Facebook’s name change to ‘Meta’ draws comparisons to ‘Black Mirror’ online
Dystopian science fiction series Black Mirror is trending online following the announcement that Facebook changed the name of its parent company to "Meta" on Friday (Oct. 29).
Facebook recently held a Connect event, where the company presented its vision of metaverse to the public, where it aims to unite augmented reality (AR) and virtual (VR) technologies in the physical environment.
According to Meta's Twitter account, the metaverse is "the next evolution of social connection" where everyone around the world will be able to "socialize, learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what’s possible today."
The metaverse is the next evolution of social connection. It's a collective project that will be created by people all over the world, and open to everyone. You’ll be able to socialize, learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what’s possible today. pic.twitter.com/655yFRm8yZ
— Meta (@Meta) October 28, 2021
Sound familiar?
As netizens are pointing out, the whole concept sounds like we’ve just endered the latest dark episode of Black Mirror.
This is how the first chapter of Black Mirror looks like: pic.twitter.com/8HHO1Sj7hB
— Best Vision TV (@Bestvisiontv) October 28, 2021
Individual episodes of Black Mirror, created and written by Charlie Brooker, are known for blending technology with The Twilight Zone concepts, often showing near-future dystopias or dark alternative presents and how technology affects social issues.
Black Mirror’s metaverse is often portrayed as a fully immersive online realm that looks similar to the real world but is computer generated.
This new episode of Black Mirror seems interesting #meta #metaverse pic.twitter.com/TRdXUX2uJ1
— Art by Crea ? (@ArtbyCrea) October 28, 2021
I didn't realize that #BlackMirror was launching a new season #Metaverse https://t.co/q2lzFSnqUZ
— That Dude's Mother ? (@ThatDudesMother) October 29, 2021
If there was a black mirror doomsday clock, we are five minutes from midnight. #BlackMirror #meta #SoMeta https://t.co/gIw8WVlsbG
— Soodism (@saurabhsood) October 29, 2021Seriously, we’ve all seen Black Meta… Whoops! I mean Black Mirror https://t.co/QF8l7EE0wM
— Clara Rose (@ClaraRoseKeen) October 29, 2021
In the Black Mirror episode "Playtest," an American traveling in London reviews an upcoming horror augmented reality game which ends up accessing his brain and targeting his fears.
Another episode, "15 Million Merits," is set in a world where most of society must cycle on exercise bikes in order to earn currency called "merits" for real life transactions.
In "Striking Vipers," old friends reconnect over a virtual reality fighting game and end up having an affair virtually through their avatars.
The concept of the metaverse was first popularized in the 1992 science-fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson to refer to a digital universe that can be accessed through virtual reality.
Facebook’s "Meta" has also drawn comparisons to other works of science fiction, such as the Matrix films, Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One based on the novel by Ernest Cline, and video game application Second Life, among others.
In case you haven't watched it yet, all five seasons of Black Mirror are currently streaming on Netflix.