Joan is Awful: Who Owns the Remote? (2/5)
Series Note: This is the second installment in a 5-part series inspired by the Black Mirror episode “Joan Is Awful.”
If you missed Blog 1, we explored how technology, profit-driven content, and perception can turn anyone into a villain—without their knowledge or consent.
In this piece, we dive deeper by asking four fundamental questions that emerged from that narrative. These aren’t just hypotheticals—they’re realities many of us are living without realizing it.
1. Who Owns the Remote—Us or Them?
The Illusion of Control
Every time I pick up the TV remote, I feel a strange irony. I think I’m in control—but am I really? Often, I don’t even know what I want to watch. As soon as I switch on the screen, I’m flooded with content recommendations from all directions. Even when I start with a clear intent, I somehow end up somewhere else entirely.
The Trap of Suggested Content
It’s like these screens are laying carefully curated traps. After watching what’s “recommended,” I often feel drained, misled, or even manipulated. Why? Because the remote no longer serves us—we now serve it. We’ve confused the ability to press buttons with the power to make conscious choices.
Reclaiming Intent
Real control comes from intent. Unless we reclaim that, the remote—and everything it connects us to—will keep programming us.
2. Are We Living in the Real World or the Reel World?
A Deepening Divide
We’re more polarized today than ever before. Under the same roof, family members can hold opposing beliefs so intense that they struggle to share a meal, let alone a conversation. This wasn’t always the case.
The New Influence: Algorithms
Previously, our opinions evolved over time—shaped by books, people, and real-life experience. Today, the narrative is written by invisible hands: algorithms that feed us a steady diet of curated information. These systems understand our psychology with unnerving precision and reinforce our existing biases, often without us even noticing.
From Curiosity to Conviction
What begins as a casual click becomes a rabbit hole. The algorithm confirms our doubts, amplifies our beliefs, and cements our worldview. It doesn’t show us the whole picture—just the part that keeps us watching. In the process, the line between truth and illusion fades.
3. Are “Terms & Conditions” Even Real?
The Great Legal Lie
Let’s be honest—no one reads terms and conditions. They’re written in dense legalese, impossible to digest, and designed more to protect corporations than inform users.
The Hidden Clause
T&Cs fulfill a legal obligation but rarely a moral one. In “Joan Is Awful,” both Joan and Salma Hayek fall into a trap hidden in plain sight. They unknowingly agree to surrender their digital likeness—simply by clicking “Accept.” Sound familiar?
Unread = Unfair
The problem isn’t just complexity—it’s intent. Important details are buried because the system expects you not to read them. When terms are unreadable by design, consent becomes meaningless.
4. Are Regulations Keeping Up with Technology?
The Promise of Protection
Governments are meant to protect citizens. But can they protect us from something they don’t fully understand?
The Perpetual Lag
By the time lawmakers react to a new threat, the technology has already evolved into something else. The system is inherently reactive, not proactive. This delay exposes users to harm—often before regulations even begin to form.
You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.
When Convenience Turns Dangerous
Take targeted advertising. It begins with convenience—better product suggestions, more relevant content. But it ends with invisible manipulation: search results tailored to shift your opinion, purchase decisions influenced by psychological profiling, and news feeds designed to enrage or polarize.
Closing Thoughts: The Silent Takeover
None of these questions have simple answers—but they all point to a common truth: we’re living in a world that’s quietly being shaped for us, not by us. And unless we pause to reflect, we may lose our agency without even noticing.
In Blog 3, we’ll shift the lens to who exactly is building this world behind the curtain—and why ethical frameworks, not just innovation, must guide their choices. We'll explore what both governments and companies can (and should) do to protect us.
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I love black mirror. Everything they put out there is on point and so creatively portrayed. Thanks for putting this together.
Not only that we’re not in control, we’ve started either not to care or even enjoy letting the “remote” take over, so we don’t have to make the effort ourselves. We’re lazy creatures, always chasing comfort. Really interesting piece, great food for thought!