Black Mirror: Blocking
Hi There!
In this post, I would like to talk about the idea of blocking — specifically, blocking someone from calling or emailing you. I started thinking about this after watching an episode of Black Mirror. I won’t comment on movies and TV shows too often here since I want to focus on science fiction novels, but if something really captivates me, I definitely will.
I won’t explain the entire episode (if you haven’t seen Black Mirror, definitely check it out), but at the end, Jon Hamm’s character faces a criminal charge and receives a unique punishment: blocking.
What Is Blocking?
Blocking means Hamm’s character can’t see anyone. Instead, he only sees the forms of people completely blocked out in red. He can’t see anyone, hear anyone, or talk to anyone. Every interaction becomes impossible. And when others look at him, they see the same thing, marking him as a criminal. A special chip implanted in everyone’s eye enables this blocking mechanism.
This episode takes the concept of blocking a phone number or email address to the extreme. You can even block a single person this way. But right now, I’m more interested in how this translates into a sentence. Let’s break it down.
The Modern Justice System
Today, when someone commits a crime, they are sent to jail. This restricts their freedom of movement and limits interaction with friends and family. And solitary confinement imposes an even harsher restriction on human interaction.
(You don’t need to be in jail to face movement restrictions, though. Under Communist Hungary, for example, you were only allowed to leave the country once every two years.)
So, the basic punishment today is restriction of movement and removal from society. But even in prison, you can interact with other people. And there’s always the hope of reintegration into society.
The Future Justice System: Eternal Solitary
In Black Mirror, blocking doesn’t restrict movement—it restricts interaction. This creates a different version of solitary confinement. For all intents and purposes, you are the only person on the planet if you’re blocked. Movement becomes meaningless. Without the ability to interact, you can’t buy a bus ticket, go to a restaurant, board a plane, etc.
I wonder how much the show’s writers thought through blocking? If you can’t interact withy anyone, how could you even buy groceries? Of course, most supermarkets have self-checkout now, so everyday items would still be available to you.
Then there’s work. You wouldn’t be able to have a regular job that required you to physically go into a workplace and interact with your colleagues. But presumably you would still need money to buy your necessities? Otherwise, being allowed to remain “in society” wouldn’t make sense.
I’m also curious how blocking would affect TV and movies. Would the restriction extend beyond real-life interactions to screens as well? What about computers? Streaming might be blocked, but reading, writing, or using Excel might still remain.
One upside would be the ability to go outside for a walk anytime, anywhere. So cabin fever wouldn’t be an issue. But still, this punishment guarantees a profoundly lonely existence—think I Am Legend levels of isolation.
The Ultimate Punishment
Blocking seems far worse than simply restricting movement or removing someone from society. I’ve never been to jail, but knowing myself, I’d probably lose my mind in record time if I couldn’t interact with anyone ever again.
The more I think about it, the scarier it seems. Solitude has its benefits, but humans are social animals. A lifetime of forced isolation would drive anyone to madness. Especially blocking. So close to others, yet so far away.
*shudders*
What do you think about the blocking in Black Mirror? Leave your comments below!