Enhanced Memory: “The Entire History of You”

Jenkins explores the Black Mirror (2011–) episode, “The Entire History of You,” in relation to two other narratives about prosthetic memory and wearable computers—Kathryn Bigelow’s 1995 feature film, Strange Days and Steve Mann’s 2001 book, Cyborg: Digital Destiny and Human Possibility in the Age of Wearable Computers. Black Mirror’s Grain, Strange Days’ SQUID, and Cyborg’s WearComp each represent new media technologies which enable humans to record, process, access, and share their perceptual experiences in real time, resulting in what Mann describes as a “cyborg perspective.” Each is an extension of the human sensorium, which opens up radical possibilities for managing knowledge and interacting with others. Yet, in each narrative, “old troubles” catch up with us, as powerful institutions and systemic inequality shape how this technology gets used in practice.