8 TV Shows That Aren't About What You Think

From the mind of Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror has been engaging people since it first aired in the UK. The episodic show deals with many weighty themes, but is primarily concerned with the impact technology has on every day life of humans. Episodes vary in what they explore, some are apocalyptic, like the excellent Metalhead, while others are far more concerned with the mundane encroaching of technology, such as The Entire History of You.

While technology is the series central concern, it is not entirely about it. People have the assumption that Black Mirror is 'that show which makes it out to be bad that we all look at our phones' or the 'show about how my roomba is going to kill me'. Of course it is about these things in a way, but it is also so much more.

Black Mirror's central concern is actually humanity, and that's not just because it has humans in it. Technology is a big part of the show, but it's how we interact with that technology that drives the show's differing narratives. People are bad because technology makes them bad, the technology just exacerbates human nature.

The aforementioned The Entire History of You is a good example. The episode deals with a piece of technology, eye camera that allow the user to record their interactions, but it becomes secondary to how the characters use it.

So yes, it is about how we look at our phones too much, but it also wants to know why we make that decision in the first place.