Season 2 of Todd Sampson’s “Mirror Mirror”, dubbed “Mirror Mirror: Love and Hate”, will hit screens on Oct. 10.
The two-part documentary is a Baltimore Films production for Network 10, and was created and written by Sampson himself.
This iteration of the adman-turned-TV-star’s documentary will chart how the internet is changing society and what people can do about it.
Network 10 said the show will open people’s eyes as to how the internet is changing the way they view the world and the way they both love and hate. It will also explore how internet companies are capturing our attention and rewiring our brains.
Sampson noted the gravity of the situation in a conversation with 10 Play.
“We are on the cusp of the largest global crisis at this time, and I think the impact of the internet, the influence of the internet on our children, is at the heart of that,” he said.
“I wanted to use my voice to address the subject as best I can… I don’t think there’s any way around addressing this topic other than regulation, but I felt like I could use my voice in a useful way.”
He said this all culminates in this generation of children becoming “canaries in the digital coal mine”.
“I thought, let’s go back to the basics of what it is to be human and that is about love and it is about hate, and let’s see how the internet impacts both of those,” he said. “The episodes are very different from each other, but they carry a similar skeleton.”
The series explores various corners of the internet, from artificial intelligence girlfriends, influencer culture and internet addiction to conspiracy theories, image-based abuse and deepfake technology.
In its first season, “Mirror Mirror” looked at body dissatisfaction across advertising, social media and the apps that we use to alter our appearances.