The black mirror

I’m glad to be here at this very moment – it gives me a chance to fill your head with ideas and alter your perception of a few things and possibly your perception altogether. 

Today, I want to discuss a personal irritant of mine that unfortunately has become an integral part of our everyday reality: the black mirror. 

Society is enamored with the concept – the black mirror is often hung on the wall and finds itself at the focal point of most rooms it occupies. At first, its reflection was square and barely in focus, but now it’s sleek and highly defined.  

Its most ingenious (albeit tragic) characteristic, however, is its powerful ability to show you whatever you want to see – the news, the game, the weather, celebrity gossip, cartoons – whatever gets your endorphins flowing. It’s a relentless attack on the two senses – hearing and sight – that we remember the most. 

Endless commentary and commercials resonate from the black mirror’s speakers and reverberate in your head, filling it with the ideals and ideas of others – regardless of whether or not you care about the things being told and sold.

A reflection of society is shown, capitalizing on the trends and topics that are popular at the time, because everyone that decides to advertise or run a program on it is trying to appeal to the masses or at least a certain demographic.

In fact, some people’s occupation is to monitor what people want to see when they gaze and analyze their demographics – age, ethnicity, gender, you name it. Once compiled, broadcasters use this data to better reflect what the masses want to see. 

The black mirror is obviously a large influence for a number of people and society as a whole, but just how large of a role does it play in your life?

Think about how often you stop and stare – when you walk into a restaurant, a building on campus, or even your own home; the black mirror is always just kind of there – showing you what to think and what to believe; what to buy, where to invest; what’s fashionable, what’s tacky; who to vote for, and which issues are important this time around.

Although you hold the remote in your hand, are you really in control?

I know you think you can think for yourself, but (to paraphrase Win Butler) every time you so much as glance at the black mirror you take in a worldview that differs – slightly or greatly – from your own, absorbing ideas that alter the way you define your reality. 

Some people hang on every word and laud its reflection as if it were their religion and the newscaster’s script were their scripture – especially those that tune in to the major news broadcasts.  

They argue that its reflection shows an irrefutable truth, but the fact remains: the black mirror shows only what you want to see.

I know it’s easy to get lost in the glare, but there is hope after all. 

Though I despise television and hope never to see myself trapped in its box, I’ve found another way to sneak into your consciousness – by putting my mind down on paper for you to read. 

We all have an inner voice – it provides a running commentary for us as we live our lives, making observations, cracking jokes, and taking note of the things our egos deem important. 

You can especially hear it when doing math in your head or reading the newspaper to yourself (hint, hint). 

The best part about being a writer is that I can organize and take control of my voice, all the while taking control of your voice. 

You and I must be thinking alike if we’re having a conversation without a single spoken word.

The people that know me can close their eyes and picture me talking to them because you don’t see with your eyes – you perceive with your mind. 

Our minds are powerful enough to show us whatever we want to see – it’s almost as if on the back of our eyelids exists a black mirror; and the ideas, thoughts, and imagery that we carve into that mirror while pondering, imagining, or dreaming can be just as vivid as anything seen on T.V.

Your ideas make you who you are, so think for yourself. 

Otherwise, “who you are” will be defined by your parents, friends, or a puppet in a box.  

Reflect on that.