Dystopian narratives in pop culture have long been used to reflect real-world fears held by both niche groups and the entire global population. So, how are books, films, and TV series highlighting contemporary concerns? And how might a general sense of pessimism impact people’s behaviours?

Streaming giant Netflix has bought the rights to dystopian British seriesBlack Mirrorfrom under the nose of Channel 4 – the channel that initially commissioned it. As the formerly free-to-air show gets pulled behind a paywall, is this yet another nail in the coffin for the TV industry?

Butcher’s Blockis a TV show that casts capitalism’s elite as cannibals who feed on the poor. As people flock to dystopian entertainment that resonates with their fears,Butcher’s Blockis doing for socioeconomic dissatisfaction whatBlack Mirrordoes for technophobia.

People are nervous about emerging technologies, yet 63% of people don’t realise they already using AI every day. Canvas8 spoke with Alex Salkever, co-author ofThe Driver in the Driverless Carand VP of communications at Mozilla, to understand how we can rethink AI's presence in our lives.