Netflix viewers have been left 'freaking out' after watching the first episode of the new Black Mirror series. "Joan Is Awful" has prompted many viewers to rethink how quickly they accept the terms and conditions of a service without reading them after watching the episode.
Independent online casino reviewer Casino Alpha discovered that searches for "Netflix terms and conditions" soared by 1,524 per cent right after the release of Black Mirror's new season. This is the highest level of interest that Netflix's T&Cs have sparked worldwide within the past five years.
The first episode of the sixth season of Black Mirror, released on June 16, is called "Joan is Awful". It features a dramatic situation that resulted from a common everyday mistake - accepting the terms and conditions of an online service without reading them.
Netflix shortly released the "You Are Awful" experience which resulted in numerous images of participants being used in billboards across the UK, much to their surprise. The participants had agreed to a set of extreme terms and conditions, including the use of their image, name and even olfactory and thermal information.
Immediately after the release of the new season of Black Mirror, people in the UK showed an especially high interest in knowing more about Netflix's terms and conditions, followed by those in Australia and the US. According to CasinoAlpha.ie, within just 80 hours of the release of the new Black Mirror season, 596 per cent more people searched for "Netflix terms and conditions" on Google.
The spike continued the following week until it reached a five-year high, soaring to 1,524 per cent. Many people have taken to social media to share their concern after watching the episode.
EahHahn0 tweeted: "Everyone going to read Netflix’s terms and conditions after watching Joan is awful #BlackMirror." Darrenthemuse wrote: "Me looking at Netflix's terms and conditions after watching the new black mirror episode #BlackMirror6."
Jiminspogosick admitted: "The first episode of black mirror is making me want to read my Netflix terms and conditions bc this is insane." Brgsjks said: "Black Mirror S6 E1 is basically The Matrix, but more terrifying and more realistic.
"Moral of story: Always read terms and conditions now before accept. And now, please read Netflix terms and conditions because probably you're in their show right now."
Tudor Turiceanu, CEO of CasinoAlpha.ie, commented on the findings. He said: "Without triggering any spoiler alerts, it is clear that despite today's awareness of data privacy concerns being higher than ever, it is so easy to forget that terms and conditions are, in fact, a contract.
"Companies know that, realistically, very few will sit there and read the T&Cs carefully. Though clearly, as the data we analysed shows, many became more aware of them following Black Mirror's first episode.
"This may be a good time for policymakers to intervene and make it easier for users to understand what they are agreeing to because telling people to just read the small print rarely works. Of course, this is a very difficult task, but then so was GDPR legislation at the time.
"There is some relief, though, in knowing that companies will avoid hiding any Godzillas in the small print for fear of some Samaritan lawyer out there eventually spotting it."
Created by Charlie Brooker, the British hit series Black Mirror explores the great leaps in technology, especially those involving screens, and the darker implications they may have. First released in 2011, Black Mirror has so far won 27 awards, of which six Emmys, and totalled 109 nominations.
