Davidson describes the main mechanisms of the meme. There is the manifestation, behavior, and ideal (123). The manifestation of the meme I created shows the main character Bing as he is struggling with the repetitiveness of ads and entertainment shows that consumes him. The behavior shown in this meme depicts Bing being overwhelmed by the content he is forced to watch by media providers. The background is red, showing the behavior of alert messages or instructions to continue viewing. Lastly, the ideal of this meme explains the concept of being boggled down by advertisements through media. It is rare to enjoy a media without having to endure some sort of advertisement streaming before a video, on the side of a blog, or on a Facebook timeline. These ideas are not directly stated throughout the episode of Black Mirror but still hold true to the overall message of media providers and producers forcing media consumers to survey ads frequently during their viewing experience.
When looking at digital culture today one can critique media as being a space that is no longer free of influence, manipulation, and power over its users. When listening to Spotify users are forced to listen to advertisements. Just turning down the sound too low pauses the ad and will not allow a user to continue until the full message comes to a close. Almost all YouTube videos have advertisements that must be watched for at least five seconds before skipping. Facebook has ads depending on browsing history strung along the sides of the timeline. Media producers control what media users see. Even if these users are creating their own content, advertisers will sneak their way into the viewing experience. “Fifteen Million Merits” represents that as Bing tries to overcome media producers while giving a heartfelt and original speech on a largely consumed media program. Media producers still found a way to manipulate this message and create advertisements and merchandise for media users to consume in the future.
Advertisements and being forced to listen to messages when trying to enjoy media is frustrating. The “red screen” can symbolize the pausing of a Spotify playlist or the five-second advertisements on YouTube. It is unavoidable which is why it is important to acknowledge and reflect on the idea of media consumers being literally consumed by advertising in these media spaces.