friend of Marie talks to her, causing her to lose sight of her child. As Sara continues playing around, we are then greeted with a predictable foresight. Sara sees a cat, comes close to it and appears to be fully fascinated with it. Toddlers aged around 3-5 years old, generally have short attention spans and can shift through a task within a span of 5-10 minutes. It was perfectly normal for Sara to be distracted by the friendly nature of the cat.
Both Marie and her friend have been talking for quite some time already. After a while, she soon realizes that her child has gone missing. She looks around the area and realizes that Sara was nowhere to be found. Obviously, this stirs up a lot of emotions and apprehensions for her. She could very well be taken aback by the entire idea of losing her daughter. After all, no mother should ever have the unfortunate experience of losing a child.
With that thought in mind, her paranoia kicks in. Knowing the characteristics of Marie as a mother, it comes to no surprise that she becomes hysterical and resorts to a frantic burst of emotions. This draws attention to her as people start to help her find her child.
Fortunately enough for her, a kind man found Sara nearby. She immediately bursts into tears, grabs her child close to her as if never to let her go again. Marie then verbalizes a woeful apology to her daughter. It is becoming clear as to where this is taking us. I believe this traumatic experience merits Marie to blames herself for what has happened. Her daughter is too important for her to lose and she had to do something to make sure that her child would be within her grasp. This incident causes a shift in her behavior, making her even more vigilant towards rearing Sara.
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The Arkangel
The next scenes take us into a very relevant place. We are invited to an office of which asserts an aura of advanced technological evolution. I believe, this is where the entirety of the plot takes its first rise. If you look at the frame, you can see how Marie and Sara are comfortably seated. In front of them appears to be a company logo with the word "Arkangel".
A woman in a lab gown then approaches both of them. Though it is not implicit, it would appear that the woman was expecting them. She greets Marie with a corporate smile and mentions of an existing free trial program which is recommended for her. Marie stands up and proceeds to follow her, but with skepticism. She investigates further about the credibility of the trial program by asking if it would imply being a "lab rat" in this experiment. In defense, the woman positively responds to this.
We are then drawn into a room where Sara is fitted comfortably into a chair as a tablet is displayed in front of her. This leads me to question whether an informed consent has already been established. I mean, it would be an unwise decision for Marie to proceed with the program if she still has doubts and questions about it.
Additionally, it seems as if an unrealistic display of positive regard was shown by the woman without mention of the risks involved. I believe that the liabilities involved in the process are very much questionable and were not even mentioned to Marie and Sara as a recipient of their service. This creates a rather unethical issue and opens a series of significant implications.
The Arkangel company could face some serious lawsuits with the lack of proper legal respect for consent. Furthermore, any physical or psychological harm whether intended or not could warrant immediate civil torts filed against them. It also calls to mind whether an initial testing was done, the agencies which secure the rights of the clients and the governing body responsible for the actions of the company. These were a few of the thoughts instantly that come to my mind. Okay, so much for that.
Afterwards, we see the procedure already put into action. A metal rod injects a chip into Sara's head without slight pain or discomfort for her. Even Marie seemed rather impressed at how easy it was to implant the chip. It's really amazing thinking of the possibility of the pain level reduced with that device. As a student nurse, it gives me so much hope that medical articles such as these will be given funding by manufacturers and mass produced. I am firm that it would drastically change the common perception of getting medical lab tests done as a painful experience. Patients need this type of convenient technology which I hope to be present in the near future.
By now, the scene raises a lot of questions. What does the implant do? How will this impact Sara? I have had the same questions myself. I even began to lean forward as it seemed like a very interesting scene was coming up. The woman leaves Sara on the chair and escorts Marie to a table where she introduces an elegant-looking box.
Opening the carton reveals a handheld mobile device with a black screen. She then turns the device on showing the Arkangel logo on top of a black screen. The woman begins to touch the screen buttons and shows GPS tracking. It is comprehensible that the object being tracked is the implant now inside Sara.
