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Bird Box, Josh Malerman’s record-setting, post-apocalyptic novel-turned-film, presents the typical horror/psychological genre format with boogeyman lying in wait, drawing the viewer in by the simultaneously realistic and fantastical format of entertainment. Great art always presents us with layered and rich opportunities for learning through metaphor and understanding the world around us. Movies can extend beyond the realm of entertainment, acting as vehicles of information and lessons that often transcend time (similar to parables).
Powerful storytelling in film often touches upon subconscious fears. Fictional and fantastical content allows us to peel back the layers to uncover the deeper meanings and retreat when the metaphors become too real; they protect us and help us cope by allowing us to escape back into the action adventure, hiding from the depths of the meaning within, seeing only as profoundly as a comfortable, discomfort will allow.
The use of mystery in art allows the viewer to engage their imagination to invoke personal fears, thereby magnifying the effects of, in the case of Bird Box, the unseeable evil. While movie critics may react to plot line and performance, as a psychologist trained to find deeper underlying content, an underlying anecdote pops quickly into focus. One of the most alarming trends we are seeing today is the sharp rise in anxiety, depression, which is leading to an unprecedented increase in suicide rates, especially in teens. Is the film adaptation a reaction to this disturbing trend?
Parallel to the plot line, rising suicide and depression rates come at a time when teens are depending more and more on social media—and scientists are confirming the relationship between new technologies and suicidal behaviors. Taking this information into consideration, it seems probable that in Bird Box, the “diffuse evil,” resulting in a self-imposed end of humanity, may indeed be a metaphor for social media. Matt Novak, a writer for Gizmodo, agrees that this metaphor is fitting.
I don't identify social media as an insidious, evil boogeyman. Instead, I see it as a modern challenge parents and children must learn to navigate and control. The added dilemmas parents are faced with in the digital age forces parents to take the helm in teaching children to wade through the swells and calm of social media. A recent study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania supports the finding that limiting social media exposure to 30 minutes per day results in a significant reduction in feelings of loneliness and depression, and even monitoring use (without limitations) had a positive effect on feelings of anxiety.
Perhaps, in a climate where the elite in technology are redefining their relationship with social media (even fencing off their own children from exposure) we should be taking cues from the creators of social media platforms to move forward balancing our digital lives as users and parents. Parents play an essential role in all areas of a teens life, including technology. Parents not only provide teens with the map and nautical tools to navigate social media but also, taking a page from Harry Potter, to cast their own Patronus, protecting teens from the Dementors (e.g., depression and anxiety) that modern communication mediums may encourage. Lastly, parents can also teach children through their own social media habits. Let's make sure that all of our teens know their Patronus. What is yours?
