black mirrors
Switched-off device screens
Black mirrors are dark, reflective surfaces—historically made of polished obsidian or black glass—used for scrying, divination, or meditation.
The occult association lends the phrase to modern commentary on technology: our phone and computer screens, when dark, reflect our faces back at us like the fortune-teller's tool.
The British television series *Black Mirror* explores this metaphor.
- obsidianGlassy igneous rock
- screenDisplay or barrier
- screen timeDuration on digital displays
- crystal gazingDivination via transparent sphere
- NetflixSubscription streaming service
streaming service · cyberpunks · looking glass · reflection · smooth · spirit world · anthologies · ceremonial magic · surface · glass · future · scrying · technology · dystopian fiction · divination tools · societal critique · digital age · identity
black mirrorslive feeds
Real-time broadcast transmissions
streaming video · streaming content · digital signage · video walls
black mirrorssilvered glass
Metal-backed reflective sheet
polished chrome · looking glasses · vanity mirrors · diffuse light
black mirrorstelescopes
Optical magnifying instruments
microscopes · crystal balls · open books · direct observation · plain sight
black, blacks, blacked, blacking, blacken, blackened, blackening, blackness, blackish