AI 노동 행위성과 사회 기술적 상상에 대한 고찰-넷플릭스 시리즈 <블랙 미러: 존은 끔찍해>를 중심으로-

An Exploration of AI Labor Agency and Sociotechnical Imaginaries-Focusing on the Netflix Series <Black Mirror: Joan is awful>

This study analyzes the representation of artificial intelligence (AI) labor agency and the surrounding sociotechnical imaginaries as depicted in the Netflix series Black Mirror episode “Joan Is Awful.” It further explores how AI is portrayed as either replacing or interacting with human workers to generate value, offering an in-depth examination of the impact of AI technologies on labor through this particular episode of Black Mirror. Using Andrea Sau’s “three-stage imaginary analysis framework” (social commentary, future vision, and modes of realization) as a theoretical lens, and employing MCDA as the methodological approach, this study investigates the visual and narrative strategies used to represent AI labor. This paper aims, first, to reveal how science fiction media visualizes and symbolically reconstructs the real-world challenges of AI labor, and second, to examine how the interdependent relationship between human and AI agents is articulated within broader social discourse. By moving beyond the traditionally technology-driven or anthropocentric perspectives prevalent in AI research, this study seeks to provide a more balanced understanding of the emerging labor dynamics between humans and AI. It is expected to offer meaningful insights for AI-based labor environments.