Black Mirror and the Subscription Trap: Where Tech, Capital, and Ethics Collide
I recently watched the first episode of Black Mirror Season 7, titled Common People, and it left me deeply unsettled. As an independent developer, the episode struck a nerve—not just because of its dystopian premise, but because of how eerily close it mirrors the reality we’re building around subscription-based models.
Technology That Sustains Life—Or Controls It
In the episode, Amanda, a schoolteacher diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor, undergoes a radical procedure offered by a tech company. The catch? While the surgery is “free,” keeping her alive depends on a monthly subscription. The higher the tier, the more cognitive function and clarity she retains.
At the lowest level, Amanda begins unconsciously injecting ads into her conversations. Her consciousness becomes gated behind a paywall, her autonomy eroded in favor of monetization.
It’s a haunting metaphor—one that made me question just how much control we, as users and creators, truly have in a world where “access” is increasingly leased, not owned.
The Double-Edged Sword of Subscriptions
Subscription models promise accessibility and ongoing service. But as they become the default, some side effects are hard to ignore:
• Users grow dependent on tools they can no longer fully own.
• Features are intentionally segmented across tiers, nudging users to upgrade.
• When payments lapse, users may lose access—not just to functionality, but to their own data.
I’ve seen apps shift from one-time purchases to subscriptions and alienate their loyal user base. I’ve also seen developers struggle to balance sustainability with fairness. Subscriptions are powerful—but also easy to abuse.
The Developer’s Dilemma
As a developer, I get it. Subscriptions provide recurring revenue and make long-term maintenance viable. But that doesn’t mean we should design around artificial scarcity or fear of loss.
In my own work, I try to draw clear ethical lines: core functionality remains available without a paywall, users retain control of their data, and upgrades enhance—not fragment—the experience. I believe people should subscribe to value, not because they’re afraid of losing access.
What Common People Really Warns Us About
The episode may be fiction, but its warning is very real. When technology, business models, and human experience intersect, we must ask: Are we empowering users—or quietly taking their agency away?
As an independent developer, I see it as part of my responsibility to build with intention. Tech should elevate, not exploit. And every pricing decision we make draws a line—between sustainability and control, between serving people and serving metrics.