The Reproduction of Advertising through Algorithms: Consumption and Identity Construction in Black Mirror

Abstract

This study aims to examine the multifaceted effects of advertising in the digital age through selected scenes from seven episodes of the Black Mirror series. The research discusses how advertising operates not only as product promotion but also as a representational regime that shapes individuals' identities, social relationships, and cultural representations. The primary methodology of the study involves text analysis, focusing on the visual and discursive data of the series to analyze the function of advertising. These analyses, linked to concepts such as digital identity, impression management, attention economy, and algorithmic domination, reveal the impact of advertising on individuals. The findings demonstrate how Black Mirror not only showcases the visible aspects of advertising but also delves into how it operates through individuals' daily lives, social media interactions, and subjective worlds. In this context, the study highlights how advertising, internalized and intertwined with social relationships and emotional orientations, guides individuals. The study aims to rethink the role of advertising in modern society in light of digital capitalism and posthumanist theories. This research, through the series' multilayered critiques, explores the aesthetic, ethical, and societal dimensions of advertising.