Johannesburg – South African columnist Gugu Lurie, known for his analysis of business, tech and policy, suddenly plunges into an episode of Black Mirror, where his presence relies on a monthly subscription.
It's not as far as it looks.
The dystopian anthology Black Mirror, created by Charlie Brooker, has long been a calm reflection of a society that has become obsessed with our technology.
The show, which is in its seventh season, aims to live a subscription-based life. The reality is already creeping into our everyday lives.
For people like Google, who analyze the intersection of commercial transactions and digital life, this premise hits close to home.
Subscription Trap: A Scary New Regular
From streaming services to AI-powered apps, subscriptions have become the backbone of modern capitalism.
But what happens if the survival itself is paywalled?
Netflix's latest episode of Black Mirror, “Common People,” explores this horror at a price through Amanda, a woman whose consciousness is preserved by the MedTech Company.
As the costs of her subscription skyrocket, she and her husband spiral into despair, exposing the inhuman side of the “everything as a service” model.
Will Gugu, a commentator of the African tech boom, find himself in a similar dystopia?
Imagine his premium insights locked behind an escalate paywall. His autonomy was eroded by corporate algorithms.
That's a scary idea – but the Black Mirror has to stand up to us.
Warning for the Digital Future of South Africa
With the growth of fintech and subscription economy, South Africa is not immune.
As businesses drive rental models through ownership from automobiles to cloud storage, the risk of exploitation increases.
Gugu's writing often highlights the dynamics of the unequal power of technology. What if the next step is literally human commercialization?
The latest season of Black Mirror on Netflix may not break new ground, but the message is urgent. We must resist removing convenience at will.
One thing is for sure, in a world where even life is subscription-based, we all missed payments away from disaster.
In Black Mirror's “The General People” (Season 7), Rivermind transforms Amanda into a human advertising billboard as part of an escalating subscription model.
How does this work:
Amanda's dark monetization of Rivermind
The First Promise – Rivermind stores Amanda's consciousness digitally, allowing her to “live” despite her terminal illness. Subscription Pressure – When costs rise, Amanda's service tier drops, forcing them to blow random ads across random products. Dehumanization accomplice – Her husband, Mike, must perform humiliating acts on the livestream platform (Dumdummies) and earn a “Lux” pass. The final horror – the ads get in the way, with Amanda begging for euthanasia and highlighting the way businesses monetize human suffering.
Black mirrors are exaggerated, but the core fear – high-tech turns people into profit streams – is already here (e.g. data mining, microtransactions).
Rivermind is a logical extreme.
Check out the black mirror trailer below
*This article was first published in our sister publication techfinancials.co.za
