![Black Mirror | Nosedive Featurette [HD] | Netflix](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/black_mirror___nosedive_featurette__hd____netflix-4423cbdb30fd89b926927599319aebdd.jpg "Black Mirror | Nosedive Featurette [HD] | Netflix")
Today, social media is a never-ending quest for affirmation, where worth as an individual is quantified by followers, likes and comments. “Nosedive,” an episode from the third season of Black Mirror, hooked into this theme, giving a glimpse of how a person's reputation can be determined based on their online presence. It has been nearly a decade since this episode dropped in 2016. As we move forward in 2025, the issues explored in "Nosedive" about self-esteem and online identity have become even more relevant.
“Nosedive” follows a woman named Lacie Pound who is desperate to boost her social rating. Lacie lives in a world where people are rated between 0 and 5 stars by their peers, similar to how we rate drivers on Uber. The higher someone is ranked, the more valued they are in society.
Lacie resides with her brother, Ryan, but has aspirations of living in a new apartment complex, Pelican Cove, which she cannot afford. To become eligible for a discount, she must bring her social media rating up to 4.5 stars from 4.2. So Lacie works on boosting her social media persona.
She posts a picture one day of a stuffed animal she and her childhood friend, Naomi, created. Naomi ends up seeing the picture and gives Lacie a call, asking if she can be her maid of honor for her upcoming wedding. Seeing a chance to boost her social media reputation, Lacie has no problem agreeing to it. As she makes her way to the wedding, she starts losing points and discovers the cold hard truth behind social media.
In 2025, "Nosedive" remains relevant because people increasingly seek validation from social media. But the tone has shifted as technology continues to evolve.
Instead of having one single score, humans possess multiple digital identities
In today’s complex world of social media, people have multiple identities with their online presence, while in “Nosedive,” the characters only had one online identity. While social media apps like Facebook and Instagram existed when the episode was released, newer social media apps like BeReal and Threads launched later.
BeReal encourages authenticity since retakes and edits of photos are restricted. It requests users to share unfiltered photographs once a day, and users have two minutes to snap a photo with both the front camera and the rear camera. The app encourages genuineness since retakes and editing of photos are restricted.
Social media users today may have a Snapchat account to share their humorous and goofy side, their Facebook account may be more for posting family pictures, while their Instagram may feature the best versions of themselves. In “Nosedive,” there was only one main account users were able to see, and it affected their overall life.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being embraced
“Nosedive” was ahead of its time in 2016 when the episode featured a photo-stream where users can create digital copies of themselves. As artificial intelligence continues to change how humans work and live, users are finding ways to use these many AI tools in their lives, including on social media. AI has also caused issues amongst its users. Just like the two fake digital users in "Nosedive," people today have access to deepfakes, which are images, videos, or audio recordings manipulated with AI software that can contain real or fictional people.
Paying for status
In the “Nosedive” world, users could not simply pay their way to a five-star rating. Users had to work hard to achieve that status. Users in society now have multiple options to pay for their status depending on their social media platform. Social media users can now pay for a badge of verification on Instagram, Facebook, and X so they appear more credible. On Snapchat+, users can pay to boost their story.
The social media class divide is real
In “Nosedive,” there are various scenes that showed people with lower ratings having a harder time in life. Chester, who dropped to a lower rating, cannot get into his building for work and is punished for it. When Lacie is shown trying to rent a car, higher-ranked people had an express line, and when Lacie tries to hitch a ride, users do not want to give her one due to her lower rating. Combine all of this together, and this is very similar to the world humans live in today. Influencers with higher status tend to be more liked and well respected and often meet each other and associate with each other.
All in all, "Nosedive" explores the dark side of social media and technology. As social media continues to develop and with generative artificial intelligence becoming more pervasive, it is essential to rewatch "Nosedive" in order to get a better understanding of how social media is altering the world and how it affects our interactions as humans.
A new season of Black Mirror drops on Netflix on Thursday, April 10.
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