Black Mirror, Implicit Religion and the Sacralisation of Bingeing Science Fiction

Abstract

This article analyses the way in which Black Mirror's contemporary TV science fiction doesn't just infuse science fiction (SF) with a narratively supernatural force, but implicitly reflects on religious matters and even acts as a version of “implicit religion”. The author argues that Black Mirror's reception context, as a show that is frequently binged by fans, positions it in relation to experiences of the sacred within consumerist everyday life. The article also explores how Black Mirror has represented religious notions within SF as a genre, given that science fiction has arguably experienced “genre evaporation” as SF tropes and imagery have become culturally generalised. The article considers how SF and religion can intersect, drawing on a modified functionalism. Although Black Mirror might be assumed to represent a cultural moment where science fiction has collapsed as a distinctive genre, the author suggests that the series nonetheless explores forms of uncanny digital salvation and immersion, as well as ritualised uses of technology. The series may not have given rise to a “fiction-based religion” in Markus Davidsen's terms, but it nevertheless characteristically represents discourses surrounding new technology as a manifestation of implicit religion.