TV-Narcissism is a soft sort of metafiction which simply consist of telling a story about the journalistic world or about a world where audiovisual products (TV, cameras, smart-phones, etc.) are elaborated. We can see how the narratives that we usually consume as true are constructed. Black Mirror is a perfect example of TV-Narcissism

1. Professor: Jorge Martínez Lucena

2. Metafiction
Metafiction “is the literary term describing
fictional writing that self-consciously and
systematically draws attention to its status
as an artifact in posing questions about the
relationship between fiction and
reality, usually using irony and selfreflection” (Wikipedia)
There are very different ways to produce this
awareness in the spectator.

3. Metafiction
Let’s see some examples of metafiction:
The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6NNGxVt7h4
Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8eQ55lzNhA
The Matrix (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-rKWkVecJ4
House of Cards (Netflix, 2013-):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULwUzF1q5w4
(breaking of the fourth wall)

4. TV-Narcissism
TV-Narcissism is a soft sort of metafiction
which simply consist of telling a story
about the journalistic world or about a
world where audiovisual products (TV,
cameras, smart-phones, etc.) are
elaborated.
We can see how the narratives that we
usually consume as true are constructed.

5. TV-Narcissism
- Broadcast News (James L. Brook, 1987)
- Studio 60 (2006-2007):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zyOhZsvIzI&l
ist=PLCROIdZh_t3JmAE_11GvWkMaAK7HNKPEi
- Network, un mundo implacable (Sydney
Lumet, 1976):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_qgVn-Op7Q
- The Newsroom (2012-):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0QbkfibYcI

6. TV-Narcissism in Episode 1.1.
- The royal kidnapping is announced through Youtube.
- The princess who is hijacked is called “the Facebook
Princess” because she is a beloved celebrity.
- The demands of the artist-terrorist have to do with
broadcasting certain images.
- The terrorist’s artwork is successful thanks to some
predictable behaviors (by politicians, the journalistic
industry and spectators).
- The terrorist can manipulate people using emotions
audiovisually (PM causes princess pain)
- The police cannot catch the terrorist because of
exhibitionism (journalism + social network)
- During the episode we are shown to several moments
when the telly seems to be the master that must be
followed (hospital, politicians, journalists, pubs, empty
streets, etc.)

7. TV-Narcissism in Episode 1.1.
In this case TV-Narcissism clearly accomplishes its function: to
make the spectator aware of his weaknesses and to declare that
the world we are talking about is our real world.
In fact, we deplore the spectators in the show as they watch kinky
images while we are doing the same thing; watching not only how
they are watching bestiality but some limited cuts of the awful act
as well.

8. TV-Narcissism in Episode 1.1.
Similarities between reality and the world portrayed
in this episode:
• TV and the internet world is more interesting
than the ordinary world (empty street)
• TV is the measurement of the reality. In order to
know if something that appears on the web is
true you have to check whether this piece of
news is on TV as well.
• Politicians make decisions according to their
electoral interests. Public opinion is more
relevant than justice or morality.
• There is a kind of impulse to see, a kind of
morbid fascination. Men are mesmerized by
images. They need to watch kinky scenes and hot
news instead of living their own lives (taking care
of others).

9. Democracy and the Right to See
• TV and New Technologies seem to legitimate our
screening of everything. We tend to think that we
have the right to see the intimacy of the other. Our
world is full of cameras which give us access to
every piece of information in the world.
• There is an operating unconscious imaginary which
makes us think that if we can see some supposedly
hidden or private or banned thing, we should do
that.
• We understand that this possibility -to see
everything- is something egalitarian. Access to the
images and information seems to us to be a
democratic indicator.
• Moreover, the democratic form of wisdom is the
entertaining image. The crowning moment of
democratic thinking is entertainment.

10. I Need to Show Myself
The quintessential example of this is the culture of realities and selfies
(youtube).
It is not enough to see everything. The spectator wants to appear in the screen.
He wants to show himself, his body, and his sexuality in order to exist, to be
somebody.
Only if you appear on TV, are you really a relevant human person, a celebrity.
TV is ontologically more powerful than reality.

11. Art as Social Critique
One of the functions of the art is to make society
realize its unfairness in order to improve.
The terrorist-artist who kidnaps the princess tries to
make an statement about politicians, about citizens
and about the power of the screens.
He demonstrates that:
• He can put the UK government in check easily.
• He can cheat everybody using the available
technology intelligently in order to manipulate
people through emotions.
• People don’t take into account human dignity when
the beloved celebrity is put in danger.
As he manages to make all of these particulars evident
(especially the last one), he kills himself because there
seems to be no way to escape from this unfair society.

12. Art as Critique and Entertainment
But, perhaps our situation is not hopeless.
BM 1.1. is art and entertainment at the same time. Its TV-Narcissism let us
realize that Charlie Brooker is criticizing entertainment through
entertainment (a Channel4 TV-series)