Netflix takes Black Mirror joke to the next level

Jun 21, 2023

Music and Video

In a humorous turn of events, Netflix has embraced the satire of its own streaming platform from the first episode of "Black Mirror" Season 6, which became an internet sensation. In the spirit of the joke, Netflix has launched two websites, drawing inspiration from "Streamberry", the fictitious streaming service introduced in the series.

Netflix has recreated Streamberry.tv, mirroring the fictional site and showcasing the characters from the series. Additionally, the streaming behemoth unveiled youareawful.com, allowing users to insert their own pictures and feature in a hypothetical Streamberry show.

The first episode of "Black Mirror" featured "Streamberry" wherein Joan, a disillusioned tech firm employee portrayed by Annie Murphy, finds her life mirrored in a new TV series called "Joan is Awful," starring Salma Hayek. This parody streaming service mimics Netflix in every detail, including the user interface and the iconic "Tudum" introduction sound.

Streamberry.tv, the new promotional site, allows users to experience the fictional streaming platform, complete with title cards representing characters from earlier seasons like pop icon Ashley O (Miley Cyrus) and singing contest entrant Bing (Daniel Kaluuya). Clicking on these titles redirects users to the corresponding Netflix episodes.

On youareawful.com, fans can "register" for the service, where they are prompted to input their name and profile photo, subsequently generating a poster featuring them as the star of the next episode in the "Is Awful" series.

However, echoing a lesson from the "Black Mirror" episode, users should be cautious and read the small print. Before submitting a selfie, the website cautions that the picture "may end up on a billboard," and users must agree to "Netflix's use of my image for its marketing campaign." Furthermore, Netflix provides a link to the Terms and Conditions document.

This mimics a scene from the episode in which Joan's attorney informs her that her digital likeness rights were forfeited when she signed up for Streamberry. Streamberry tracks its users through their personal gadgets, enabling the platform to create a CGI series about them.

"Joan Is Awful" stirred considerable discussion this season due to its subtle jab at Netflix, coupled with its commentary on artificial intelligence and the future of streaming.