Humans

Allegory- A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. (A metaphor that makes a broader comment on society.) 

Zeitgeist- The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time. (The "spirit of the time")

Using the concepts of allegory, media productions can encode a range of ideological perspectives that may not be apparent to all audiences.  

Godzilla- The original film was released in 1954 and was inspired by the events that had happened several years before. The main event that influenced the film was the taking over of the allies lead by the United States. The take over was started by the atomic bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. 

Invasion of the saucer-men- This film was released in 1957 and it could be said that it has been in spired by the Roswell incident and the rumours surrounding it. In mid-1947, a United States Army Air Forces balloon crashed at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico.Following wide initial interest in the crashed "flying disc", the US military stated that it was merely a conventional weather balloon. Interest subsequently waned until the late 1970s, when ufologists began promoting a variety of increasingly elaborate conspiracy theories, claiming that one or more alien spacecraft had crash-landed and that the extraterrestrial occupants had been recovered by the military, which then engaged in a cover-up. 

Independence day- Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction action film. he film focuses on disparate groups of people who converge in the Nevada desert in the aftermath of a worldwide attack by an extraterrestrial race of unknown origin. With the other people of the world, they launch an all-out counterattack on July 4—Independence Day in the United States. The movie could have been influenced by the several wars that were taking place during the 90's. These include The Gulf War 2 August 1990, The First Chechen War (1994–1996), The Yugoslav Wars (1991–1995), Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) and, Bosnian War (1992–1995). 

Humans- The show uses allegory in order to bring to light topics such as the possibility that humans will one day be dependent on technology such as a synth to do small, every day tasks. As well as this, it can be said that they are trying to make us understand the difference between humans and robots. this makes people think about what it means to be a human. However, it also makes the audience consider how quickly technology has changed over the years and how it will develop in the future for better or worse.  The show also brings up questions asking whether of not we should/could love a synth as if they were a sentient being capable of showing love in return. 

What sci-fi genre conventions can you identify? 

The show features futuristic technology and allows us to see how it could effect us in the coming years. As with many sci-fi productions, the show has been used to explore social, political and, philosophical issues, such as the development of AI and robots. They also explore sexualisation through the quote "If she's not pretty can we get a new one?" when they first buy the synth.  they have also used the synth's ethnicity to represent a hard working individual through the stereotypes of a culture.  

How do they explore real world issues? 

Humans is able to discus real world issues through the use of technological development. it is very possible that we will soon gain the technology needed to create robots such as the synths seen on the show. 

What impact does this have on the audience? 

Human impacts the audience by making them question how they would react with the development of the technology that has developed in the future. it also raises several ethical questions such as wondering if it is ok to "kidnap" one of the synths because they are not humans. 

• Sexualisation
• Unpaid labour
• The negotiation of exoticism 
• Sexual exploration
• Modern slavery
• Commodity fetishism