Essay Prompt:
In an age where everyone is a content creator, where every emotion is a post-in-waiting, and every misstep is a potential viral catastrophe, the line between person and persona has nearly vanished. Jonathan Haidt warns that social media has made us tribal, shallow, and intellectually brittle—undermining not only democracy, but the very idea of coherent selfhood. Sherry Turkle argues we’ve traded genuine connection for curated performances and validation loops. And Black Mirror doesn’t just agree—it dramatizes the fallout.
In episodes like “Joan Is Awful,” “Nosedive,” “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” “Fifteen Million Merits,” and “Smithereens,” we see characters whose identities are warped by algorithmic feedback, whose humanity is buried beneath branding, and who ultimately implode or rebel in a world that demands constant performance.
Write an argumentative essay in which you compare at least two of the episodes listed above and answer the following question:
To what extent do these episodes portray the erosion of individuality and authenticity as a byproduct of a culture that prizes digital approval, self-commodification, and frictionless identity performance?
In your response, engage directly with the ideas in Haidt’s essay “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid” and Turkle’s TED Talk “Alone, together?” Your goal is to analyze how the fictional worlds of Black Mirror reflect real-world social and psychological consequences of becoming less human and more “user.”
You may use additional sources (films, essays, or cultural events) as long as they support your central argument.
Here’s a 9-paragraph outline and 3 sample thesis statements to help your students shape a high-impact, layered essay in response to the prompt.
Three Sample Thesis Statements:
In “Joan Is Awful” and “Nosedive,” Black Mirror dramatizes how the pursuit of algorithmic approval transforms individuals into brands, eroding authenticity and leaving behind soulless performers. Echoing Haidt’s warning about tribalism and Turkle’s critique of digital self-curation, the episodes show that in a culture obsessed with likes and curated identities, true individuality becomes not only obsolete, but dangerous.
By comparing “Fifteen Million Merits” and “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” we see how identity is no longer something people develop, but something handed to them by exploitative systems of surveillance and commerce. These episodes expose the psychological costs of living in a world where being real is punished, and conformity is rewarded with fleeting visibility and hollow fame.
Black Mirror’s “Smithereens” and “Joan Is Awful” portray the modern individual as an emotionally fragmented user, not a self-possessed person—helplessly addicted to validation and enslaved to platforms that monetize attention. As Haidt and Turkle argue, these systems don’t merely reflect culture—they reshape it, creating citizens incapable of reflection, connection, or rebellion without first asking: Will this get engagement?
9-Paragraph Essay Outline
Paragraph 1 – Introduction:
- Hook: Begin with a startling claim or image—e.g., “We are all influencers now, even if our only follower is despair.”
- Context: Briefly introduce the concept of the curated digital self, referencing Haidt and Turkle.
- Thesis: Clearly state which two episodes will be analyzed and what claim will be argued about how these stories reflect the erosion of selfhood in the age of social media.
Paragraph 2 – Theoretical Framework:
- Summarize Haidt’s key claim: social media has created performative tribalism, incentivized outrage, and weakened rational discourse.
- Summarize Turkle’s central idea: digital platforms offer connection, but at the cost of solitude, authenticity, and deep relationships.
- Link: Tie both thinkers together as diagnosing a common malaise: the death of the coherent self.
Paragraph 3 – Episode #1 Summary and Setup:
- Provide a concise summary of the first episode (e.g., “Joan Is Awful”), focusing on its dystopian conceit.
- Identify the episode’s central character and their arc of performative self-destruction.
- Set up the lens: how does this character embody Performatosis, Ozempification, or the death of the self?
Paragraph 4 – Analysis of Episode #1:
- Explore how this episode critiques self-commodification and algorithmic identity.
- Use evidence: visuals, plot points, dialogue, and character breakdowns.
- Link back to Haidt and Turkle: how is Joan (or Lacie, or Ashley) a product of the world they describe?
Paragraph 5 – Episode #2 Summary and Setup:
- Do the same for the second episode (e.g., “Nosedive” or “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too”).
- Focus on the world-building and social dynamics that force characters into identity performances.
- Establish a comparative through-line with Episode #1.
Paragraph 6 – Analysis of Episode #2:
- Dive into the second episode’s emotional, rhetorical, and visual critiques of tech-mediated identity.
- Highlight how the character loses or fights to reclaim their “real” self.
- Use Haidt and Turkle again to frame how this is not sci-fi, but a dramatization of reality.
Paragraph 7 – Comparison and Synthesis:
- Put the two episodes in conversation. How do they complement or complicate each other?
- Are there differences in how rebellion, autonomy, or collapse are portrayed?
- Use this space to sharpen the argument: what do these episodes teach us collectively about selfhood?
Paragraph 8 – Counterargument and Rebuttal:
- Acknowledge a counterpoint: some might argue technology enhances individuality (more expression, more connection).
- Rebut it: argue that quantity of expression ≠ depth, and curated personas replace real relationships with “brand management.”
- Support rebuttal with examples from both episodes or real-world trends (e.g., TikTok burnout, online cancel culture).
Paragraph 9 – Conclusion:
- Reiterate the thesis with more urgency.
End with a warning or a call to action: reclaim your glitch. Resist the algorithmic seduction. Stop performing.
Cinemorphosis 