Again, this has some serious ethical repercussions. Being able to see where a person is, anytime and anywhere definitely goes against the principle of privacy. How inappropriate would it be to know where a person is at the exact time one wishes for. A person needs to be granted a sense of bodily integrity and security. It is one's right to be respected of this domain, regardless of any underlying boundary. This is one of the reasons why I completely love the show. It makes it possible for us to think outside the conventions of society and allows viewers to ponder upon the moral implications of technology.
The woman then proceeds with her demonstration. She moves her finger to the other side of the screen and clicks on a button. We are directed to the device showing Sara's hematologic status. It displays her blood pressure, RBC and WBC count, serum electrolyte levels as well as basic chemistry panels including cholesterol, lipid, triglyceride and glucose levels. I highly commend the art directors for putting up a wonderfully crafted info-graphic display of laboratory values. This would prove to be a wonderful feature in hospitals someday. It would literally solve delays in planning management options for medical professionals with the lack of time needed to process diagnostic results.
I do have an issue with this one as well. Being able to see a person's laboratory values reduces a person to a mere object. The idea of this one goes against the principle of confidentiality. While Sara remains to be a minor and this confidentiality clause is delegated to her mother as a legal guardian, it is still a question of epic proportions. Furthermore, a person should not be perceived merely as an object with significant numbers with a succeeding interpretation. A person is much more than that. The show asserts us to question the value and dignity of human life.
Another important feature is the ability of the device to relay the bearer of Arkangel's optic field into the screen. I believe we can all agree that this is just ethically wrong. A person's consciousness should be subjective, in my opinion. Being able to perceive another's visual fields depletes the person of his individuality, reducing him to a mere instrument of vision. It takes away a vital component of a person - his individual perspective of the world.
And just when I thought it couldn't get any eerier, the woman provides an additional feature of Arkangel. She presents how it is possible to alter Sara's visual and auditory perception through the device
Among the multitude of features of Arkangel, this is the greatest threat to human integrity. Imagine having the ability to gain control over what another can see and not see. It is a totally bizarre thought. This situation touches the very essence of free will and the right of a person to autonomy. With respect to human dignity and existence, each one of us should be able to proclaim a domain of self-determination in our lives. An individual should be entitled to his own experiences, point of views and be in control of the free will bestowed upon him. If we take that away from someone we are merely propagating the idea that it is okay for someone to coerce you into what you have not determined for yourself. This totally raises the bar of controversy associated with the episode.
I am going to stop here for the sake of anyone who hasn't seen the episode yet. Now that we have had a grasp of the basic ethic-moral concepts of the episode, I very much encourage you to watch it for yourself and reflect on my post as you go along with the episode. I have tackled only a small portion of it and there are a lot more of these questions if you proceed to see the show for yourself.
In summary, I believe the Arkangel urges us to look beyond the device as mere advancement but allows us to see the context of technology ruling over the very essence of human dignity and life. Truly, the advent of technology gives rise to more profound ways which could be a threat to our personal integrity as human beings. But in all honesty, I believe in the strong grasp of morality that this generation has. Hopefully, answers to these questions will be given answers.
Thanks so much for reading!
Sources:
- Humphreys et al(2006). The effects of childbirth. Carrier Journal child birth. ; 44(5): Available from: - URL http:// www.find health article.com.
- Dekker, Rebecca (Oct 27, 2017). Evidence on: Skin-to-Skin Care after a Cesarean. retrieved from https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-skin-to-skin-care-after-a-cesarean/
- Sperlich, Stefanie (2003). The effect of psychosocial stress on single mothers' smoking. retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/central/docview/1466517222/B9D4CEF314F24105PQ/2?accountid=141440
- Day2DayParenting (November 7, 2013). Toddler Attention Span: How Long Should They Be Able to Focus?. retrieved from http://day2dayparenting.com/childs-attention-span-long-able-focus/
- Bremner, J.D. (December 8, 2006). Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181836/
- Dawn Demers. (n.d). The 7 Archangels and Their Meanings. http://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/angels/galleries/the-7-archangels-and-their-meanings.aspx?p=2