The Pathology of Digital Development and the Erosion of Cultural Diversity: A Dystopian Analysis of Black Mirror via Byung-Chul Han’s Psychopolitics
Subject Areas :
Mohammad Moein Jabbari
1
*
,
علیرضا صیاد
2
1 - Faculty of Cinema and Theater, Iran University of Art.
2 - Faculty of Cinema and Theater, Iran University of Art
Keywords: Cultural Development, Byung-Chul Han, Black Mirror, Transparency Society, Psychopolitics, Achievement Subject, Social Development.,
Abstract :
This article aims to investigate the cultural and social implications of rapid digital development by analyzing the series Black Mirror through the philosophical framework of Byung-Chul Han. The central inquiry focuses on how the “Transparency Society” and the logic of neoliberal psychopolitics challenge the foundations of authentic cultural development and lead to the “Erosion of the Other.” By examining selected episodes such as “Nosedive” and “The Entire History of You,” this study argues that the digitalization of everyday life has given rise to the “Achievement Subject”—individuals who, under an illusion of freedom, engage in self-exploitation and sacrifice stable social bonds for efficiency and quantitative ratings. The findings reveal that technological development, in the absence of ethical and cultural reflection, has resulted in “Positive Violence.” In this state, as the boundary between private and public spheres dissolves, “negativity” and cultural differences are replaced by the “Aesthetics of the Smooth” and mass homogenization. Within this context, Black Mirror is analyzed not merely as a science-fiction work, but as a sociological warning regarding the crisis of “psychic exhaustion” and the decay of the social fabric. The article concludes that sustainable cultural development in the digital age necessitates a re-evaluation of the concept of transparency and the reclaiming of the right to secrecy and mystery against algorithmic dominance, thereby enabling the restoration of authentic human experiences and the acceptance of “the Other.”
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