Semiotic representations of neoliberal dystopia in Black Mirror

Abstract

ABSTRACT Neoliberalism as phenomenon has been noted for its pervasiveness, persistence and negative impact in society. The uncertainty, pessimism and tension associated with neoliberal societies have found expression in popular culture entertainment, more specifically in dystopic depictions of societies influenced by neoliberal logic. These dystopic presentations offer fantastical depictions as allegories, holding up our current realities for critique. While many studies have examined presentations of dystopia from various scholarly perspectives, we employ here a social semiotics approach to examine how semiotic resources are deployed in dystopic presentations of neoliberalism – neoliberal dystopia – to engender critical stances and attitudes. Using excerpts from the Netflix science fiction series Black Mirror, our study shows how combinations of semiotic resources are employed to draw critical attention to representations of neoliberal realities and society. The use of a social semiotics approach offers systematicity in the examination of representations of meaning via the utilization of established analytical frameworks, adding to already-existing commentaries on neoliberal dystopia.