We asked Leeds students whether they think we are living in a Black Mirror episode

In recent years, Netflix’s ‘Black Mirror’ has been one of the most controversial and mind-blowing pop-culture series to hit our screens. Netflix's late christmas present, the highly anticipated release of 'Bandersnatch' has left many of us scratching our heads. So, we got out on to the streets of Leeds to ask students what they think, to try make some sense of it all.

China's introduction of the Zhima credit system freakishly mirrors the social credit system in Black Mirror's most famous episode 'Nosedive'. In light of this The Leeds Tab asked students:

Do you think we are living in a Black Mirror Episode?

Clarissa Mathew, Asia Pacific Studies, 2nd year

"Considering China’s doing social rating on such a large scale (nosedive), it could be the future, but the west and the east have such different viewpoints on society, so i'm not convinced we're living in that reality here in Leeds, or whether we will in the future. But I think there's a strong possibility that reliving our memories like in ‘the entire history of you’ (S1 EP.3) could definitely happen"

Halcyon Brooks-Johnson, English Lit & Language, 3rd Year

"Uber is something we have in Leeds that's quite similar to the rating system, however ideals like this could be dangerous as they make us constantly aware of ourselves and the way we are acting . This is reflected in modern day society with having to be careful what we put on social media for jobs and social insecurities or self-consciousness".

James Horrey, Sports science, 2nd Year

"I think it's plausible that we are living in a simulated reality that has been created as a social experiment by an advanced species. Elon Musk has discussed the possibility of this recently and he did not dismiss the idea of a simulated reality."

Josh Ainge, Graphic design, 2nd year

"I think we could easily be in build up or lead into a Black mirror type reality, especially with the ever prescence of artificial intelligence. I think some companies could start to produce AI that could influence the world as we know it positively/negatively."

Nathaniel Rew, Pop Music Performance, 3rd year

"Personally, I think that Black mirror is a suggestion of where the world could move to if we begin to ignore morals for the development of technology. So technically, yes, I believe we are almost in the introduction to an episode, however the show's popularity; especially amongst students can help us learn and avoid negative outcomes."

*Spoiler alert*

We then entered the debate that sent twitter in to pandemonium, is Bandersnatch good or bad?

What was your opinion of Bandersnatch?

Tom Evans, Sports science, 2nd year

"I liked the concept behind Bandersnatch, however it was poorly put together which made it far too confusing for us. I didn't like the fact that some of the choices seemed insignificant, such as what you would eat for breakfast."

Sam Baker, English Lit, 3rd year

"I thought that it was engaging, but I found making the decisions uncomfortable. I thought it explored the stress people experience from working themselves too hard, which is an interesting reflection on our daily lives, especially as students in Leeds"

Laura Smith, Art & Design, 2nd Year

"I thought that the concept of living in a game is cool considering all the different pathways and endings as well as some of the tough decisions you have to make, however like Bandersnatch, I think that in the end things are out of our control"

Nyasha, Nursing, 3rd year

"It really explored consciousness of higher control in our lives was which sort of reflects religion and the supernatural"

Gulam Ghafoor, English and History, 3rd year

"I really enjoyed the concept. Black mirror seems to go above and beyond to make every episode a new and authentic experience. However, I did feel like they forced the magical and supernatural elements of the concept a bit, particularly in the LSD scene. Despite that it definitely enhances its entertainment value and makes it a real talking point amongst students"

The Leeds Tab then created a poll, asking 30 students whether they liked Bandersnatch or not:

The 60/40 split has the students of Leeds divided but there's no doubt that the shows controversy has made it a hot topic leaving us all eagerly anticipating Black Mirror's next installment.