Technology and Personhood

      Black Mirror's Be Right Back proves to be a complex anecdote about the consequences of animating personality. The premise of the story depicts a misfortunate couple that is separated by Ash's untimely death. When Martha reluctantly inquires about the systemic reanimation of her late husband, she is unaware of what she is getting into. Before I discuss the ethical considerations of these actions, it is important to talk about human emotion. Looking at her grief being so immense that she was willing to push the button and bring her husband back, we must notice that this is true human emotion. It is selfish to want to break rules of nature and undo the impossible. She knows this is impossible. However, she is willing to pay to get as Close as possible to a reality, a dystopia if you will. This brings me to my next Point: this is a consumer good, it is a product for profit, it is a service provided by an organization. As we all know, there is no fail-proof product that solves all answers. In fact, as humans we know that we will produce Technology that outperforms the previous standards. So it is important to think that we will perhaps produce similar products like the reanimated Ash. But is Martha wrong or immoral of being a produt of a consumer society? No, this is not her fault and ultimately it should remain in our minds that she is the Protagonist of the film. So why criticize her purchase of a Simulation of her fake husband?
       Back to square one, we have to look at our ambitious technological advances and question their integrity. What I mean is that we have to look at the ethical implications of the movie at face value. First, Martha is using defense mechanisms to Project her Frustration towards death and using her new husband to cope. This is flawed, because as I mentioned before, Ash 2 can never be able to have envy, greed, regret, etc. These are the human behaviors that although are seen s negative, they are desired. Martha would even agree that she wants an Ash 2 that will commit mistakes. And that is what is so wrong with our Society but also so beautiful about us. We want to be flawed because that is our reminders that we are faulty and we are human. Second, social media and online presences can dictate so  much about our lives. Care to imagine that Ash was an online bigot and insulted People in YouTube comments and other Posts. What would this do to our portrayed selfs? How would we reflect on this? Some would say that Martha could ask or program Ash 2 to not portray this side of him. But then, there is a Problem here too. This would not be the real Ash. Once again, we have to notice the ethical considerations of this virtual Person. It has no identity aside from the online Input and history from the victim. But, even though it I inanimate, does that make it alright to enslave Ash 2? The ending of the film proved to be disturbing. She could not bring herself to eliminate Ash 2 from her life because she loved him. The sad part is that we start to sympathize for Ash 2 towards the end. We know that he is an innocent program and wants to satisfy and fulfill Martha's wishes. But she nonetheless neglects him because he cannot provide the true love she once longed for. Once she was done moruning over him and using the Robot to sexually cope through his Absence, Martha literally avoids and actively neglects Ash 2. It is as if she was done with the product and it was time to be stored in the attic to collect dust.