YOU HAVE BEEN WEIGHED, YOU HAVE BEEN MEASURED AND YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND WANTING …

(Image: Netflix)

Ever worried about how long it takes for your posts to get a ‘like’ on Facebook? Or felt uneasy about how much you care? Have you found yourself mentally squirming at the tit-for-tat nature of liking and following people on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you might want to hunt down Nosedive. Nosedive is part of Netflix’s Black Mirror series and it gives a glimpse of how life could be for a society that has become obsessed with social media. It’s a world where people’s individual ratings (a score out of five) can be viewed and influenced by anyone and everyone, and it’s a world where that score really matters. Did you forget to say thanks for your coffee? The oversight could do more than just sour your soy latte. Considering complaining about a shonky rental car? Think again, because that sniffy receptionist could really hit you where it hurts; right in the ratings. And without maintaining a good ‘score’, you could find you’ve been barred from a whole host of benefits and opportunities. Even the friends you choose to hang out with can influence your score, so heaven forbid you’re ever seen with the wrong (low-rated) sorts of people. It’s not just about having friends; it’s about having the right (highly-rated) types of friends. Unpopularity, it turns out, can be contagious in a ratings-and-reviewing society.

Like a cross between Pleasantville and The Truman Show, Nosedive holds a mirror up to us as if to say, ‘is this really the sort of world you want to live in?’ It makes for mesmerising, uncomfortable viewing - but for anyone willing to look up from their devices long enough to watch it, it’s also very funny, and offers an eye-popping glimpse into a worryingly imaginable abyss. Five stars 😉 …